Tipperary sweat on injuries to key pair

Tipperary face an anxious wait to discover whether captain Brendan Maher and key forward Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher will be fit to face Kilkenny in Saturday week’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final replay.

Both players are recovering from muscle strains.

Half-back Brendan injured his calf and Bonner, Tipp’s goalscorer in the drawn final, has been affected by a long-term quad complaint.

There were also some reports he had injured a knee in training last week.

“We have a lot of concern about Bonner,” coach Paudie O’Neill told reporters on Tuesday.

“He’s had a quad strain, had it now for a couple of months. It comes and goes so that’s a concern.

“Brendan Maher has been nursing a calf strain. He hasn’t been able to fully participate in training. 

“You’re just hoping things will come right. It’s more the fact that their preparation has been a bit affected.

“We’d be hopeful that on the day they’ll be there. Last week it wasn’t that important because we were just recovering but this week we’re trying to get a bit of work done. You’d want them on the field.”

Meanwhile, forward Niall O’Meara has returned from a college placement in the United States to be available for the replay.

The Kilruane MacDonaghs man missed out on a place in the panel in the drawn game due to a thumb injury but is expected to be included for the replay.