ALL-IRELAND champions Limerick have been dealt a hammer blow with the news that key defender Sean Finn has suffered a cruciate ligament injury.
The four-time All Star had to be replaced during last Saturday’s surprise Munster Championship defeat to Clare and though manager John Kiely sounded an optimistic note earlier this week when suggesting that the injury may not be as bad as first thought, Finn’s worst fears have now been realised.
He will now miss the rest of Limerick’s All-Ireland defence as well as the subsequent club campaign with Bruff, with the 27-year-old not likely to return to action until next year’s League campaign.
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“The Limerick senior hurling management wish to confirm that Sean Finn suffered an ACL injury on Saturday evening last that will rule him out for the remainder of the season,” read a Limerick GAA statement.
“We wish Sean the very best in his recovery and assure him of our fullest support and expertise on that journey.”
It’s the second time that Finn has suffered a cruciate nightmare having previously missed the 2016 season while it means that the injury has afflicted a member of Limerick’s All-Ireland winning full-back line from 2018 yet again, with Mike Casey and Richie English both being sidelined in similar circumstances in 2020.
Casey, whose brother Peter also returned from a cruciate rupture last year, replaced Finn at half-time last Saturday and is the most likely to step into the starting team as a result of this setback, with Limerick’s next outing away to Tipperary on May 21.
Finn’s loss is a particularly significant blow to Limerick’s hopes of becoming just the third team in hurling history to win four All-Ireland titles back-to-back, given that he is widely recognised as their best out-and-out defender and arguably the finest corner-back in the game at present.
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