ANTHONY DALY expects Tomás Brady to be fit and available for Dublin’s Leinster SHC semi-final against Galway or Westmeath on June 18 but Joey Boland is still considered extremely doubtful.
The Na Fianna defensive duo sat out Dublin’s close-run four-point defeat of Offaly in Croke Park yesterday and both were sorely missed as the Dubs’ defence struggled to contain a late surge from the Faithful attack.
Brady is recovering from medial knee ligament damage suffered in training with his club a week after Dublin’s league final success while Boland sustained shoulder damage in that victory over Kilkenny and Daly admitted that his first-choice centre-back is some way shorter of peak fitness than Brady.
“I would say Brady is definite – all with due process,” said the Clareman in the immediate aftermath of yesterday’s victory.
“He started straight line running this week and if everything goes according to plan, I would say he will be good for it.
“Joey is a bit more complicated because of where it is. Tomás would feel (the injury) straight away whereas only a bang to the injury will test Joey. He will be stepping up (his training) all the time and it’s only in the last week (before the match) that we will know if he makes it. But he’s in a bigger race than (for) Tomás.”
In all likelihood, Dublin will meet Galway – the only team to have beaten them in competitive action this year – in O’Connor Park in three weeks’ time and they continued their preparations for the Leinster championship with a six-point victory over Limerick in Athenry yesterday.
The Tribesmen prevailed by 1-19 to 1-13 in a match played over three 25-minute periods thanks to a late goal from substitute Eanna Ryan although there was no sign of top marksmen, Joe Canning, Ger Farragher or Iarla Tannian.
Tannian will miss the initial round of the Leinster championship with a broken thumb while Canning (hamstring) and Farragher (knee) – who lined out with his club during the week – are considered doubts for the Westmeath match.
Article Source: Herald.ie
