Dublin hurler Conal Keaney is in a major race against time to prove his fitness ahead of this Saturdays do or die All-Ireland SHC qualifier against Clare in Ennis (7pm).
The Ballyboden St Endas ace suffered a tear to a tendon below his knee in the Dubs meek Leinster SHC exit at the hands of Kilkenny and looks unlikely to feature against the Banner this weekend, however, a decision on his fitness will not be made until Thursday night at the earliest.
Whether he plays or not Keaney knows his side are in a battle for survival in Cusack Park as the Dubs attempt to bounce back from the disappointment of the last day out.
This is one of those matches that will not come down to which team has the better tactics or skill; it is all about which team is willing to work harder and put their body on the line in order to progress, says Keaney. Its do-or-die stuff.
I am expecting a very unique atmosphere on Saturday night as its do or die for both counties with the added subplot of it being Daly versus Davy.
From Dublins point of view, we need to produce a huge performance and play with some fight and pride again. The Kilkenny game was a real letdown and it has been haunting us ever since we need to exorcise the memories of that night in Portlaoise.
However, since that awful display, we have trained hard with some excellent training games and after the performances the last day I am sure there will be changes to the starting 15. We need to ensure that all this hard work is not left on the training pitch it must be brought to Ennis.
