Rebel relief as O’Neill injury not as bad as first feared

CORK have breathed a sigh of relief with news that Colm O’Neill sustained cartilage damage to a knee in Saturday’s Munster football semi-final and not a dreaded fourth cruciate ligament tear.

Scans revealed the cartilage damage yesterday which will take between four to six weeks to repair.

That will leave their goalscorer from Saturday night’s 11-point win under pressure to make a final against Clare or Kerry on Saturday June 23.

O’Neill has torn a cruciate ligament three times over the last 10 years.

Meanwhile, Alan Brogan believes Diarmuid Connolly is unlikely to play for Dublin this summer, but said the St Vincent’s forward was “more than entitled” to take a break from the game.

RUMOUR

Connolly’s absence from the panel has been subject of much rumour this year but without him they still look in ominous form with Sunday’s 4-25 to 1-11 victory over Wicklow sending the Dubs through to a Leinster semi-final.

Speaking on ‘The Throw-In’, Independent.ie’s GAA podcast, three-time All-Star Brogan said Connolly had earned a break after over a decade competing at the highest level of GAA.

“I haven’t spoken to him myself but from what I’m hearing he’s just taking a break, there’s no more to it than that,” Brogan said.

“It looks like he’s not going to be around for the summer, that’s the word I’ve heard, I’m not 100pc. If Diarmuid wants to take a summer off or maybe go to America, or go on holidays, do whatever he wants to do, he’s more than entitled to do that. He’s been playing with Dublin since he was eighteen.

“He’s 30 or 31 now so he’s had a good while in fairness. I think if he wants to have a break, he’s more than entitled to it.”