Laois dual star Healy suffers second curse of the cruciate

CAHIR HEALY will miss the rest of 2019 after it was confirmed that the Laois dual star has suffered the curse of the cruciate for the second time in 18 months following a collision in their recent SF challenge game against Kerry.

Hopes were high that Healy had only damaged the medial ligament of his knee but the 32-year-old’s worst fears were confirmed when he learned that his cruciate ligament is also ruptured and that he faces at least nine months on the sidelines during his rehabilitation.

It’s a cruel blow for Healy as he had only recently returned to the football fold after six seasons giving his sole focus to the hurlers, while he also missed the 2018 county campaign when recuperating from surgery on his other cruciate ligament.

Tempted

Healy returned to star for Portlaoise in their Laois SFC triumph and his addition to John Sugrue’s squad was viewed as a major coup having been tempted away from the hurling fold but the all-action defender was only available for a matter of weeks before serious injury struck.

Healy – who has been travelling over and back from London (where he works as a primary school teacher) in recent years to continue his club and county commitments – had been excited at the prospect of representing the O’Moore footballers again but that return will have to wait until at least 2020.

He will undergo surgery early next month and given that he turns 33 next year, and with two cruciate knee ligament surgeries under his belt by that time, he faces a stiff task to don the blue and white again.

However, if his tenacity and durability on the pitch are anything to go by then Healy will take this latest setback in his stride and continue to defy the odds with Laois.