Wexford County Board refute claim Ryan was injured ‘doing something with county team’
CHANCES are Rapparees senior hurling boss Padge Walsh probably had the words out of his mouth before he realised it when claiming that Wexford full-back Liam Ryan broke his foot “doing something with the county team”.
In a video interview with Wexford Today previewing the Wexford SHC, Walsh said that Ryan had picked up an injury before clubs officially returned to training which sees him ruled out of action for the immediate future.
“We’re in big trouble,” Walsh said. “Liam is in big trouble at the minute, he’s on crutches and has a boot on his foot. He picked up an injury doing something with the county team or something.
“He has a bone broke in the bottom of his foot and obviously he’s going to be out for the championship, simple as that. Liam is such a colossus for us, he’s such a big player for us, it’s unreal.
“We’re trying to play catch-up, it’s not ideal for any team, it’s not just us. Just two weeks of contact hurling before a championship match surely wouldn’t be ideal.”
Protective
With Rapparees opening their Wexford SHC campaign against Shelmaliers on Saturday week, there is no hope of Ryan, who was pictured on crutches with a protective boot on his left leg, being fit to play.
A spokesperson for Wexford GAA last night, however, distanced themselves from such talk and insisted that Ryan’s injury was sustained while on club duty.
“Liam Ryan recently suffered a hairline fracture in his foot but Wexford GAA are adamant that Liam’s injury was sustained with his club while preparing for the upcoming club championships,” the spokesperson said.
The loss of Ryan is a major blow for the Enniscorthy side with Walsh now without his star defender for the rapid-fire championship.
There is likely to have been plenty of disgruntled club managers around the country lamenting the absence of their county stars before the Association decided to row back on an earlier directive and take a harder line by putting stricter sanctions in place for counties which breach the rules.
The risks facing counties which bend the rules are now real with teams liable to be booted out of the championship if returning before September 14, while county chairpersons have been told that they will be held responsible should their county teams be found to have trained before that date.
Clubs can report any grievances or incidences of collective inter-county training directly to Croke Park with such correspondence required to come from the official club secretary email address.