Tyrone ‘brutally hindered’ for semi by Covid outbreak
TYRONE’S joint football manager Brian Dooher says preparations for the All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry on Saturday week have been ‘brutally hindered’ by coronavirus cases in the squad and it could be ‘the middle of next week’ before a call is made on participation due to player availability.
Croke Park have given the Ulster champions six days’ grace by pushing back the fixture from Sunday until August 21, but Dooher said ‘it will be a struggle’ to field a team that is physically fit and properly prepared due to the extent of the disruption.
County chair Michael Kerr already revealed that a request for a two-week postponement was turned down and Dooher echoed the need for more time. ‘We asked for two weeks to give our players the opportunity to recover from Covid, and hopefully get them back into an elite environment of highintensity football,’ he told RTÉ Sport. ‘We’ve been given the six-day extension, but it’s going to be a struggle to get these boys performing to their full ability. ‘Preparations will be brutally hindered but we’ll make the best of it and we’ll make a call on it.’ Meanwhile, Limerick senior hurling captain Declan Hannon revealed that Peter Casey is ‘very upset and disappointed’ over the straight red card he picked up against Waterford last Saturday that will likely rule him out of the All-Ireland final against Cork. Limerick
manager John Kiely said the squad were still considering their options in terms of an appeal to the red card, which happened after an off-the-ball tangle with Conor Gleeson. Referee John Keenan sent the corner-forward off after consultation with his umpire. ‘Yeah, of course I was talking to Peter,’ said Hannon. ‘He’s obviously very upset and disappointed and it’s even worse when it’s in an AllIreland semi-final. Peter’s been flying all year. ‘I don’t know what the situation is with appeals at the minute, that’s for the management and Croke Park to look after but I feel very sorry for Pete. I know his brother Mike is injured as well so it’s a double blow for the family, but we’ll be there for Peter.’ Kiely said Barry Nash is fine to train after a knock against Waterford and that Diarmaid Byrnes was wearing a protective boot as a precautionary measure after going over on his ankle. Kiely admitted that the prospect of a Covid-19 case in the camp threatening their All-Ireland final participation is a very real worry in light of the same issue affecting Tyrone’s football semi-final against Kerry. ‘You just don’t know when you’ll get that call or text from someone saying they’ve been diagnosed with Covid or they’re a close contact, or they have a test,’ he added.