TYRONE’S CONOR CLARKE has become the latest inter-county senior player to be ruled out of action for this summer after tearing his cruciate ligament.
Clarke suffered the injury while in action for his club Omagh St Enda’s in the Tyrone senior championship last weekend. Clarke found the net in the early stages of his team’s 1-15 to 1-13 win over Coalisland but damaged his knee in the opening quarter and was forced off.
After undergoing the scan last night on his injury, he confirmed today that his worst fears had been realised:
Clarke becomes the ninth high-profile GAA player to tear his cruciate ligament this year. Kerry’s Colm Cooper, Dublin duo Ciaran Kilkenny and Kevin O’Brien, Meath’s Eamon Wallace, Mayo’s Cathal Carolan, Armagh’s Aidan Forker, Waterford’s Tony Grey and Galway’s Niall Healy have all been hit by the injury as well.
Clarke had been in action at midfield for Tyrone’s Ulster preliminary round clash drawn game and replay against Down last month, forming a parternship with Colm Cavanagh.
It was 2010 when Clarke first burst to the fore, lining out at full-back on the Tyrone minor football team that won the All-Ireland final by a point against Cork.
He emerged strongly in 2012 on the senior stage and was full-back on the Tyrone team that bowed out of the championship at the hands of Kerry in the qualifiers in Killarney. He also lined out in that position last August during their All-Ireland semi-final loss to Mayo.
The loss of Clarke is a setback for Tyrone ahead of their Ulster quarter-final against Monaghan on June 15th.
