Updated 9.50pm
PAURIC MAHONY WAS Waterford’s main man in attack as they claimed their third National Hurling League title last weekend.
However, Deise manager Derek McGrath might have to plan without the 22-year-old forward for the remainder of the season.
Mahony has suffered a horrific shin break in tonight’s club championship game for Ballygunner against Ballyduff Upper at Fraher Field in Dungarvan.
Ballygunner were leading midway through the second-half when Mahony went down. Following a 17-minute delay, he was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
“It’s a shin break,” confirmed manager Denis Walsh afterwards. “We are all upset in Ballygunner for him. You never like to see that happening any player. We have seen it happening over the years.
“For him, we wish him the best really. We will be fighting on without him for a while and we hope that he will be back before the end of the year.
“I don’t honestly know. It looked like a serious shin break from what I could see and I have seen one or two of them before. That overshadowed the game really.”
It’s understood renowned surgeon Tadgh O’Sullivan will operate on the 22-year-old tomorrow. The recovery time from a broken tibia generally varies between four and six months.
The game eventually resumed, with Ballygunner winning on a 2-18 to 0-9 scoreline.
But the main talking point was the injury sustained by a player who, along with Cork’s Patrick Horgan, finished top scorer in this year’s league campaign with a personal tally of 1-90. Mahony hit 0-11 in last Sunday’s final win over the Rebels.