Advertisement
Kilkenny hurling manager Brian Cody and Cork counterpart Jimmy Barry Murphy. INPHO/Cathal Noonan
GAA

Donal Óg will be back, insists Cork hurling boss Jimmy Barry Muphy

Cusack suffered an Achilles injury in the league semi-final win over Tipp.

CORK WILL LINE out in Sunday’s National Hurling League decider without their first-choice goalkeeper, but Jimmy Barry Murphy insists Donal Óg Cusack will be back.

The Cloyne man suffered an Achilles injury in the semi-final victory over Tipperary in thurles last time out, and will miss the rest of the season.

After a long and successful career many have questioned if Cusack will in fact return to the red of the Leesiders. But JBM thinks a comeback is on the cards.

“He will be out for nine months Dr. Con Murphy told me,” the Rebels chief told GAA.ie at an event at Croke Park yesterday. “With the kind of guy that he is in relation to hurling -– he lives for hurling –- and the fact that a goalkeeper can stay on for a number of years, I don’t see why he can’t be back playing next year.

“I’m sure he’ll have a role to play [within the panel this summer]. He’s there a long time and the players all look up to him very much. Injuries happen. It’s tough on him but you just have to get on with it. That would be his attitude as well.

“There is no point in cribbing and crying about it. Injuries happen in sport. Kilkenny have had a litany of them and the Cork footballers over the last couple of years have had to put up with cruciate injuries as well so it’s something we have to live with and move on.”

  • Meanwhile, the GAA Discount tickets for Sunday’s game in Thurles can be bought in advance from four SuperValu/Centra outlets in Kilkenny; 16 of the stores in Cork and online at gaa.ie/tickets as well as the participating County Boards.

See GAA.ie for more