KERRY WILL HAVE to plan for the entire 2016 Allianz Football League without the services of marquee forward James O’Donoghue.
The Irish Examiner is reporting this morning that the Legion clubman dislocated his shoulder in the Kerry SFC final replay defeat to South Kerry and now requires surgery.
O’Donoghue suffered a similar injury against Kildare in the 2015 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final but Kingdom medics managed to patch him up sufficiently to get through the remainder of the season.
But a recurrence of the problem leaves 2014 Footballer of the Year O’Donoghue with no other option but to go under the knife at the Sports Surgery Clinic in Santry next week.
O’Donoghue also missed Kerry’s entire 2015 League campaign, having undergone a similar procedure last year.
Given that O’Donoghue has suffered shoulder problems on a recurring basis, he’s also considered a doubt for the start of next year’s Munster championship campaign.
The 25-year-old attacker admitted last month that surgery was probably the route he would have to go down in an attempt to finally find a solution.
It is estimated that O’Donoghue will be sidelined for six months.
