Laois hurling manager Eamonn Kelly is facing a severe injury crisis ahead of his sides’ Leinster Round Robin opener against Westmeath, it has been reported.
Reports suggest that as many as SEVEN of Laois’s main players could miss the crunch tie in O’Moore Park on Sunday.
Ryan Mullaney is out after dislocating his shoulder playing for Castletown in recent club matches.
Stephen Maher, who missed most of the league with a broken finger, is said to have pulled his hamstring in training with his club Clough-Ballacolla.
Borris-Kilcotton’s Matthew Whelan has yet to regain full mobility in his dislocated thumb and is rated as doubtful while Rosenallis’ John Lennon has a groin problem.
Ballinakill’s Cha Dwyer and Shanahoe’s Leigh Bergin have hamstring problems while Dywer’s clubmate Podge Lawlor is struggling to recover from the hamstring injury which kept him out for most of the league campaign.
It’s not all bad news for Laois, however. Reports suggest that Dwane Palmer, who missed the Kerry game with a dead leg, is back while his Camross clubmate Ciarán Collier came through that game unscathed having just returned from a cruciate injury.
Elsewhere, Borris-Kilcotton sharpshooter Mark Kavanagh is understood to be nearing full fitness and could be in contention for a place in the Laois U-21 team for their Leinster championship clash against Meath or Westmeath at the end of May.
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