*Darragh Bohannon. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
POTENTIAL hammer blows for Clare footballers have midfielder Darragh Bohannon and captain Cillian Rouine as major injury doubts for the fourth round of the Allianz National Football League.
Clare recorded a six point win over Fermanagh in Enniskillen on Sunday to pick up their first win of the league. The victory came at a small price with both Bohannon and Rouine forced off with injuries in the opening half.
Shannon Gaels’ Darragh had to leave the field with fifteen minutes played while Lahinch’s Rouine was forced off with twenty seven minutes on the clock. The duo both sustained hamstring injuries, the extent of which has yet to be detailed.
However with such a tight turnaround, the prospect of the pair playing a full seventy minutes against Laois in Cusack Park this Sunday are said to be very unlikely.
Bohannon’s loss from the middle of the park was felt after his exit with Clare struggling greatly to retain their own kickouts. The towering midfielder has made a massive difference to the Clare cause, he was travelling for last year’s inter-county campaign. He is one of the most experienced members of the panel, having first joined the squad in 2016.
Rouine has had a very frustrating start to the year on the injury front. Sunday’s appearance was his first of the year after recovering from a broken bone in his hand. The Ennistymon clubman was one of Clare’s best performers in the first half against Fermanagh, his interception helped to create Aaron Griffin’s goal while he brought stability and aggression to the spine of the Banner attack.
There is some better news on the injury front for defender Fionn Kelleher. The St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield clubman has missed the second and third round ties due to a hamstring injury sustained in training. Kelleher is understood to be available for selection for Sunday’s game.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Clare manager Paul Madden expressed confidence in the ability of his panel to cope with whatever injuries come their way. “Lads will only be available if they are one hundred percent fit, we trust our bench and our squad, the lads that didn’t get games today will be awful disappointed, we can’t play everybody but if lads are out next week, other lads will be in, we’ll drive on”.
Currently sitting second from bottom in Division 3, Clare need to keep winning to both secure their status and put themselves back in contention for promotion to the second tier.
A win over Laois on Sunday would see Madden’s side overtake the O’Moore men in the table with the meeting of Sligo and Limerick to determine how much the middle to bottom end of the table will alter by the end of the weekend.
Last year, Clare came from six points down at half-time to defeat Laois 2-22 1-21 in one of the highlights of Peter Keane’s short tenure in charge. Emmet McMahon had a storming performance on that evening in Portlaoise with a seven point tally, the Kildysart man continues his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Sunday’s game throws in at 14:00 in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg.
