Davy Fitzgerald has been dealt an early blow in his new role as Antrim senior hurling manager after star forward Conal Cunning suffered a cruciate knee ligament on club duty earlier this month.
Cunning has been one of the Saffrons’ most potent weapons in recent seasons having racked up huge attacking tallies for both club and county. However, he limped out of Dunloy’s recent Antrim SHC semi-final win over Loughgiel Shamrocks after just 12 minutes.
Dunloy boss Gregory O’Kane had hoped that Cunning may still feature in Sunday’s county final against defending champions Ruairí Óg Cushendall but MRI scans revealed that he had fallen victim to the curse of the cruciate.
Barring a miraculous recovery, Cunning looks set to be sidelined for at least nine months and he is already in a race against time to feature for Fitzgerald in next year’s Leinster SHC.