The Indo reports this morning (as do Hogan Stand and Setanta) that Conor Mortimer broke two bones in his hand last Sunday and that, as a result, he’ll be out of action for at least six weeks.  According to Mort himself, he did the damage early enough in the game but decided to play on regardless.  You can see from the picture I took of him early in the second half that his right hand is strapped up in some way, which would seem to indicate that some running repairs were undertaken during half-time at McHale Park.  The report says he hopes to be back for the Connacht semi-final on 20th June but that obviously depends on how bad the breaks were and how long they take to heal.  I broke a pesky little bone called a scaphoid in my wrist many moons ago and I recall being nine weeks in plaster so hopefully whatever Mort has broken it isn’t that one.  I’d say that regardless of which one it is, we won’t see him in the starting line-up till the Connacht final, though he could play some part in the semi-final.

This is obviously a blow we could have done without at a time when hopes were starting to rise about a productive summer’s football.  Conor is a big loss but if he only misses the first two games (and assuming lightning doesn’t strike us down in his absence) then it’s not the end of the world, I suppose.  It does, though, leave us a bit short in the forward line for these games as Aidan O’Shea will be otherwise engaged with his Leaving Cert for these matches as well.  We have other options, I know, in the forward line and now’s the chance for those lads who have the ambition to break into the side to show their worth.