Sport

Back in the day - Injury worries deepen for Fermanagh as Tom Brewster undergoes hamstring test - The Irish News, May 18 1999

WINNING FEELING....Members of the Derry camogie team who won the National Junior League title in Wexford on Sunday. (Left to right) Claire Doherty, Shauna McCaul, Mary O’Kane, Martina Mulholland, Siobhan Convery and Margaret Brolly (assistant manager).
WINNING FEELING....Members of the Derry camogie team who won the National Junior League title in Wexford on Sunday. (Left to right) Claire Doherty, Shauna McCaul, Mary O’Kane, Martina Mulholland, Siobhan Convery and Margaret Brolly (assistant manage WINNING FEELING....Members of the Derry camogie team who won the National Junior League title in Wexford on Sunday. (Left to right) Claire Doherty, Shauna McCaul, Mary O’Kane, Martina Mulholland, Siobhan Convery and Margaret Brolly (assistant manager).

TOM BREWSTER, one of Fermanagh’s key scoring threats for the May 30 Ulster SFC preliminary round clash with Monaghan, is to undergo a fitness check on a damaged hamstring tomorrow.

He has missed a week of training since sustaining the injury last Wednesday, while experienced forward Colm Courtney is racing against the clock to be fit with only 12 days to go to the game.

Ever since losing leading attacker Rory Gallagher before the turn of the year with a cruciate knee ligament injury, Fermanagh have suffered one body-blow after another.

The past month has been particularly difficult, with serious injuries ruling half of King’s defence out of the Monaghan clash. Raymond Curran is the latest to be sidelined.

He broke a wrist in three places last Friday, and such is the severity of the damage, he isn’t expected to be playing competitively again for possibly four months.

A collar-bone double fracture, his second of the season, has ruled Justin Gilheaney out of football until next year.

Add in a three months suspension for Paul Courtney, arising from their Dr McKenna Cup defeat by Armagh, and Fermanagh’s half-back line has been decimated.

Kieran McManus, one of their forwards, is also gone from the reckoning for the Monaghan game after dislocating his shoulder. Another panellist, Donal McNulty, is also sidelined with an ankle injury.

All were injured in club games.

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IN a quiet Belfast bar yesterday afternoon, the National Junior Camogie League cup sat bedecked in Derry red and white ribbons for the first time.

Some of the Derry camogs couldn’t decide what hurt more, their aching limbs from Sunday’s final win over Wexford or their pounding headaches from the after-match celebrations in Downey’s Bar in Magherafelt.

Assistant manager Margaret Brolly, no relation to football’s Joe, proudly declared: “We’re the famous Brollys of Derry now!”

It was to be a brief, out-of-character self-indulgent rant from the shy assistant who abruptly considered Dominic “Woody” McKinley to be the Oak Leaf’s main architect.

She said: “Without Dominic we would never have won the title. He has inspired the girls and instilled a self-belief that I’ve never seen before. He’s a truly great, great coach.”

Each team member listened intently to Margaret’s words, eager to add to and improve upon her glowing tribute.

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FOUR of Ulster’s top senior fighters fly out today to Greece to compete for Ireland in the Tofalia Tournament, while this weekend the annual Multi-Nations event in Liverpool will test the mettle of another crop of Irish boxing talent.

A seven-man team, including Liam Cunningham, William Waite, Conall Carmichael and Paul McCloskey, head for the Med this morning to take part in the Greek international box-offs at the seaside town of Patras.

At Liverpool, where Ireland took a gold and silver last year through the efforts Neil Gough and Aodh Carlyle, hopes will be high that those achievements can be emulated.

Drogheda bantamweight Damien McKenna (Holy Family), lightweight Eugene McEneaney (Dealgan), heavyweight Stephen Reynolds (St Joseph’s, Sligo) and Crumlin’s John Kinsella will compete for honours.

Phil Sutcliffe, the former Olympic representative, will coach the Irish team in Liverpool while Newry referee/judge Jack Poucher has been appointed to officiate at the MultiNations tournament.