Dublin lose Morrissey

DUBLIN'S hurlers sustained a debilitating loss at the weekend with yesterday's announcement that Eamonn Morrissey, who declared for the county after transferring from Kilkenny last autumn, will be unable to take part in this year's championship due to a broken collarbone.

Morrissey was playing for his club O'Toole's in a challenge match when he suffered the damage. The news is grim for Dublin's manager Jimmy Grey, who also has to cope with another injury problem afflicting the highly-rated Liam Walsh.

Dublin open their championship campaign against the winners of the Kilkenny-Wexford first round match on June 23rd.

Better news, meanwhile, for Limerick's hurlers who will have their captain, Ciaran Carey, back to play All-Ireland champions, Clare, in a challenge next Sunday. Carey has been out of action since he broke a finger six weeks ago.

Yesterday at the hurling championship launch in Croke Park, Carey confirmed that he would be back in action at the weekend. This constitutes some good news for Limerick manager Tom Ryan, who has already lost a number of the central performers from the side that won the 1994 Munster championship.

Full forward Pat Heffernan hasn't been training with the team since last year and is unlikely to be part of this summer's plans. Centre back Ger Hegarty suffered a recurrence of a knee injury last year and hasn't as yet managed a complete recovery. With less than four weeks to the championship opener against Cork, Hegarty's chances of starting are minimal. ("We'll shave him for the second round," says Carey optimistically.)

Finally, only a fortnight ago, midfielder Mike Houlihan suffered a serious facial injury when loading cattle onto a truck.

Staying in Limerick, the footballers are also in difficulty as they prepare for the Munster championship game against Cork, scheduled for Sunday week in Limerick but which may take place on the day before, because of a clash with the National Hurling League final in Limerick on May 12th.

Donal Fitzgibbon, the most experienced member of the Limerick side and midfielder on the team that reached the 1991 Munster final, is out of the game because of a back injury.