Gaelic Games

Jason Foley unlikely to feature for Kerry in Munster championship

Kingdom hopeful that injured defender will be fit to return for action later in the summer

Jason Foley: will face a period out of action while he recovers from the the ankle injury sustained during the victory over Roscommon. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho
Jason Foley: will face a period out of action while he recovers from the the ankle injury sustained during the victory over Roscommon. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho
Gordon Manning
Thu Mar 21 2024 - 19:56

Kerry selector Diarmuid Murphy said Jason Foley is unlikely to be available for the Kingdom’s Munster SFC campaign – but they are hopeful he will feature later in the summer.

Foley hobbled off with an ankle injury during the second half of Kerry’s league victory over Roscommon at Dr Hyde Park on Sunday, and the 2022 All Star full back is now set for a period on the treatment table.

“Jason, look, it’s unlikely he’ll take any part in the Munster championship this year for us,” confirmed Murphy.

“But after that we’d be hopeful enough that he’ll see some action so we’ll see, we’ll see. It depends on how quickly he recovers after that but it’s unlikely for the Munster championship.

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“It’s kind of hard to say now really, the swelling on his ankle has to come down and, to be fair to Jason, he’s not a fella who’s had a lot of injuries over the years. Some guys are quick healers and more fellas aren’t. Hopefully he’ll be back in action sooner rather than later.”

There were initial fears that the injury could rule Foley out for the rest of the intercounty season, but the Kerry management are hopeful the defender will see action again this term.

“It was very worrying at the time because it looked like a very significant injury but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a season-ender anyway. But we’ll see how he recovers,” added Murphy.

Foley’s absence from the heart of Kerry’s defence will be a concern for Jack O’Connor. While they would be fancied to come through the provincial campaign without him, the Kingdom would almost certainly need Foley shoring up the defence for the business end of the All-Ireland SFC.

“Jason’s done a great job for us and for Kerry in general over the last few years now and he’s been a settled presence there in the number three jersey,” said Murphy.

“He’s going to be a big loss of course, but we’ve been working hard on our squad during the league this year and there’s other fellas there who are going to get a chance to step up for us in the Munster championship.”

Gordon Manning

Gordon Manning

Gordon Manning is a sports journalist, specialising in Gaelic games, with The Irish Times