All-Star defender to miss entire GAA season in devastating injury blow
Cork have suffered a major blow with the news that full-back Ciarán Joyce has ruptured his cruciate.The All-Star defender, who had solved the Rebels’ vacancy on the edge of the square, went over on his knee in the opening minutes of Sunday’s Munster Championship victory against Limerick.That injury has now been confirmed as an ACL rupture, which will see the Castlemartyr clubman ruled out for the long-term.In a further setback, Ben O’Connor will also have to make do without the services of Robert Downey for the remainder of the Munster round-robin.The centre-back was helped off the field in the final play against Limerick. A scan has revealed damaged ankle ligaments, with a six-week recovery time.That means, if Cork were to qualify for the Munster final, Downey would face a race against time to feature. A hamstring injury limited the Glen Rovers star to a bench role in last year’s final triumph over Limerick.Cork are well-positioned on two wins from two in the round-robin ahead of a trip to Waterford and a final-round clash at home to Clare.Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond
