Colm Cooper on track for quarter-final but Cork star’s season over after horror injury

Mixed news from the south on two of the country’s finest forwards.

Colm Cooper has a fighting chance of being fit for Kerry’s All-Ireland quarter-final on July 31st, but Cork’s Brian Hurley is almost certainly out of the remainder of the Championship after partially tearing his hamstring from the bone.

The Irish Examiner are reporting positive news from the Kingdom camp. Gooch’s right collarbone, which he injured in the Munster SFC final win over Tipperary, shows no sign of a broken bone or ligament damage.

There has been some hysterical reporting on the extent of Cooper’s injury but those close to the player are confident he has more than a fighting chance of being fit for Kerry’s last-eight encounter.

Good news for Kerry, bad news for Mayo https://t.co/jHXIHII6Rl

— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) July 7, 2016

However it would seem Hurley’s season is over after he suffered a similar injury to the one that ended Paul O’Connell’s career. While not as severe as what happened to the Ireland rugby captain against France in last year’s World Cup, the injury Hurley picked up in a training match looks likely to keep the Castlehaven man out of Peadar Healy’s plans for the rest of the year.

Cork face Limerick in Thurles on Saturday afternoon (3pm) in a Round 2B qualifier as they look to get their season back on track after the Munster semi-final defeat to Tipperary.

Healy must also make do without Conor Dorman (ankle), Kevin Crowley (hamstring) and Jamie O’Sullivan (groin).

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