It still makes us wince nearly two weeks later.
When Kieran Donaghy hits you it’s going to hurt. And if it’s in the last few minutes of an AIB GAA All-Ireland club semi final then you know its really going to hurt.
Slaughtneil’s Christopher Bradley was on the receiving end of one of the hardest shoulders we’ve ever seen in their narrow semi final win over Austin Stacks earlier this month, and he paid the price as the impact snapped his collarbone. The injury pretty much rules him out of playing in next month’s All-Ireland club final against Corofin, and the other man involved in the clash has apologised for ending his dream of playing in Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day.
According to The Examiner Donaghy sent a message to Bradley to say sorry for the tackle and that there was no ill will intended in his attempt at dispossession. Assistant manager John Joe Kearney explined what was said in the text message.
“‘Look, no hard feelings, sorry you ended up the way you did but the hit was there and I took it’. It was very commendable that he did that and we appreciated it.”
Bradley is undergoing oxygen treatment to try and speed up the healing process while he’s also travelled to Ipswich to try play some role in the All-Ireland final next month.
Donaghy was criticised by the Slaughtneil management after the game for the tackle, with many on the sideline feeling he had been too aggressive in his approach. However, Kearney now admits that the tackle was a fair one and that it was just unfortunate their player came off worse:
‘I spoke out of context after the game because although it looked like a really heavy tackle, but when I watched it back, it was shoulder to shoulder. It was just a case of little versus large, but it was quite within the rules of the game. So I send him my apologies. It was a big hit but it was a fair hit.’
Slaughtneil face Corofin in Croke Park on March 17th in the AIB GAA All-Ireland senior club football final at 3.45
