Injured Antrim defender Arron Graffin is keeping his fingers crossed that he won't be sidelined for the rest of the year.

Already resigned to an eight-week layoff, Graffin could be out of action for much a longer period depending on the severity of the knee injury he sustained in the heavy Leinster SHC defeat to Westmeath earlier this month. The Ruairi Og clubman was stretchered off in Mullingar following an eight-minute stoppage in play and was due to undergo a scan on the injured right knee at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast this week.

"Fingers crossed the worst case scenario is two months," he said in the Ballycastle Chronicle.

"I'm going to the Fracture Unit in the Royal for a scan and I hope the result of that will give me some idea of how bad the damage is, and how long I can expect to be out for. I knew as soon as I landed that it wasn't good - the pain was excruciating, it was like nothing I've ever felt before - but team doctor Mark Salters did a fantastic job out on the pitch.

"Once we have the scan done and it's out of the way, I hope to sit down with the physio and work out a programme that will get me back as quickly as possible.

"I know myself that I won't play any further part with the Antrim team this season; that's really frustrating because as a player this is the time of the year you look forward to the most.

"It's the business end, it's the reason you train hard and slog your guts out over the winter months."

Antrim manager Kevin Ryan is also planning without knee injury victim Neil McManus for Sunday's make-or-break Leinster SHC clash with Carlow.

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