Kilkenny supporters are breathing a collective sigh of relief after it was confirmed that Tommy Walsh will be fit to play in next month's All-Ireland hurling final.

An X-ray revealed yesterday that the Hurler of the Year's injured shoulder isn't serious, meaning that he will be able to take his place in the September 5 decider against Tipperary. There had been fears that the Tullaroan clubman could miss out on Kilkenny's five-in-a-row bid after he damaged the shoulder following a collision with county colleague Jackie Tyrrell in a weekend club game.

Selector Martin Fogarty said Walsh's injury was similar to that which centre back Brian Hogan sustained in the All-Ireland semi-final win over Cork. That's damage to the AC joint in the shoulder and Walsh has been intensively applying ice to the area affected since it happened on Saturday when he was playing for Tullaroan against James Stephens.

Fogarty also dismissed reports that Henry Shefflin could be set for a sensational return from a cruciate injury for the meeting with the Premier County. Shefflin is undergoing intensive treatment with Limerick-based physio Ger Hartmann, leading to speculation that he could yet play some part in the final. But Fogarty claimed the Ballyhale sharpshooter "hadn't a hope" of playing in the decider.

"The amount of rubbish being spoken is unreal. People have been raving around the country about this," he said.

"With Henry, everything is being blown out of all proportion. Henry's cruciate is gone. End of story. Henry is trying to build up the knee so that he is in the best condition possible before he has to face the surgeon.

"If there is something still intact, that's fine, but if it's totally gone, the more work he has done to build up the knee pre-operation, the quicker his recovery will be. But the rumours are crazy. With the cruciate, when it's gone, it's gone." Tweet

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