Callanan injury to open door for someone else

Tipperary manager Michael Ryan with his backroom team before his side's Allianz HL Division 1 semi-final clash against Wexford at Nowlan Park.
©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.

Emphasising the positives, Tipperary hurling manager Michael Ryan says Seamus Callanan's thumb injury will afford another player a league final opportunity.

Talismanic attacker Callanan will sit out Sunday's hurling league decider against Galway due to a broken thumb sustained during last weekend's facile semi-final win over Wexford, but Ryan points out that the door will now open for another of his charges to come in and impress:

"We have an important match next weekend and he is not going to be available so, yeah, he is frustrated," Ryan told The Tipperary Star. "But I am fully aware that when you play a game you run that risk and we run the same risk every night in training.

"This is exactly what the panel is for. We have had surgery on the panel - the panel is back down to 35. There really is intense competition in the panel and this is going to create an opportunity - somebody is going to benefit from it. It is unfortunate, but it creates an opportunity - somebody is going to start instead of him.

"Seamie is a starter and we can take that as read, but someone is going to get a jersey now that they may or may not have been expecting. This really creates an opportunity for someone."