Cats likely to be without four key players for next month’s Championship opener

INJURIES are mounting up for Brian Cody’s Kilkenny side as the Cats prepare for their quest to win their first All-Ireland title since 2015.

With just a month to go before the start of the 2019 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, four key players are already looking extremely doubtful for the opening round-robin games.

Conor Delaney (pictured), who impressed at full-back for his county in this year’s Allianz Hurling League, suffered a broken foot togging out for Castlecomer last weekend. Delaney was due to serve a suspension after he was sent-off in Kilkenny’s defeat to Wexford. Today it emerged he has been cleared to play in the first round of Leinster action, but he’s likely to miss out anyway due to injury.

Danesfort attacker Richie Hogan also picked up an injury in the same game and had to be taken off after 22 minutes with a back complaint. The 30-year-old now faces a race to be fit for the Leinster opener with Dublin on May 11.

The duo join Cillian Buckley and James Maher, who have already been ruled out through injury.