CATS INJURY CRISIS: Now keeper Eoin Murphy is ruled out of Leinster championship

KILKENNY will be without two-time All-Star winning netminder Eoin Murphy for the Leinster championship.

The Glenmore man injured his knee in a recent club game. It has now been confirmed he has fractured a bone.

Murphy injury is the latest blow for manager Brian Cody as he prepares his depleted squad for the Cats’ opening Leinster round-robin game against Dublin next Saturday.

Aside from goalkeeper Murphy, Cody will also have to do without Cillian Buckley, James Maher, Conor Delaney and Rob Lennon, who have all been ruled out through injury.

A question mark also hangs over Richie Hogan, who is back in training but has been struggling with injury for some time.

Cody admitted: “It’s a bad run to get. Eoin and Conor got them playing club matches, James got it training with the club. It’s just the situation we find ourselves in.

“It’s wait and see with him (Eoin Murphy). Seven, eight weeks (unavailable). Leinster is out. He had a great year last year and before last year too. He’s a top goalkeeper. He’s not playing so we have two other goalkeepers now, Darren Brennan and Richie Reid, and we’d have a lot of confidence in them.

“Not a hope for week two, for any of them. Cillian has been out for a long time. He’s back. Not hurling training, just running. We don’t have a timeframe for him. He’s such a focused fella. He’s absolutely intent on getting back. When? Who knows?

“It’s hard to say with Richie. He’s had very interrupted preparation. He’s a fella who looks after himself well, in very good shape, between gym and on the pitch.

“Obviously, it has been very interrupted for him, even last year as well.”