Tipperary's Cathal Barrett's hamstring tear diagnosed as being mild

Having confirmed the news that Tipperary attacker Patrick 'Bonner' Maher must undergo surgery for a cruciate knee ligament injury sustained in Sunday's victory over Limerick, there is better news today on the condition of defender Cathal Barrett who has been diagnosed with a mild hamstring tear.

The Holycross Ballycahill man will be assessed and worked on by the Tipperary medical team over the next ten days to ascertain his fitness for the Munster Final on Sunday week, but Manager Liam Sheedy was sceptical about his availability when he spoke to the media.

"You would have to think that the Munster Final will just come too soon for him with any kind of a hamstring tear. But, we'll see how he gets on although I would be pleasantly surprised if he makes it. The thing is, with players ruled out through injury it gives others an opportunity to hold a hand up and stake a claim for a place in the team. It will make for fairly intense competition in training over the next few weeks," Sheedy said.

Bonner Maher in action for Tipp

The Portroe man also paid tribute to Patrick Maher  saying that he is devastated for him personally, and highlighting his loss as a player to the team.

"What he brought to the team was just unreal and when he was in full flow, as we saw over the last few games, he was a huge player for us. He has been a real leader for Tipperary over the last ten years I am really gutted for him. Bonner is a unique kind of player and we all know what he can bring to a game. We are not looking to replace Bonner with another Bonner type of player because they are just not there. But, I am happy that we have a panel of players to deal with such losses and there is a chance now for someone else to come in and take it on. You will not get through the championship unscathed and unfortunately for us it is Bonner who loses out," he said.