Cork has suffered a serious double blow in their preparations for the Munster football championship with two of the county’s brightest young talents succumbing to potentially season-ending injuries.
The luckless Sean Powter is out for at least three months with another torn hamstring, this time in a challenge game against Laois last week. In the same game, St Finbarr’s defender Sam Ryan also suffered a serious hamstring injury which, in all likelihood, will rule him out for the remainder of the season.
The setbacks come as manager Ronan McCarthy ramps up preparations for Cork’s provincial semi-final on June 1st at home to surprise packet Limerick, who defeated Tipperary by seven points in Thurles last Saturday.
Powter missed the majority of 2018 with a recurring hamstring issue on his right leg, but this tear is to the left leg, and will sideline him for most of the summer, it is understood.
The Douglas talent has been beset by similar injuries over the past 15 months but made his return to county colours in the Allianz League game at home to Meath in March.
Ryan is due to see a specialist shortly to determine the extent of his hamstring tear, but it’s unlikely he will return to championship action this season.