Queally gives key update ahead of Waterford's trip to Ennis

Waterford Senior hurling manager Peter Queally has given an update on players ahead of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship clash with Clare on Sunday week, as the Déise will be hoping to secure a championship win in Ennis for the first time.

In terms of available personnel, one man who could return to the fray in the weeks ahead is former Hurler of the Year, Austin Gleeson with Queally outlining that the Mount Sion man is back in training.

“Austin is training away hard”, said the Déise boss. “He’s put himself in the frame. His fitness has really come up, and he’s worked really, really hard in the last three months. His influence on the group has been great - everyone looks up to him. We’ll just have to see how the next couple of weeks go for Austin as regards his input in the championship.” Queally is also hopeful that the star duo Jamie Barron and Stephen Bennett will recover in time from their respective hamstring injuries to line up in what will be a crucial clash going forward.

“Jamie should be okay”, he said. “I think he’d be 50-50, but we’d be hoping he’d be ok. Stephen Bennett should be ok too. He’s working hard; he had a hamstring injury and missed the last few rounds of the league, but he should be good to go as well.” One man who won’t be lining out in Ennis is All-Star full back and captain Conor Prunty. The Abbeyside Ballinacourty man is unlikely to feature until the latter stages of provincial action, owing to a quad injury picked up in the Allianz National Hurling League win against Limerick.

“Conor won’t play the first two rounds”, Queally confirmed. “He is doing fabulous work in fairness to try and get back. He had surgery on his quad muscle and he’s been rehabbing really really hard. He’s doing everything right, he’s still the captain of the team and has shown great leadership. We’ll have to play it by ear with him after then but he won’t make the first two.”