Shefflin and Tennyson expected to be out until June

Kilkenny hurling selector Martin Fogarty has revealed that he doesn’t expect either Henry Shefflin or John Tennyson to return to action until June.

Both Shefflin and Tennyson suffered cruciate knee ligament injuries in the build up to the All-Ireland final against Tipperary last September and although Tennyson played the full game, Cats talisman Shefflin lasted only 12 minutes before having to withdraw with a recurrence of the injury.

Tennyson has since suffered a setback in his rehabilitation; his knee became infected following surgery to have fluid drained from the joint, while Shefflin is faring slightly better following his injury during the All-Ireland final defeat to Tipperary in September.

"This is the second time that the lads have had this sort of injury and giving them plenty of time to recover is the best thing we can do," Fogarty told the Irish Examiner.

"We can forget about the league for them. We hope they can play some part of the championship and an optimistic target would be the early rounds."

Speaking of Tennyson, Fogarty said: "With these sort of injuries, things don't always work out 100% and he's had an infection which is a setback."

Fogarty was slightly more optimistic about Shefflin’s injury, but also spoke of the need for the nine-time All-Star to be patient with the recovery process. "Henry's moving along nicely but with rehab you're flying one minute and the next you've a lot of swelling. For the lads, it's all about being patient," added Fogarty.

"They've been through this before and know how tough it can be. The key for them is to take their time. The positive is once they get through all the work they'll be back and that's a huge motivating factor."