Blow for Cavan as Lynch ruled out for remainder of season
GAA news
The Cavan senior football team’s hopes for the remainder of the season have been dealt an unfortunate blow with the news that star forward Paddy Lynch has sustained a season-ending injury.
Lynch injured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on Thursday, which was confirmed by a scan last night (Friday).
The news is a major blow for the talented 24-year-old Crosserlough clubman and his club and county teams. Lynch was top scorer in all four divisions of the National League and scored 1-9 and 0-5 in the recent Ulster Championship matches against Monaghan and Tyrone respectively, bringing his tally for the last nine games to 2-60.
The popular Lynch is widely regarded as the best inside forward to establish himself in the Cavan senior side in the last 15 years or more. A proven inter-county goalscorer and placekicker, his scoring tally in his career to date suggest he is on track to become one of the county’s highest scorers.
Much media commentary has centred around Cavan's reliance on the outstanding Lynch for scores this season.
While at one time an ACL injury was seen as career-threatening, advances in medical science are such that some players can return to action in eight months or less. While this is a setback for the former Cavan minor and U20 player, with proper rehabilitation, the vast majority footballers of his age make a full recovery and return to top-level action in a relatively short period of time.
A number of Cavan players have endured this particular injury over the years, including Gearoid McKiernan who was injured in 2013 and returned to action for the 2014 season.
The last Cavan senior player to sustain this injury was Ciaran Brady, who was injured against Longford in the National League in May, 2021 and despite some complications, subsequently made a full recovery, returning to the team against Antrim in April 2022 and quickly re-establishing himself as one of the best players in the county.
The draw for the group stages of the All-Ireland SFC take place this Tuesday, with Cavan in action on either the weekend of May 18/19 or May 25/26.