Toher suffers fractured back
Meath's Joe McDonagh Cup ambitions have suffered a major setback with the news that 2016 Christy Ring Cup-winning captain James Toher looks set to miss most of the campaign after scans on a back injury revealed a stress fracture of the spine.
Toher limped out of Meath's NHL Div 2A loss to Carlow and following scans on his back it was revealed that he had been playing with a fracture of his spine for several weeks.
“I'm not sure when exactly I hurt my back, but I have been in pain for some time with it. I just put it down to wear and tear and tried to play on, but against Carlow it just became too much to bear,” Toher told the Meath Chronicle.
“My back has been aching since Christmas, but got progressively worse to the point where I was really struggling in training and in games,” he added.
Despite the injury Toher played against Westmeath in Trim, and in the subsequent defeat by Kerry in Tralee before being forced out of action in the loss against Carlow.
“I was in a bad way for the last three games of the league, but I played on just thinking it wasn't too serious. I got treatment and rubs before training and games and they helped, but it got to the stage that I couldn't hit the ball with any power,” he added.
“It had to be all wrists and no hips on my left and I literally couldn't hit the ball off my right without hunching over.
“I couldn't side-step, take a shoulder or even jump in the games against Kerry and Carlow. It felt like someone was sticking a knife in the left side of my lower back,” he explained.
Toher is expected to miss up to 10 weeks with the injury which means he will almost certainly miss the opening Joe McDonagh Cup games against Antrim on Sunday 6th May and against Carlow on Sunday 20th May.
The former Meath senior footballer is hoping to be back in contention for the game against Kerry on Sunday 3rd June, but it is most likely he won't feature until possibly the last game of the campaign against Laois on Sunday 10th June.
“I'm hoping to be back in six or seven weeks. Ciaran McDonagh is helping me with my treatment and we are hoping that will speed up the recovery,” he added.
“It was originally projected that it would be eight weeks before I can run again and then another two or three before I can play, it all depends on how it heals.
“I want to get back as soon as I can, but it's not an injury than can be rushed, I'll just have to go with what the specialist says,” he concluded.
Toher's injury is also a massive blow to Trim's IFC and SHC ambitions.