Injured Cork footballer Hurley to undergo hamstring operation in London

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

INJURED Cork footballer Brian Hurley will undergo surgery on his ruptured hamstring in London next Tuesday.

The Castlehaven forward suffered his second serious hamstring injury during a club game against Ballingeary on March 12th, and subsequent scans showed that he had again severely damaged the same hamstring that was originally torn off the bone in June last year when training with Cork.

Hurley (24) has admitted that he’s facing his last chance to rescue his football career, and looking to explore all options available he travelled to London in search of a second opinion.

While he had been advised against another operation on his right hamstring due to its poor condition and the damage that could cause, Professor Fares Haddad – the same consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon who has previously operated on Paul O’Connell – has told Hurley that he’s willing to operate on him and that there is enough muscle to work on.

Hurley feels this is a better option than the natural heal, which had originally been the plan. But there are still no guarantees that the surgery will work either and that he will return to the football field.

Also, a team of nerve surgeons will operate on the Cork forward to make sure his nerves won’t be affected by the latest surgery.

The Castlehaven attacker, who will spend two days in London next week, is still facing 12 months on the sidelines.