Galway's Comer expected to back for Connacht opener

Galway manager Pádraic Joyce is confident that All Star forward Damien Comer will be back for their opening Connacht SFC game in April after it emerged that the knee injury suffered by the Annaghdown clubman on Sunday is not as bad as initially feared.

However, the 29-year old faces six to eight weeks on the sideline recovering from severe swelling but initial fears that he had suffered a cruciate injury have proven unfounded following a scan.

Comer was stretchered off early in their 0-9 to 0-8 loss to Roscommon at Pearse Stadium amid fears he could be gone for the season.

Now the Galway management are hopeful that Comer will be back when the All-Ireland finalists open their championship campaign against either Mayo or Roscommon on April 23.

They have played both those sides in the opening rounds of the Allianz League and picked up just two points from those derby games as their loss of players through injury and other circumstances continue to mount.

They will be without their All-Ireland final full-forward line for the visit of Tyrone to Tuam Stadium on Sunday week with Rob Finnerty sidelined for about another month with an ankle injury while another All Star, Shane Walsh, is not expected back until the end of the month following his exploits with Kilmacud Crokes.

Joyce and his management will be without another All Star, defending man-marker Liam Silke, for the year with the Corofin man now based in New Zealand where he is working as a doctor.

Silke's clubmate Kieran Molloy is out with a cruciate injury for the season while Patrick Kelly, a regular goalscorer last season, is out with a back injury.