By Mary-Anne McNulty
The fingers and toes of rugby fans across the penisula are firmly crossed this week for Inishowen captain Shaun Craig as he battles to be fit in time for the Forster Cup final.
Craig (31) was taken down by six burly Coleraine defenders in a crushing tackle during Inishowen’s final league match last Saturday, and as he lay motionless on the pitch his dream of leading out the team at Ravenhill this Saturday looked in tatters.
He told Inish Times Sport: “I wasn’t moving, and some of the lads told me afterwards they were worried I’d broken my neck or back.
“The pain was unbelievable, and when I was taken to the hospital in Coleraine the doctors told they they thought I was looking at a puntured lung at the very least.”
But miraculously, all serious injuries were ruled out, and Craig was released with bruised ribs.
The Inishowen centre is now undergoing physiotherapy in a desperate bid to make the club’s Forster Cup final against Academy in rugby Mecca Ravenhill on Saturday.
He said: “I’ve been taking a lot of painkillers and putting ice on to keep the swelling down, so I’m hoping for the best.
“I will be absolutely gutted if I don’t get to lead the boys out, especially as we are just days away.
“It’s a race against time now, so all I can do is hope and pray I make it.”
Craig will have to pass a fitness test with Inishowen coach Kevin Gallagher on Saturday morning in order to get the green light.
Gallagher told us: “Shaun is probably the one player we can’t afford to lose.
“His job is to run between defenders to draw them in and make space for us going forward, and it is a role he executes to perfection.
“He is quite simply ‘Mr Irreplaceable’, and everyone at the club will hoping and praying he’s fit to play on Saturday.”
