KERRY HAVE sustained a major setback with the loss of centrefielder David Moran for the rest of the season. The Kerins O’Rahillys player has damaged his cruciate ligament and will play no further part in the county’s league and championship campaigns.

“He had a scan this morning and Ray Moran (orthopaedic surgeon and knee specialist) confirmed that the cruciate was gone,” Kerry manager Jack O’Connor told The Irish Times yesterday.

The player has been enjoying a good season. He captained the University of Limerick in last month’s centenary Sigerson Cup and has been impressing in his appearances with the county.

Centrefield has been a problem for Kerry since the retirement of Darragh Ó Sé at the end of the 2009 championship-winning season. Moran, a son of eight-times All-Ireland medallist Denis “Ógie” Moran, brings to the table the additional ability to kick frees.

After his performance in Armagh last month O’Connor suggested that the player was moving into contention for a championship start.

“He made a massive difference in the middle of the field and if he keeps that form up he’ll solve a big problem for us there.”

Commenting yesterday the manager reiterated that view.

“He’s been playing well and coming into form. It’s a terrible blow both for us and David himself.

“The only consolation is that he’s young enough to come back from this and have a good career ahead of him.”

On Sunday, during the comfortable win over Monaghan, Moran partnered Anthony Maher but was replaced by Séamus Scanlon at the beginning of the final quarter after picking up the injury.

“That’s the way it goes,” according to O’Connor, “just a complete accident. He took the impact on the side of the knee.”

Moran was a member of the minor side that lost the replayed All-Ireland final to Roscommon in 2006 and two years later was on the successful All-Ireland winning under-21 team.

The same year he made his senior championship debut and appeared in the final defeat by Tyrone as a replacement for Bryan Sheehan.

In 2009 he also came on in the All-Ireland final, this time in a Kerry win. He has enjoyed club success with O’Rahillys and trialled in the AFL with his clubmate Tommy Walsh, who was signed on a contract with Melbourne club St Kilda.

This is his first serious injury, although a broken bone in his thumb curtailed his club season last year.

Kerry have had an otherwise satisfactory league campaign and take on Down this weekend in a rematch of last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final, in which they lost their title with Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin both suspended for the match.

“It’s gone well and we could easily be on top of the league at this stage,” according to O’Connor.

“Our only two defeats were by a point. We’ve also had the opportunity to look at a number of players so it’s been constructive.”

Meanwhile, All-Ireland senior hurling champions Tipperary have also been dealt an injury blow with the news that forward Patrick “Bonnar” Maher has been ruled out for a month with a broken bone in his hand.

Maher, who scored four points against Galway in last Sunday’s league victory, damaged his right hand in the closing stages and the severity of the injury was confirmed by scans yesterday.

Maher (21), who won All-Ireland senior and Under-21 medals in 2010, will miss Tipperary’s final National Hurling League outing of the group stages against Wexford at Semple Stadium on Sunday week, April 17th.