Sligo talisman Eamonn O'Hara is hoping that he won't have to undergo a second groin operation in the space of three years. The former All-Star, who has been forced to withdraw from the Ireland International Rules squad because of a combination of injury and a charity commitment in Africa, is keeping his fingers crossed that a specially devised weights programme will solve his groin injury problem. "I'll give the weights programme a fair bit of time, but if that doesn't work out satisfactorily I'll have to have the operation," he explained. "The most important thing is to get myself right for next year's championship. In my present physical condition, I could play in a football match because I'm probably operating at 80 per cent. But there would be no point in playing against possibly the best athletes in the world unless you are definitely in 100 per cent shape. "I love playing in the series, and hopefully I'll get a call-up next year," he added. O'Hara will travel to Malawi on October 8 where he will be working for the charity organisation 'Playing for Life', and will return to Ireland on November 4 - the day before the second International Rules test in Croke Park. Tweet

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