Dublin's Alan McCrabbe is quietly confident that he will play some part against either Cork or Kilkenny in the Allianz Hurling League.
The former All Star midfielder will be an absentee for Sunday's Walsh Cup clash with Laois in Rathdowney, and Dublin's trip west of the Shannon to face Galway in on February 26, in order to rest his troublesome right hip on which he underwent surgery nearly a year ago.
"There is no point in pounding on my hip and putting extreme pressure on it for 12 months of the year, so I've got to pace myself between training and playing matches," the Craobh Chiarain clubman said.
"All going well, I should get enough training under my belt to be available for selection for either the Cork or Kilkenny game."