The Nemo Rangers club man would miss the early rounds of the intercounty championship season if he undergoes an operation on the injury, which he carried into the Cork club’s defeat at the hands of Galway’s Corofin in last weekend’s All-Ireland club final.
Ironically, there was a doubt about Kerrigan’s fitness ahead of that Slaughtneil game as the attacker had picked up what seemed to be a serious knee injury in Nemo’s Munster club final win over Dr Crokes.
Kerrigan, one of the few remaining Cork senior panellists with an All-Ireland senior medal from the 2010 season, avoided the dreaded cruciate ligament injury though he did damage his posterior cruciate ligament.
He recovered in time for that dramatic extra-time win over Slaughtneil last month, where he damaged his finger.
The injury adds to a growing list of concerns for Cork football manager Ronan McCarthy, who has already lost former Young Footballer of the Year Aidan Walsh to a shoulder injury picked up in Kanturk’s All-Ireland intermediate hurling club victory.
In addition Sean Powter, who impressed with Ireland’s International Rules side last year, is still rehabbing a hamstring tear picked up in Cork’s NFL opener against Tipperary.
Both Walsh and Powter were scheduled for three months on the sideline dating from the time of their injuries, both of which were sustained in February.
This would make them available for selection for the championship.
More immediately Cork are due to travel to Roscommon for their last League game this Sunday and will hope Bantry Blues’ Ruairi Deane will be fit to take his place.