PAURIC MAHONY SELECTS the moment when it felt appropriate draw a line under his recovery from a cruciate injury and concentrate on hitting full speed again.
In October 2020 his knee snapped in a challenge game for Waterford against Wexford, sidelining him for the rest of that year and ruling him out for a good chunk of the 2021 campaign as well.
Then last summer brought a sense of recovery.
“At a club training session we were doing two tackle drills. We had said that week that I was going to go back to doing full contact training and in a way you’re better off sometimes being thrown in the deep end.
“It was 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, tackle, tackle, tackle.
“Before I knew it I was on the floor after taking a couple of belts. But then I was back up and ready to go again a couple of seconds later. It was the bit of reassurance that I needed that the knee was in a strong place.”
With confidence in his body restored, he was able to channel his energies towards Ballygunner’s latest assault on the club hurling championship. They crushed Roanmore last October to pick up their 8th Waterford senior title on the bounce and then before Christmas negotiated a path through two rounds in their province.
Now it’s an early January date for the AIB Munster senior club hurling final on Sunday against Limerick’s Kilmallock.
“Obviously it’s been building up nicely since June on. Getting back into competitive games with Ballygunner and then into the Munster competition, I’m loving every moment of it.
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“The knee itself is feeling very strong since June or July. At the start, I remember a few times not having a set structure and before you know it you could be going in spending three hours in the gym, and very quickly the motivation levels start to wear off.
“So I ended up flipping it back to maybe 40-minute sessions every day and then every two weeks checking in with physios or the surgeon to make sure everything was on track.
“With an injury like this, progression may not be visible while you’re in the middle of it. It’s hundreds of small steps that allow you to get back onto the playing field.”
Pauric Mahony at the AIB Munster GAA senior club final media day. Eóin Noonan / SPORTSFILE
Eóin Noonan / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
If the club game consumes all his energies now, he hasn’t neglected thoughts of the inter-county scene.
“At the moment Liam (Cahill) has left us off and the sole focus is on Ballygunner. But as soon as that’s completed we’ll be back in with the county setup.
“Obviously Liam showed huge trust with the current Waterford team that’s there (in staying on as manager). It’s over to the players now to respond to that in the right manner and show Liam that he’s made the right decision, because I’m sure it was a very difficult call to make.
“Maybe he feels like he has unfinished business with this Waterford team and it’s exciting to be involved in the setup for 2022.”
The disruption to the playing calendar caused by Covid-19 has been keenly felt by Mahony. It is strange to reflect that the timing of his injury has seen him miss two inter-county championships but no action on the club front with Ballygunner.
“It benefited me from a club perspective but I lost out on the inter-county side. It has been difficult because initially when the injury happened I missed the run to the All-Ireland final against Limerick.
“Obviously that was very raw at the time because the injury happened just before the championship season started and I was very much caught up in the emotion of it.
“The following year then you feel you’re more like a fan watching the game and your mindset changes. I would say that last year was a little bit easier because you had more time to prepare for going to games and watching games.”
Mahony remained as part of the squad for the 2020 championship but was removed from the scene in 2021.
“The second year we (himself and Liam Cahill) had a good chat at the start and we knew it wasn’t going to work for that campaign. For myself it was best to step away from the setup for the 2021 season and focus solely on my rehab with the aim of getting back into the fold for 2022.
“I have to say I did enjoy the side of being a spectator as well because when I do finish up with Waterford I’ll be a supporter as well.”
The more immediate goal is to claim a second Munster club medal with 2014 champions Kilmallock the obstacle in their path.
“A lot of our younger guys haven’t been involved in any Munster championship campaigns. It’s the first campaign for a lot of our squad so what’s gone on in the past is irrelevant to them and they’re looking for their first Munster medal.
“They’re setting new targets and goals so we’re very much a forward-looking team. We’re looking forward to this Sunday now and trying to get ourselves into a position where we’re ticking all the boxes and ready to perform.”
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'It’s hundreds of small steps that allow you to get back' - From cruciate setback to Munster title bid
PAURIC MAHONY SELECTS the moment when it felt appropriate draw a line under his recovery from a cruciate injury and concentrate on hitting full speed again.
In October 2020 his knee snapped in a challenge game for Waterford against Wexford, sidelining him for the rest of that year and ruling him out for a good chunk of the 2021 campaign as well.
Then last summer brought a sense of recovery.
“At a club training session we were doing two tackle drills. We had said that week that I was going to go back to doing full contact training and in a way you’re better off sometimes being thrown in the deep end.
“It was 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, tackle, tackle, tackle.
“Before I knew it I was on the floor after taking a couple of belts. But then I was back up and ready to go again a couple of seconds later. It was the bit of reassurance that I needed that the knee was in a strong place.”
With confidence in his body restored, he was able to channel his energies towards Ballygunner’s latest assault on the club hurling championship. They crushed Roanmore last October to pick up their 8th Waterford senior title on the bounce and then before Christmas negotiated a path through two rounds in their province.
Now it’s an early January date for the AIB Munster senior club hurling final on Sunday against Limerick’s Kilmallock.
“Obviously it’s been building up nicely since June on. Getting back into competitive games with Ballygunner and then into the Munster competition, I’m loving every moment of it.
“The knee itself is feeling very strong since June or July. At the start, I remember a few times not having a set structure and before you know it you could be going in spending three hours in the gym, and very quickly the motivation levels start to wear off.
“So I ended up flipping it back to maybe 40-minute sessions every day and then every two weeks checking in with physios or the surgeon to make sure everything was on track.
“With an injury like this, progression may not be visible while you’re in the middle of it. It’s hundreds of small steps that allow you to get back onto the playing field.”
If the club game consumes all his energies now, he hasn’t neglected thoughts of the inter-county scene.
“At the moment Liam (Cahill) has left us off and the sole focus is on Ballygunner. But as soon as that’s completed we’ll be back in with the county setup.
“Obviously Liam showed huge trust with the current Waterford team that’s there (in staying on as manager). It’s over to the players now to respond to that in the right manner and show Liam that he’s made the right decision, because I’m sure it was a very difficult call to make.
“Maybe he feels like he has unfinished business with this Waterford team and it’s exciting to be involved in the setup for 2022.”
The disruption to the playing calendar caused by Covid-19 has been keenly felt by Mahony. It is strange to reflect that the timing of his injury has seen him miss two inter-county championships but no action on the club front with Ballygunner.
“It benefited me from a club perspective but I lost out on the inter-county side. It has been difficult because initially when the injury happened I missed the run to the All-Ireland final against Limerick.
“Obviously that was very raw at the time because the injury happened just before the championship season started and I was very much caught up in the emotion of it.
“The following year then you feel you’re more like a fan watching the game and your mindset changes. I would say that last year was a little bit easier because you had more time to prepare for going to games and watching games.”
Mahony remained as part of the squad for the 2020 championship but was removed from the scene in 2021.
“The second year we (himself and Liam Cahill) had a good chat at the start and we knew it wasn’t going to work for that campaign. For myself it was best to step away from the setup for the 2021 season and focus solely on my rehab with the aim of getting back into the fold for 2022.
“I have to say I did enjoy the side of being a spectator as well because when I do finish up with Waterford I’ll be a supporter as well.”
The more immediate goal is to claim a second Munster club medal with 2014 champions Kilmallock the obstacle in their path.
“A lot of our younger guys haven’t been involved in any Munster championship campaigns. It’s the first campaign for a lot of our squad so what’s gone on in the past is irrelevant to them and they’re looking for their first Munster medal.
“They’re setting new targets and goals so we’re very much a forward-looking team. We’re looking forward to this Sunday now and trying to get ourselves into a position where we’re ticking all the boxes and ready to perform.”
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
The band is back together as Gavan Casey is joined by Bernard Jackman and Murray Kinsella for the first pod of the new year
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Ballygunner Hurling Munster pauric mahony Waterford