CIAN LYNCH EXPECTS to be sidelined for three months with the ankle injury that ruled him out of Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final. 

The two-time Hurler of the Year looks set to miss Patrickswell’s entire Limerick SHC season as a result of the damaged ligaments he suffered during a training game.

“It’s kind of ligaments down around the fibula and tibia ligaments that connect to the ankle, all of those ligaments are kind of gone,” he explained.

“I think (I’m out for) another three months anyway.

“Once I got the initial scans there was nothing really (that could be done) and no instant quick fix and I just had to accept that. It’s like everything, it’s like you’re dealing with grief really, you have to accept it before you move on so that’s it.

“It’s something that you couldn’t really play on. I’ll have to get looked after now this week or next week, I’ll enjoy the few days first.”

After working his way back from a serious hamstring tear that threatened his participation in the championship, it was cruel justice on Lynch to go over on his ankle a week out from the final. 

“Coming back from the hamstring was 10 or 11 weeks and getting the opportunity to play against Galway was unbelievable, that was kind of my aim to get back for a semi-final and thank God I did it.

“And then getting back to training and you’re in your head thinking everything is going great for you and you feel great but then when something like that happens, the initial disappointment is huge but all you can do is pick yourself up.

“It’s for the greater good of the team that you push each other and drive on, it’s the next man up like and I’m just happy that I was able to be a part of it and be part of the group, such a Limerick family and that’s what it is.”

It’s been a year of setbacks for Lynch. Two significant injuries followed a harsh red card he shipped when playing for NUIG in the Fitzgibbon Cup final in February. 

Reflecting on the year, he said: “Obviously it was hard but every setback, there’s a comeback. With the Fitzgibbon and getting sent off, you have to get back up dust yourself off and go again.

“Then the hamstring was another little blow but I always look at perspective, even last Sunday when I hurt the leg and it might seem like the world is ending instantly.

“But at the end of the day I’m able to get up in the morning and get out of the bed and be able to go into training with this group of lads that are a family and have a smile on my face and that’s what life is about so it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”

Watching the cagey win over Kilkenny was a difficult experience, he admitted. 

“I suppose whether you’re playing or not playing, you’re still preparing the same way as you’d normally prepare. You’re still nervous, you’re still anxious and excited, the whole lot.

“When you’re playing, you’ll get the nerves out of your system. When you’re on the sideline, you’ve no real way to get it out of you because you’re sitting there watching

“In my own head I nearly pucked every ball, when you’re watching the game it’s like you’re in the middle of it.

“It’s just such a relief, particularly after the last minute or two when we kicked on ahead and got a breathing space but with Kilkenny, they’re such a phenomenal team down through the years and what they do and continue to produce, and led by Brian Cody, is massive credit to them.”

Declan Hannon and Cian Lynch lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Treaty captain Declan Hannon invited Lynch up to life the Liam MacCarthy Cup alongside him. It wasn’t a gesture Lynch was expecting. 

“I suppose when Dec kind of said it to me after the game I was overwhelmed really, it’s a massive honour to walk up those steps with Dec and to lift the cup with him was unbelievable. I was honoured, but I probably wasn’t dressed right for it!

“Dec is unbelievable. I’ve kind of grown up with him, as a young fella I suppose aspiring to be like Declan Hannon and now getting the opportunity to play with him and I suppose yesterday after a thrilling game to be able to come over and say, ‘Come on, you’re coming up here with me’.

“I’m just absolutely honoured and overwhelmed, even after I couldn’t get over that he had the time to think and bring me up. The whole team of 37 lads, the backroom team and all the extended lads involved, it’s just phenomenal and we’re such a tight-knit group.

“I suppose when we’re training week in week out, we’re with each other nearly every evening but it’s just the friendship that we’ve built down through the years and I’m just absolutely honoured to be part of such a special group.”