49 DAYS AFTER being stretchered off the field at Pearse Park, Damien Comer was back on Galway duty in Salthill.
The Tribe star returned to action as a second-half substitute against Kerry on Sunday, having suffered a serious-looking knee injury in the second-round clash with Roscommon on 5 February.
The outlook seemed bleak, the dreaded ACL naturally feared, but thankfully it was “nothing too severe”. Comer has overcome the setback and is preparing for this weekend’s Allianz football league Division 1 final against Mayo in Croke Park.
“When the injury happened initially, my initial fears were that my season was over,” he recalls. “Admittedly you’re thinking the worst – is it another season on the sidelines?
“The positive straight after the game was the initial pain that was there settled fairly quickly. By the time I had even got off the stretcher in the dressing room it had settled, there was no swelling. So I was probably trying to take that as a good sign.
“Sometimes swelling occurs and sometimes it doesn’t if it’s a really bad knee injury. When it hadn’t swollen up I was thinking it might be a positive, but knowing my luck with injuries in the last while I’d surely get the full brunt of it! Thankfully it was grand.
“Once I got the scan and results I was delighted, just bad bone bruising and stretched ligaments, but nothing too severe. It was good to be back on the pitch Sunday, great to get minutes under the belt and to be back so soon, I’m delighted with that.”
“Every cloud has a silver lining,” the Annaghdown forward smiles, with Pádraic Joyce’s side adapting to adversity and increasing squad depth amidst other injury struggles and absences.
Four wins, two draws and a single defeat later, Comer and co. are in the league decider and eyeing a silverware boost against their neighbours and rivals at HQ on Sunday [throw-in 4pm, live on TG4].
“Look, it’s a national title at the end of the day. It’s 42 years or something like that since Galway have won it last. Between management and players, there isn’t any Division 1 league medals there.
“It’s a great opportunity, it’s a great test against Mayo for a chance to win silverware. It’s a game you want to be playing in. We’ve had a good league campaign, we’re there on merit. It’ll be a good old battle, we’ll be going for it.”
Comer works as a teacher in Claregalway, not a million miles away from the border, though he’s on a career break at the moment. He took the full school year off, travelling during the break between club and county. He’s subbing here and there, but enjoying the freedom and focus on football.
Galway’s return to the All-Ireland final last year and bright start to 2023 has brought huge optimism to the western county. Comer speaks of the buzz and excitement, which in turn, brings pressure and expectation. But he takes it all in his stride.
“Last year epitomised that, even in my own club, Annaghdown GAA, the place was gone mad. We hadn’t seen it before or certainly for a long time since the good days of ’98 and 2001, to get that buzz around football in Galway is really important. I suppose it’s what the sport needed and everyone wanted, there have been a few dark days in the maroon and white.
“It’s where we want to be as players, competing for a National League title or competing for Sam. You want to be at the business end of whatever you’re playing, it’s positive.
“Playing at the top level of GAA, you’re going to have pressure and expectation, and there’d be something wrong if we didn’t. It’s how you deal with it and how you handle it.”
“It’s trying to get back,” he adds. “But we put that pressure on ourselves every year to go out and compete at that highest level.
“Look, we all play football for different reasons but the majority of people want to play to win. For us it’s to win trophies and to win medals, so that’s pressure you put on yourself and your own team. The external pressure or whatever comes in, we block that out fairly well. It’s just what we can do in-house and take it game by game.”
Joyce’s impact and influence is key throughout. Regardless of what happens on Sunday, from Monday onwards it’ll be all eyes on 23 April and a Connacht semi-final against either Mayo or Roscommon.
Ultimately, it’s about going one step further than last year.
“Pádraic has been great,” Comer concludes. “Since day one, he’s said we want to win an All-Ireland and he hasn’t changed his tune on that. Unfortunately, we failed on that last year, but came very close. We’re back to square one again.
“Championship will be starting in a few weeks, we start from the bottom and try and work your way to get to All-Ireland final day again and try and go one further. Look, we just have to take it step by step. We have the league final at the weekend, see how that goes, try and get a performance up in Croke Park.
“Then we’ll turn our eyes to whoever comes through that quarter-final clash between Mayo and Roscommon the following weekend. All eyes will be on that then for championship.”
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