AS JESS ZIU returned to Ireland duty after recovering from her first ACL injury, Jamie Finn suffered the same cruel fate.
It was February 2024 when Finn sustained the dreaded cruciate setback on the training pitch in Italy.
Ziu was just back with Ireland after a 17-month absence, having missed the 2023 World Cup. She remembers her heart dropping and touching her own knee in fear — and solidarity.
A few short months later, her comeback came to a devastating halt when her other knee went from under her in a club pre-season game. She knew immediately.
Ziu and Finn are both back in the Ireland squad for the first time ahead of the Uefa Women’s Nations League playoff against Belgium, with the first leg on Friday at Aviva Stadium [KO 7pm, live on RTÉ2].
The Dublin midfield duo have spoken a lot and leaned on one another throughout their respective journeys.
And this week, they faced the media one after another, recounting their dark days to get back in the green jersey.
Finn recalls mental and physical “torture”. Ziu outlines the turmoil and toil, similarities and differences.
Advertisement
“I thought I was resilient before my ACL but this was a new level of resilience,” says Finn, now of Sunderland.
“To have something that’s been in your life taken away in that one instant, it’s quite hard to replace that with something that gives you that rush of football.
“You need to just keep the end goal in sight, and the end goal for me was getting back in this camp. Every single day during my ACL rehab, I thought about playing for Ireland. Honestly, it was what kept me going.”
Ziu echoes that aim and those sentiments, perhaps even more so having gone through “one of the most horrific injuries in sport” twice.
“The first one made me really resilient and the second one came and I just got on with it. The second time was a lot harder, it had a lot more hurdles. I had more surgery on this knee,” the 23-year-old points to her left leg.
“You see on social media, I’m running month three, back training with the girls at month eight, but actually, behind the scenes, it was a lot more difficult than what was shown. It was definitely more mentally challenging and my knee was more sore. My first one was a lot more smooth.”
But the West Ham United star, currently on loan at Bristol City, learned a lot from the previous experience.
“The first one, I just dove head-first, football, football, football,” Ziu says, detailing her obsession with team database Hudl and ever-presence at the training ground.
“The second time around, maybe with maturity, I learnt there is more to life than football. I just needed to switch off and be with friends. I knew how to enjoy my life the second time around.”
Finn found that perspective, too. She proposed to her partner, Sarah, during the summer.
“When you go through a big injury, you kind of look at stuff outside of football as well. You have a greater appreciation for everything in life. I was probably not the easiest person to go through that rehab and Sarah was great, my family were great, for leaning on.”
No wedding plans just yet, by the way.
RTÉ punditry was another change of pace for Finn: It threw up mixed emotions but was an enjoyable experience as she “felt a part of the team” and “still involved, in a weird way”.
The 27-year-old is right back in the thick of it now, one of just four players in this squad from the 2023 World Cup play-off win over Scotland. (Katie McCabe, Denise O’Sullivan and Heather Payne are the others amidst retirements and injuries)
“I kind of feel like a new player, I’ve been out for that long . . . honestly, I feel the fittest I’ve ever felt and the strongest I’ve ever felt. Hopefully that shows in my game.”
And Ziu? “I’ve missed a lot. I’ve missed the old generation leaving. I’ve missed the new generation coming in.
“I’m very competitive but ultimately, being able to walk off the pitch on my two legs is also a win for me after what I have been through.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'Every single day during my ACL rehab, I thought about playing for Ireland' - Finn and Ziu return
AS JESS ZIU returned to Ireland duty after recovering from her first ACL injury, Jamie Finn suffered the same cruel fate.
It was February 2024 when Finn sustained the dreaded cruciate setback on the training pitch in Italy.
Ziu was just back with Ireland after a 17-month absence, having missed the 2023 World Cup. She remembers her heart dropping and touching her own knee in fear — and solidarity.
A few short months later, her comeback came to a devastating halt when her other knee went from under her in a club pre-season game. She knew immediately.
Ziu and Finn are both back in the Ireland squad for the first time ahead of the Uefa Women’s Nations League playoff against Belgium, with the first leg on Friday at Aviva Stadium [KO 7pm, live on RTÉ2].
The Dublin midfield duo have spoken a lot and leaned on one another throughout their respective journeys.
And this week, they faced the media one after another, recounting their dark days to get back in the green jersey.
Finn recalls mental and physical “torture”. Ziu outlines the turmoil and toil, similarities and differences.
“I thought I was resilient before my ACL but this was a new level of resilience,” says Finn, now of Sunderland.
“To have something that’s been in your life taken away in that one instant, it’s quite hard to replace that with something that gives you that rush of football.
“You need to just keep the end goal in sight, and the end goal for me was getting back in this camp. Every single day during my ACL rehab, I thought about playing for Ireland. Honestly, it was what kept me going.”
Ziu echoes that aim and those sentiments, perhaps even more so having gone through “one of the most horrific injuries in sport” twice.
“The first one made me really resilient and the second one came and I just got on with it. The second time was a lot harder, it had a lot more hurdles. I had more surgery on this knee,” the 23-year-old points to her left leg.
“You see on social media, I’m running month three, back training with the girls at month eight, but actually, behind the scenes, it was a lot more difficult than what was shown. It was definitely more mentally challenging and my knee was more sore. My first one was a lot more smooth.”
But the West Ham United star, currently on loan at Bristol City, learned a lot from the previous experience.
“The first one, I just dove head-first, football, football, football,” Ziu says, detailing her obsession with team database Hudl and ever-presence at the training ground.
“The second time around, maybe with maturity, I learnt there is more to life than football. I just needed to switch off and be with friends. I knew how to enjoy my life the second time around.”
Finn found that perspective, too. She proposed to her partner, Sarah, during the summer.
“When you go through a big injury, you kind of look at stuff outside of football as well. You have a greater appreciation for everything in life. I was probably not the easiest person to go through that rehab and Sarah was great, my family were great, for leaning on.”
No wedding plans just yet, by the way.
RTÉ punditry was another change of pace for Finn: It threw up mixed emotions but was an enjoyable experience as she “felt a part of the team” and “still involved, in a weird way”.
The 27-year-old is right back in the thick of it now, one of just four players in this squad from the 2023 World Cup play-off win over Scotland. (Katie McCabe, Denise O’Sullivan and Heather Payne are the others amidst retirements and injuries)
“I kind of feel like a new player, I’ve been out for that long . . . honestly, I feel the fittest I’ve ever felt and the strongest I’ve ever felt. Hopefully that shows in my game.”
And Ziu? “I’ve missed a lot. I’ve missed the old generation leaving. I’ve missed the new generation coming in.
“I’m very competitive but ultimately, being able to walk off the pitch on my two legs is also a win for me after what I have been through.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Cruciate Curse Football Jamie Finn jess ziu Soccer