IF THERE WAS a moment that encapsulates the brilliance and misfortune of Neil Farrugia it was the first-half incident that resulted in him being taken to hospital with a dislocated shoulder.
There had been fears the Shamrock Rovers winger broke his collarbone when he went down under a well-timed challenge from Dundalk’s Zak Bradshaw in last night’s 1-1 draw.
Farrugia required treatment for nine minutes on the pitch at Tallaght Stadium after landing awkwardly at the end of a move that highlighted his supreme talent, and bad luck.
The former Republic of Ireland U21 international – he was a standout performer in Stephen Kenny’s first game in charge of that side – suffered a string of hamstring injuries in his early days at Rovers.
When he joined from UCD in the summer of 2019 he did so while recovering from a tear and had to wait until the October to make his debut.
After breaking down on a few occasions in his attempts at recovering it was discovered that Farrugia was actually tearing the tendon. That at least provided clarity on how to solve the issue so he went under the knife for the same kind of surgery which England’s Harry Kane required prior to the 2018 World Cup.
Farrugia turns 25 in May and it was only a few years ago that he was invited along with Liam Scales to train with Manchester City’s U23s.
He was attracting interest and it seemed as if he destined to have an opportunity to thrive on a bigger stage.
Injury has curtailed those hopes, but not his ability.
You only had to see how controlled the ball and strode with such purpose in what turned out to be his last action of the night.
He picked up a pass that was played behind him on the right flank and without breaking stride dragged the ball forward to maintain effortless momentum and move Rovers up the pitch.
Jamie Walker attempted to stop Farrugia in his tracks before he was really able to get into a gallop but the Dubliner left the Dundalk man on his backside with another change of pace.
Already he was dislaying the kind of quality and ability that so few others in the league are capable of.
Bradshaw was over on the cover and Farrugia turned on the afterburners. He pushed the ball beyond the Englishman and was making his way into the box when the defender recovered superbly to get a nick on the ball with an outstretched foot.
The tackle was timed to perfection but Farrguia went down under the challenge.
His night was over and that early-season optimism was too.
Rovers will be thankful it wasn’t a broken collarbone, as was initially feared, yet this latest setback is another hurdle for Farrugia to overcome.
In a week when Rovers boss Stephen Bradley spoke so openly about the benefit that psycologist Mary Larkin has had on the Rovers’ squad over the last 12 months, it is at least comforting to know he will have support in his physical and mental recovery.
A 1-1 draw at home to Dundalk on the opening night is something Rovers will easily recover from.
It’s the latest setback for Farrugia that serves as a reminder of how cruel the game can be.