THE SIGHT OF Sinéad Goldrick returning to the field of play was a welcome one over the weekend.
The dual star came off the bench at half time of Dublin’s All-Ireland semi-final victory over Mayo at Croke Park on Saturday.
It was just late March when she underwent surgery on a serious hamstring injury sustained in AFLW action with her adopted Melbourne FC side.
Four-in-a-row winning boss Mick Bohan said it best after her return to action: “What an achievement. Goldie tore the hamstring off the bone six-and-a-half months ago.
“I mean, rusty as hell out there, but the energy she brings to our group, she epitomises the way that we want to play the game. You couldn’t but forgive her for any mistakes she made. It was great to see her back out there.”
It hasn’t been a straightforward path back, by any means or manner.
Three surgeries done on her right hamstring, as the eight-time All-Star revealed yesterday, and months and months of rehabilitation, only to suffer a cruel setback as her full return neared.
While sharing her delight that Saturday went smoothly, Goldrick detailed her long and winding road back.
“I had three surgeries on my right hamstring and then I was ready to go back and unfortunately I did my other one,” she began.
“I did a Grade 2 on my other hamstring, so I was fully fit and then my first training session back I did my other hamstring.
“Those little setbacks were a bit unfortunate but the thing about this Dublin team is that our staff, our backroom staff, everyone takes good care of us.”
A massive challenge, not just physically but more so mentally, it was tunnel vision for Goldrick. She did everything in her power to get back on the pitch, supported all the way by those around her.
The unrivaled commitment of the Dublin backroom team, the well dones from team-mates when she was doing her own running away from the group at training; all of these things helped.
“Even though I probably wasn’t fully training with the team, I still really enjoyed being part of it and around the environment,” the 31-year-old smiled.
“It does kind of have that mental drain on you so when you’re part of a great team, it really helps. We’ve been with each other for so long that everyone knows how much everyone cares and if you see someone injured, you feel for them.”
Great to see @Goldieface back in action for the Dubs today #COYGIB
— DublinLGFA (@dublinladiesg) August 14, 2021
20th Dec:
TG4 POM in the 2020 All Ireland Final
21st March:
Serious hamstring injury in AFLW with Melbourne, requires surgery
14th August:
Second half substitute vs Mayo 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/RY2bsbEubL
Her heart now goes out to injured duo Carla Rowe and Niamh Collins, who are in a race against time to be fit for next month’s All-Ireland final against Meath, while she moves through the gears after a successful return the biggest stage at the weekend.
Reflecting on that, she admitted she was “a bit overwhelmed” and “extremely nervous” beforehand, but just delighted to get back on the pitch and come through unscathed.
“I think my hamstrings were okay but my lungs were not!
“I would have been a lot more nervous than I would have been previously because I haven’t really played in maybe six months or so. After the game, even though I probably wasn’t too happy with how I played, I was just happy to get through it and that we won.
Both hamstrings holding up was the main thing, and now it’s a countdown to 5 September where the hope is she’ll be fully fit for the all-Leinster national decider.
With the guts of three weeks to bridge the gap, Goldrick will take a lot from getting game time under her belt; “probably fitter than I have been before,” though nothing prepares you for that match intensity.
The Royals, contesting their first-ever All-Ireland senior final in their first year back in the to-flight, will certainly bring that, on a high after their thrilling extra-time win over Cork on Sunday.
“We’ve been massively impressed with Meath throughout the whole year,” Goldrick nodded. “They’re such a unit, they have superstars and they have a lot of a team work ethic too. Everyone has a role, they all do it together, they’re very fit.
“So it will be a tough task. It’s also great, I think, for Leinster football where we haven’t had two teams in Leinster in an All-Ireland in I don’t know how long, quite a while. So I think it’s good for Leinster football too.”
Again, with tunnel vision, Dublin is her sole focus at the minute, though the Foxrock-Cabinteely defender is due to head back to Australia in the autumn time.
With a change to next season’s structure as part of the AFLW expansion, pre-season begins in September.
Goldrick is hoping she can keep progressing on an upward trajectory and hit the ground running there, especially given the fact that her two seasons Down Under have both ended prematurely (2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and 2021 due to injury).
Clearly frustrated by her stop-start AFLW career to date – she initially went over with a broken hand in a cast, and Dublin’s Christmas All-Ireland and hotel quarantine delayed her 2021 start – she concluded:
“It has been quite a whirlwind. Myself and Lauren [Magee] will probably have six weeks of pre-season – fingers crossed, no injuries – so I’m excited at the thought of really having that time to focus in on it.
“The first year was my hand and Covid and the second year unfortunately my hamstrings, so it has been kind of cut short. But I really enjoy the game and I enjoy the environment over in Melbourne, the same with Dublin.
“Even when you are injured, as much as you can you feel like you want to help the team, as best you can, so even though I wasn’t playing I felt that I was contributing in different areas for both teams, for AFL and Dublin.”
***
Girls Play Too 2: More Inspiring Stories of Irish Sportswomen’ is exclusively available in Lidl stores nationwide for only €12.99 until the 5th of September – just in time to inspire children as they prepare to go back to school.
On hand to announce the retailer’s exclusive sales period were author of the book and RTÉ Sports broadcaster, Jacqui Hurley, Irish Olympic athlete, Phil Healy along with Dublin LGFA and Melbourne Demons AFLW star, Sinéad Goldrick joined by her two nieces Hannah Clare (6) and Grace Goldrick McCann (12).
