Return to full fitness has Begley all smiles
But, that doesn’t mean he and his team-mates can’t savour the delight of their remarkable win over Waterford at the weekend.
Scoring the late goal which firmly closed the door on Waterford’s recovery was hugely satisfying, especially since it was his only score of the game. Likewise, he acknowledged the significance of the late penalty he won, which Andrew O’Shaughnessy slammed to the net.
But, what Begley has found so fulfilling from this and the quarter-final win over Clare, is that he is back to full fitness. And, more pertinently, his hurling is back to the standard it was before a groin injury threatened to end his career.
Begley is a product of the U-21 treble-winning success achieved under the management of Dave Keane and it’s interesting to recall that in his first two years in the senior squad he operated at full-back.
Prior to the Clare game a fortnight ago, his last time in Croke Park had been for the 2005 All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Kilkenny. Only that time, he was a spectator feeling sorry for himself. “It wasn’t some place I wanted to be. I wasn’t yet 26 and I thought I had a lot more years left in me at county level. The injury kept me out then, but it was always a goal to get back,’’ he explained.
He had surgery a few times in an attempt to sort out his leg injury, before eventually travelling to Amsterdam for a further operation.
“The surgeon was able to sort me out and get me back. It’s great to be back playing again. Last year was a disappointment from a Limerick point of view, but now we are in an All-Ireland final. What more can you say.’’
He started his comeback last year, when coming on as a substitute in the League against Tipperary. Predictably, it took him time to get back into the right physical condition following his lay-off. And, he admits that it took even longer to sharpen up on his hurling.
“I worked hard and it paid off,’’ he commented. “In fairness, Barry Heffernan our physio worked very hard with me in getting the fitness back. Once I got that right, it was just a matter of working on the touch, trying to get the eye in again. It was a tough slog, but it was great to have a day like Sunday.’’
While he was involved in the two goals which more or less sealed Waterford’s fate, Begley pointed out that for much of the second half there had been little enough ball coming into their full-forward line. “In fairness to Donie Ryan and Andrew O’Shaughnessy beside me, they got two goals apiece, but the hard work of our backs meant so much in the end. It was very hard for Waterford to get room and get scores.
“It was a great way to finish,’’ he said of his late goal. “I hadn’t scored up to that so it was great to get one myself. In fairness to Waterford they came back at us several times in the game. They are a great team and they have been at it a while. I suppose you have to be some bit sorry for them. They’re like ourselves — they’re trying very hard for a few years to make the breakthrough. I’m sure they will be back.’’
