‘The scans revealed the thing I feared the most’

IT was a passage of play similar to thousands John Galvin has been involved in his career.

Last Sunday a ball dropped from the sky around midfield in the Fingallians GAA club in Swords in Dublin as Galvin was in action for Limerick in a senior football challenge game against Down. The Croom man rose to gather possession but collided with an opponent and was left crumpled on the ground, clutching his left knee in serious pain.

“I was going for a ball when a Down player, I can’t remember who it was, came in,” recalls Galvin.

“He fell over and fell against my left knee, pushing the outside of it inwards. The minute it happened, I went down in agony. There was a doctor there but they just thought it was damage to the cartilage. I got the scan in Dublin on Sunday evening in the Charter Medical Clinic in Smithfield. The staff there were very good and two hours after it had happened, I’d got the scan done.”

He spent Monday in a state of anxiety, waiting to discover the results. Waking up Tuesday morning brought renewed hope as the pain had subsided and dreaded thoughts that his cruciate had snapped were starting to recede. “It was very nervous waiting around on Monday. But I thought it wasn’t the cruciate. The worst I was hoping was that I’d miss the first round of the championship and I’d be there for the rest of the season.

“No matter how the first game went, the second game wouldn’t have been to July and I’d have the time to be ready for that. Even if it wascartilage damage, I thought I’d get some surgery and I’d be back soon enough.

“I was talking to Maurice Horan Tuesday morning and I was saying that it had improved an awful lot. I couldn’t walk around properly yet I was able to put weight on my knee. But then the scans revealed otherwise and it was the thing I feared the most.”

He arranged an appointment with Ray Moran in the Santry Sports Clinic for Wednesday in the faint hope that a quick cure could be found. But Moran confirmed that he would have to go under the knife to repair his knee and after a career that has been free of the scars of injury, months of recuperation now lie ahead.

Despite the initial dejection at that news, Galvin’s mood has changed and he is already plotting his comeback route. And while he may not be lording matters at midfield for Limerick this season, that does not mean that he will not be a visible presence in the county setup.

“I am definitely going to stay involved, hopefully as a water boy. At this moment I couldn’t run onto a field with water but hopefully by June 4, I’ll be in good enough movement to do that. I hope that I’ll be able to benefit the team from there, even if it’s just roaring at fellas to get into position. I’m still confident that Limerick will do well this season and I’ll continue to support the team.”

Limerick manager Maurice Horan is in no doubt that Galvin will recover to be a shining light again for the county. “I wouldn’t be fearful at all, he’s very single-minded and determined. Having spoken to him, he already knows what he needs to do.

“But even despite his own devastation, he’s already thinking about the team’s focus staying on championship. That’s typical of John. It’s very tough as he’s been such a prominent player for the county and is a huge presence in our dressing-room and on the pitch. It makes things difficult for us but we’ll discuss it with the players and drive on from here.”