‘I was told I’d be lucky to walk again but those day are behind me’

He may be carrying 12 pins and two plates in his leg but Cork speed merchant Luke O’Farrell has been making light of the injury which almost ended his career.

The free-scoring full-forward broke his ankle in a club game four years ago but shrugged off what was, initially, a very gloomy diagnosis.

“I was told I’d be lucky to walk again but those days are long behind me. I feel faster and stronger now and that’s just part of my history.

“When the doctor says you’re going to be under pressure you start to worry, but I met Declan [O’Sullivan, Cork physio] and when I told him what the doctor said he laughed and said there was no reason I wouldn’t come back faster and stronger.

“From there he rehabbed it. I still have those pins and plates in my leg but it’s probably stronger than the other ankle, to tell you the truth.”

O’Farrell grabbed the headlines with his two-goal burst against Wexford in the qualifiers, but he was reticent when asked for a forecast ahead of Sunday’s semi-final against Galway.

“It’s not for me to call it, obviously I believe in my own team and I’ll do everything in my power to get us there, but it’s all on the day.

“Galway are going to be favourites and we know what they can do. We can only give it everything like we did the last day and hopefully we’ll be celebrating again.”

The Midleton clubman acknowledges the keen competition for forward spots. “You can look at it two ways — when you get the jersey you’ll do anything to hold onto it.

“Even if you don’t have the jersey, then often the lads who are coming in are playing a bigger part than the lads who started. It’s vital that you have a panel of forwards — looking at Kilkenny, the forwards they had. Martin Comerford would have come on for them to get goals in an All-Ireland final.

“It’s become a 20-man game and the panel will have a big part to play in the championship yet.”

With that in mind, the training games have taken on huge significance.

“I don’t think you could pick too many players who’ve nailed down spots on this team. You don’t get too many opportunities outside of the championship, so the A versus B games have been the ones this year.

“It’s great the selectors are putting such an emphasis on them and Sean Óg Ó hAilpín was outstanding in one of those games before we played Waterford, and you couldn’t look past that performance.

“Ten times out of ten I’m marking Stephen McDonnell in those games and they’re real battles, though we have the crack afterwards. We’re going at it in those A versus B teams and it seems to be paying dividends.”

The primary teaching student added that he’s playing “with the shackles off” this season.

“Last year I didn’t register too much but I said to myself I’d play with the shackles off, and I’m enjoying it a lot more this year.

“I came on against Waterford for a few minutes in the league but my hamstring was sore even then, and it went in a club game afterwards. I’ve been suffering with my hamstrings but that’s only made my hunger greater — if it could be greater. I realised how much I missed it when I didn’t get in for a few games.”

Name checking his influences as a youngster.

“Sean O’Brien had us from age six to 13, my uncles from Carrigtwohill and my father were very good with advice, while Pat Hartnett also had us for a year.”

O’Farrell admitted that he was in awe of some of his team-mates when he came into the senior dressing-room.

“It was surreal, I probably took a year or two to realise ‘I should be here’, but it’s great to see these guys around, to be able to say that you played with such great men.”

Cork will hope O’Farrell raises another green flag on Sunday, and he outlined his goalscoring philosophy.

“I think in hurling it’s one game that you really have to hit the target — that if you’re close enough to the goal and you hit it hard enough then realistically the goalie doesn’t have a chance.

“Some people go for the top corner but if you bounce it you’ve got a lot better chance of it going in. But I’ve been fortunate — most of the time. Against Waterford the last day, any other crossbar in Ireland and that would have gone in.

“You just have to go for it. I don’t focus on it too much, but if the chance arises, go for it.”