Clare in safe hands as Hayes returns after lengthy recovery

It has been a long road back for Joe Hayes.

There were times, he admits, when he feared his inter-county career was at an end — a premature, enforced exit.

It is from this remove he wholly appreciates the opportunity to pull on the Clare shirt for tomorrow’s Munster SFC championship opener. Between the sticks or on the bench, it doesn’t matter. Joe is simply thankful to be back in the frame.

This time last year Hayes’ footballing world first came tumbling down. Kicking a ’45 in a club game, the Lissycasey shot-stopper knew something wasn’t right. The pain in his hips flared up at the following evening’s training and so a visit to Santry was paid.

“Dr Éanna Falvey told me it was fermoroacetabular impingement and gave me the diagnosis I didn’t want to hear, surgery would be required,” he recalled.

With Clare’s Munster semi-final against Cork looming, however, surgery had to wait.

“I got injections from the county doctor, another one up in Santry and then I was taking painkillers on top of that to get through games. Because the hurlers reached the All-Ireland final all the club games were delayed so I put the surgery on the long finger. We got to the county football semi-final in November so I couldn’t get it done until after that.”

Hayes finally went under the knife in December, with a recovery period of 16 weeks. For the Limerick-based garda, the idea of being off his feet for a month didn’t sound too appealing.

“Initially I was told I would only be on the crutches for two to three weeks. but I was on them for five to six weeks. Even after that I didn’t feel comfortable on my feet for two weeks after that. I forced it a small bit. It was a long road and it is one I never hope to travel again.

“I read an interview with Paul Curran there last week who also had hip surgery. He was getting disillusioned as well after a couple of weeks. Eventually, he accepted it would take time. Even though you want to rush it, you simply can’t. If you do it could go belly up and you could be out for the year.

“To keep motivated, I was working away with our conditioning coach Chris De Looze when the Clare lads would be training. I went back full training at the end of March. It has been a long old road and there were times when I wondered would I get back at all. It was slow. It was one of these injuries that took time. It was testing, but it was worth it now that I am back playing football.”