Unravelling the GAA’s injury legacy

Shortly after Cian O’Neill’s appointment as Kildare football manager, he discussed his panel and the number of players sidelined over the winter with ‘legacy’ injuries.

Formerly involved with the Kerry, Mayo and Limerick set-ups, and Tipperary hurling, O’Neill knows the game, its rapidly changing landscape and the increasing physical toll being placed upon players.

Legacy injuries, said the Cork IT department head, are those accumulated over the course of a season or two, not serious enough to rule a player out of a league or championship campaign, but requiring off-season intervention.