Seán Finn: 'I’d have been a hazard to myself if I was allowed back onto that field' 

The four-time All-Star, who failed the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) examination, was hospitalised as a result of a blow to the head in Limerick's Allianz National League game against Cork last month.

John West Féile Ambassador and Limerick hurler Seán Finn in attendance during the John West Féile 2022 Launch at Croke Park in Dublin. 

Limerick’s Seán Finn admits he would have been “a hazard” to himself had he been allowed to stay on the field after suffering a concussion against Cork last month.

The four-time All-Star, who failed the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) examination, was hospitalised as a result of the incident and sidelined for the following Division 1, Group A game with Clare.

Stressing the importance of the decision being out of the player’s hands, Finn admits he wanted to play on after he was fouled by Cork forward Shane Kingston.

However, it soon became clear he was in no fit state to rejoin the game. “I think it’s natural that you want to play. It’s just the competitive nature that the player has it’s important that the medical team take their initiative on it.

“It was only maybe 10 minutes later where I really showed symptoms of real concussion so if I was probably a delayed reaction. If I was out on the pitch 10 minutes later, I was a hazard to myself.” 

The 26-year-old couldn’t recall the game and suffered severe headaches. “I got up, came off the field, tried to make up the (HIA) answers. They probably weren’t clear and they probably knew that I wasn’t right but, again, it was up to them to make that decision.

“If they said, ‘You can go on go on, Seán’ I would have gone on but that wasn’t the right thing to do. It was good that I wasn’t in the position to make that decision. It was important that they used their initiative even though it might be the hard call to make.” 

Finn had to be told afterward where he had been sitting in the dressing room. “I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t know where my gear bag was in the dressing room. I couldn’t remember the goals going in. I couldn’t remember the score and stuff like that and what way we were playing. After a couple of hours I came around and I was fine but I’d be a hazard to myself if I was allowed back onto that field.” 

 His first ever concussion, the experience has opened Finn’s eyes to the prevalence of the injury in contact sport. “I would have been aware but I never really took much notice because I was never really affected by it so I would always say, ‘Oh yeah, concussion is a big deal’ but when it hasn’t really impacted you as such you don’t really know the extent of it. It was only on reflection where I saw the reaction that it’s really serious and that was very much a mild concussion."