Club game concussion left Dublin's Seán McMahon dazed and confused

MacMahon said that since suffering the concussion, he's realised that second impact syndrome is a

Wed, 30 Oct, 2024 - 06:00

Paul Keane

Dublin football defender Sean MacMahon has revealed that a concussion injury suffered on club duty last month came as 'a shock to the system', leaving him dazed and confused.

The powerful Raheny man, who started 13 of Dublin's 15 league and Championship games in 2024, took a heavy knock to the face early in a club SFC group game against Castleknock.

He said that when his mother spoke to him after he was taken off, he was clearly disorientated, giving her 'the fright of her life' and prompting her to take him to hospital.

Speaking at the launch of Dublin's Staycity Aparthotels sponsored alternate kit for 2025 and 2026, MacMahon said he took an extended break from training afterwards and is recovering well.

"We were in control against Castleknock, I think we were 0-6 to 0-2 up with an extra man but then the momentum just came like a wave and crushed us," said MacMahon, recalling the early September encounter.

"I haven't watched it back. I remember my girlfriend telling me later that evening, she was like, 'They lost'. But it didn't register with me because I'd forgot there was a game even going on that I'd left. I didn't stay to stick around.

"My Mam came down to the bench and saw me there and had never seen me like this. When I asked her, I was like, 'What am I doing tomorrow?' She was like, 'You're going away'. I was like, 'Where am I going?' I said that to her. I was supposed to be going away. She got the fright of her life, she was like, 'Right, you're going to hospital'.

"So I was in there, in A&E, and I just remember getting told we lost and I was like, 'What did we lose?' It was just crazy. But thankfully it's all fine now."

Dublin GAA and Staycity Aparthotels have revealed their new alternate kit that will be worn in select matches throughout the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

MacMahon described it as an eye-opening experience and warned others that 'once you hear that ringing in the ears, you have to step out'.

He's not the first Dublin defender to suffer a concussion during a game. Former Dubs star Rory O'Carroll got concussed during the 2013 All-Ireland final defeat of Mayo and accepted afterwards he should have come off immediately.

"I've only since realised it's the (possible) second hit that's the big issue there," said MacMahon referencing the danger of second impact syndrome.

The 2023 All-Ireland winner with Dublin said he's been ultra careful since the loss to Castleknock, a game which ended Raheny's club campaign.

"I didn't rush back," he said. "I'm starting to do runs and stuff again and I'm feeling alright."

It was a frustrating year overall for MacMahon as Dublin failed to reach an All-Ireland semi-final for the first time since 2009.

They were four points up against Galway at half-time in their quarter-final tie but suffered what MacMahon described as a 'systems malfunction' after the break.

It later emerged that a bug swept through the Dublin camp in the week of the game but MacMahon refused to blame the one-point loss on that.

"There was a bug and it was reminiscent of Covid times in terms of we came togged out for training and we didn't use the dressing-rooms, our meeting was conducted over Zoom that night," he said.

"So it threw you out of your normal rhythm in one way but in no way, shape or form was it a factor in why we performed so poorly in that game, particularly in the second-half.

"We were just beaten by a better team on the day and the wheels fell off the wagon.

"We just weren't consistent in our performance. The first-half was kind of standard enough, going alright, and then in the second-half it was just kind of a systems malfunction. I don't think a bug can do that to you unfortunately."

MacMahon could at least take one positive from the year in that he pulled on the Dublin jersey for the first time on a regular basis.

He started all eight of Dublin's league games, as well as five Championship matches, including the Galway encounter.

"I think I got a few lucky breaks in terms of maybe lads that this year got injured and I capitalised on that," said MacMahon. "When you get a chance to impress, you kind of have to put your best foot forward. Hopefully I've made some headway, I think I did this year. It's a clean slate again though next year.

"There is no complacency there in terms of expecting to start, I'm a long way from being one of those players. So it's definitely a clean slate I feel, start from scratch and try to impress again."