Pain game toughens Megan Connolly’s resolve

Connolly admits she was too immersed in the euphoria of clinching a World Cup playoff by beating Finland in September to address the internal damage she had suffered.

TOUGH CUSTOMER: Megan Connolly during a Republic of Ireland women's training session at Dama de Noche Football Center in Marbella, Spain. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Time wasn’t a healer for the FAI medical team in the 12 years that passed between Shane Duffy and Megan Connolly suffering similar injuries.

But the lessons from Duffy’s 2010 trauma ensured they advised the women’s international Connolly to afford extra time for her body to heal.