Eoin Murphy initially feared that he wouldn't feature in goal for Kilkenny this summer but now he's dreaming of a fourth All-Ireland final appearance.
Murphy hyper-extended his leg while playing in a club game for Glenmore in late April but he resumed full training on the weekend of Kilkenny's Leinster clash with Galway and made his subsequent return in the draw with Dublin..
Initially he was concerned that he could face a long lay-off.
"They’ll give you a time-frame of six to 10 weeks but before that, (in your mind) it could be anything at all, or it could be more," said Murphy, who confesses he becomes an "absolute wreck" watching Kilkenny games from the stands.
"Just where it was, it was right on top of the tibia. That’s carrying all the weight. And I’ve a few pounds coming with me as well.
"I had to be careful with it, I couldn't do anything for a few weeks. Even when I came back I just really had to mind it.
"Even mentally, you want to be out pucking around, you want to be hurling.
"That was the hardest thing, I couldn’t train. You don’t feel a part of that when you’re not out pucking a ball.
"If you have a pulled hamstring, you can still be there pucking a ball. I was just plodding along on crutches. It was odd.
"There an element of luck there I didn’t do any more damage in terms of my tendon or cruciate, they’re awful injuries. You could be looking at missing a big portion of next year as well.
"Look, thankfully didn’t do any major damage. Back to full health".
If you haven't already, be sure to like our Irish Mirror Sport and Irish Mirror GAA pages on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
