The rocky road to recovery

The resilience shown by Clare hurlers Ryan Taylor and Tony Kelly to battle back from serious injuries has been lauded by team physiotherapist for the last three years, Shane Malone.
While Shane has attended All-Ireland homecomings in his native Kerry following All-Ireland successes, he described last week’s welcome for the Liam McCarthy Cup in Clare as “incredible”.
He will never forget the hundreds of Clare hurling supporters who lined the streets and rural roads to welcome the team home, which was a real “eye opener”.
“The enthusiasm and love for Brian Lohan and the team is quite different from my previous experiences. I was very impressed by the volume of support out there for the Clare team. It shows the high esteem they are held within the county.
“The response from Clare fans all year has been unbelievable. There is a great connection between Brian Lohan and the county and people respond when they like what they see.
“The way Clare hurlers play is very pleasing on the eye and their incredible achievement over the past year has reinforced that,” he said.
Asked about the criticism of Clare management after the Munster final defeat against Limerick, he said in a performance-based environment when a team doesn’t perform, everyone is accountable.
“Clare didn’t perform in the Munster final. In the following three games they were able to put this aside and produced a performance that was enough to win these three games, which was very pleasing for the players.
“Winning the All-Ireland final is the best sporting experience as a physio. The atmosphere, drama, level of skill and physical preparation for both teams was incredible. I know people who are involved with Cork so I know what it takes from their end.
“It was an incredible experience and something I will remember for the rest of my life. I was at the 2013 All-Ireland final when there was plenty of drama. I grew up watching Kerry footballers and Clare hurlers in my house,” he said.
His father, Patrick Malone, who is from just outside Lahinch, is a massive Clare hurling fan, having attended their 1995 and 1997 All-Ireland wins.
Based in the UPMC Sports Medicine Clinic in Limerick, the Kerry native worked in both Ireland and Australia in sports medicine before returning for a six-year stint with Munster rugby before joining the Clare hurlers backroom team.
Specialising in lower limb rehabilitation, he is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Ryan Taylor was introduced as a sub with forty nine minutes played in Clare’s All-Ireland semi-final win over Kilkenny and had a game-changing impact.
There were 54 minutes gone in the All-Ireland final when Ryan Taylor replaced Aidan McCarthy, once again making a big contribution to the Banner’s thrilling one-point victory after extra time.
Speaking on the open top stage at the Liam McCarthy Cup homecoming attended by an estimated 35,000 fans at Tim Smythe Park, Ennis on Monday night, Taylor said while his rehabilitation took a long time, nights like the homecoming celebrations made it all worthwhile.
“You have doubts about whether you will get back to where you were at. It still hasn’t sunk in. It is indescribable but it is worth every second of it. I am delighted to be here,” he said.
He credited physio Shane Malone for making his dreams come true.
“I don’t think I would have got back without him. He played a major role in it, a crucial part.”
Because of the nature of the anterior cruciate ligament injury, Shane outlined Ryan had to wait for two months for his knee to settle down before surgery could commence.
The Clare midfielder also sustained a miniscul injury – a cartilage tear on the inside of his knee, which is quite common with ACL injuries.
The surgery completed by Dr Cathal Moran in the Santry Clinic went well, which led to the start of his recovery process last September.
The first three months of rehabilitation involve getting the pain and swelling down, as Shane explained the surgery is akin to a “second injury where there is a lot of pain and swelling afterwards”.
The next three months focus on building size and strength while the third three-month block is about a return to running performance.
“Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are very individual. Some can be settled very quickly and people can get back a bit quicker than others. There is no comparison between one person’s ACL and another.
“Ryan was given a block of rehabilitation work for three or four weeks before we would change it according to what his deficits were. A big part of his rehab was to strengthen his quads at the front of his thigh.
“After the quads are strong enough, Ryan had to jump repeatedly, it was not just the output but the quality of his jumps that we focused on.
“He was monitored twice a week. It was all encompassing. It was very time consuming for Ryan and from a medical stand point,” he said.
Before Ryan was ready to return to intercounty hurling, Shane recalled he had to assess his ability to run fast and change direction and his conditioning ability.
Going between the gyms in Clooney-Quin GAA Club, Treacy’s West County and Seadna Morey in Sixmilebridge, Ryan worked hard building up his strength and muscle, increasing his force output for his legs and upper body.
Starting out with four gym sessions a week lasting between an hour and 70 minutes, the duration of these was reduced as he got stronger.
Last April, Ryan experienced tendon pain, which is quite common with ACL injuries and slowed down his recovery.
Placing an ACL injury in the top four or five worst in terms of recovery time, Shane acknowledged every effort is made to try and prevent it from happening to players.
“The ACL is fairly common. When they happen, you just have to deal with them. Ryan’s was a contact ACL where he jumped and was contacted in the air before falling awkwardly where his knee just collapsed in. There isn’t much you can do to avoid this,” he said.
Asked about the psychological impact on Taylor, the Clare Physio pointed out fortunately Ryan is an emotionally stable person who has very good family and friend support.
Describing rehabilitation as a “rollercoaster” for any patient, Shane outlined recovery from a physical and mental health perspective is up and down and isn’t all plain sailing.
“It is a big challenge for the individual mentally and physically to get back on the pitch, particularly in the early days when they are not seeing as much progress as they would like to see.
“Players’ lives revolve around time, but injuries to some degree don’t revolve around time. It revolves on how strong you can get based on the three criteria for Ryan on quad strength, force output and jump output that is not based on time to some degree, it is based on what he can do to a level that we are happy with before he goes on to the next level.
“Some people can come back from an ACL after seven or eight months, it can take 14 to 16 months for other people. If you can nail down certain criteria that is great, if not you just have to continue until you can.
“It is important the person can return to sport safely and at a high level. The worst thing I could do for Ryan and the Clare team was rush him back when he was not ready because he could get reinjured, which would be a double hit for him and the team.
“I wasn’t under any duress from the Clare hurling management to rush Ryan back, which makes my job a lot easier,” he explained.
When Ryan was introduced in the All-Ireland semi-final, Shane was happy for him and felt it was an added bonus he made such a big contribution to their second half comeback, avenging the previous two successive semi-final defeats at the hands of the Cats.
“Brian would be the first to say it is all about making a contribution to the team. After a tough year for Ryan, it was a bit of a fairytale ending after he worked hard and deserved it.
“Ryan was fantastic, he was very easy to work with, he was a very hard worker and a great athlete when you put challenges in front of him. He was willing to push himself that bit extra to get himself over the line,” he said.
Clare hurling captain Tony Kelly injured his left ankle in a club championship game in August 2023, and had a long road in terms of diagnosis before major surgery with orthopaedic ankle surgeon, Stephen Kearns in Galway last December. It was discovered there was a break across the shinbone where the ankle meets the joint.
The Ballyea ace marksman has previously injured his right ankle a few years ago.
He returned in April, coming off the bench for the Munster championship defeat against Limerick in Cusack Park, Ennis but then missed the Cork game the following Sunday.
The Munster final was his first start of the year and Shane recalled he kept improving in every game.
“Tony had a super ability to apply himself and do the work to get him back hurling. An ankle injury is a tricky one and Tony did very well to get back to the performance level he achieved in the All-Ireland final.
“It takes an extraordinary amount of work and diligence for anyone to get to the level that Tony achieved. Patience is also the key and Tony has all these assets in spades.
“Tony loves hurling so much, that is where he thrives and he is most comfortable on the pitch. The minute the boot came off, he was straight back down with a hurley on his hand down to the pitch, honing his skills. You would expect nothing else from Tony.
“It is a big massive psychological challenge for players who are out injured, particularly when they saw Clare doing so well winning the League. While they were happy for the team, they were gunning to get back and contribute and go that step further in the championship, which they achieved,” he outlined.
Asked about Tony Kelly’s superb goal against Cork in the All-Ireland final, Shane recalled the Ballyea ace was improving in every game in May and June.
“Tony has incredible balance and ability to make the right decision at the right time that separates the really top players from others. That goal encapsulates these characteristics more than anything else.
“Tony is an incredible leader, he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and did what required to get on top of Cork. His ability to rise to the occasion was shown last week and thankfully he was physically able to do that. He was very impressive,” he recalled.
Tony Kelly has paid tribute to their medical team Catherine Fahy, Shane and Michelle McNamara.
“Without them, I or Ryan Taylor wouldn’t have been back, they are top class,” he said.
With both Ryan Taylor and Tony Kelly loving hurling, Shane said the key for both of them was to get back to playing and performing again after their serious injuries.
“They are both selfless hurlers who just want to contribute to the group. The goal is to get players back playing pain free, performing is the next step and winning is the final one,” he said.