Injuries make Karen Kennedy appreciate her love for the game
By Niall McIntyre
KAREN Kennedy says injuries have made her appreciate her love for the game and the opportunity to play on big days, none more so than this Saturday in the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway.
The Thurles Sarsfileds dynamo has had her fair share of bad luck with injuries in recent times, missing Tipp’s entire championship campaign in ‘22 before sitting out eight weeks at the start of this year. Injuries to both shoulders as well as a bone-stress issue kept her from the field, and she says she was an impatient onlooker those days.
“Two years ago I had a shoulder injury,” Kennedy says, “and at the start of this year I actually hurt my shoulder as well. I was out with a bone stress injury during the League as well this year, so eight weeks of no training there. That was difficult.
“I’m not one who’s able to sit around doing nothing really, so I was definitely tormenting the physios and the management a lot during those weeks.
“You’re just listening to the physios and doing whatever you can. It was very little at the time but I suppose you have to keep in mind that you’re doing the best for your body as well.”
Ultimately, looking on the bright side, she says she learned more about herself during a time when she had no choice but to let the body heal.
“If you keep going when you have an injury, you are just going to cause more harm, so you have to take the advice from the experts. It’s so tough watching on, watching the girls play and not being able to be out there with them, but you learn more about yourself in them times as well.”
KEY PLAYER
Kennedy made her eagerly awaited return in a League game against Cork this year and she was “never so excited to be getting out on the field playing again”.
“You can take it for granted at times but when you’re out for so long, you realise your love for the game. Thankfully, I’m able to manage the injuries at the minute and that’s the main thing.”
Kennedy is a key player on the Tipperary team, who are playing some of their best camogie in years this season. She has been utilised as a centre back at some stages and a centre forward at others, such is her versatility, and she says that trying to think of what she “dislikes as a centre back” is what she tries to bring to playing centre forward.
Victories over Cork in the League, Kilkenny and Galway in the Championship and of course Galway in the League final gives the team confidence ahead of this Saturday’s show-down with the Tribeswomen in Nowlan Park. She says another plus is that the panel has never been as strong as it is now in her experience.
“You take huge confidence out of being able to compete at the highest level against these top teams, and at the same time, we’re coming out with wins in tight games which, probably in other years, we would have fallen away when teams got on top of us.
“So, there is huge confidence and belief within the group and I think that’s going to be huge going into Saturday.”
“We’ve probably been through a lot as a group, but it is good that we’ve all stuck together and stuck at it. We’ve taken some experiences from a fair few tough days and I think this year we have that winning mentality and the drive to get over the line in matches. Hopefully we can bring that into Saturday as well.”