Midfielder happy to put injuries behind him
“I was out for about two and half years overall. It started off when I tore my hip flexor in the last minute of a game. I kicked a ball and I tore it and I was out for about six months”.
Roscommon CBS midfielder and St. Dominic’s clubman, Keith Doyle, offered a brief insight into the injury troubles he has faced when speaking to People Sport this week.
“After that I tore some muscle fibers off my hip bone and I was out for six to eight weeks and then I had a stress fracture in my lower back. That was the longest one by far. I had waited six to eight weeks before doing recovery and had done straight line running before going on to sprinting. The first day sprinting I went full blast and felt a twinge so I stopped. The physio told me I had to go back to square one again so that was another 16 weeks…”
Like many teenagers, Doyle had experienced a growth spurt, except his took him from 5’ 11” to his current 6’ 3” in just a couple of years and the 18-year-old believes that this had led to the catalogue of injuries which nearly resulted in him hobbling away from the sport.
“It was when I had the recurrence of the back injury and I had to go back to recovering in the gym. I wasn’t in a great place. I was contemplating giving up for a while because I’d too many injuries and I was just sick of it. It was bringing me down but I said I’d give it one last shot and it’s grand now and I’m back playing,” he said.
The youngster, who also plays soccer with St. John’s Athletic in Lecarrow, credits his recovery work and gym-based strength and conditioning with allowing him to come back fitter and stronger.
“It’s all about sticking with it. It is a long and boring process and there can be very low points but when you make it back that’s the highlight and it makes up for it. Every game I play now I love it. It’s thrilling,” he said.
His lengthy spells on the sidelines have given Keith a new appreciation for sport including the pre-match butterflies that come with the biggest games.
“I was nervous the last day. I was tense going into the game and a bit shaky for the first ten minutes. I’ll be nervous again before Saturday but I’m really looking forward to playing at Croke Park. It’s a dream to be doing it now at 18 with all the friends who I’ve grown up with. It definitely makes all the lay-offs worthwhile – 100%”.
Keith and his teammates started the week with a visit to Croke Park for a walk around and while the Knockcroghery student was in awe of the stadium, he is now fully focussed on his preparations for Saturday’s All-Ireland Colleges Final.
“I got butterflies in my stomach. It was scary coming out of the tunnel and looking around even though there was no one there! It was nerve-racking but we’ll try and take our minds off it and focus on our preparations for the rest of this week and hopefully go and win it,” he concluded.
