Adrian Mullen says the best is yet to come from him after bouncing back from a cruciate ligament injury.
The Ballyhale Shamrocks man sustained the injury in a League game against Clare in February last year, just weeks after helping the club to their second successive All-Ireland title.
Even though Covid-19 put the GAA season at club and county level on ice for quite some time shortly after that misfortune struck, it still didn’t buy Mullen enough time to return to action in 2021 for club or county.
He did, however, make the bench for Ballyhale’s county final win over Dicksboro and while the possibility of springing him was explored, it was quickly binned.
Mullen explained: “I think the week leading up to the county final we did discuss it, me and the management team, maybe in the last 10 minutes and we need something off the bench, maybe it was a possibility but we actually decided before the game that we’re not going to risk anything.
“I kind of decided I wasn’t fully ready at that stage because I had my whole career ahead of me and I didn’t want to go back too early so I think it was a good decision.”
Cruciate injuries are no strangers to the Mullen household. Indeed, Adrian’s was the fourth shared out among him and two of his three brothers.
“Darren actually done his cruciate twice and Paddy, my other brother, done his once and, yeah, Ray Moran done all the operations.”
Mullen made it back with Kilkenny this year and was nominated as county captain by his club. He lifted the Bob O’Keeffe Cup as Kilkenny retained the Leinster title but they once again fell at the All-Ireland semi-final stage, despite Mullen’s last gasp strike forcing extra time against Cork.
(Image: ©INPHO/Brian Reilly-Troy)
But the club have kicked off on another run since, completing the four-in-a-row in Kilkenny, and they open their Leinster campaign against Mount Leinster Rangers on Saturday.
“It definitely took a few games to get up to speed with it (the knee). My first game was against Dublin and I wasn’t great that day myself but I used every game and every training just to learn from them and get back up to speed and to get match practice under my belt was the main thing.
“I definitely think there is more in me. I’ll just continue to work hard. At this time of year it’s difficult out there on a hurling pitch. I’ll try and do my best for the team and work hard for the team and hopefully there’ll be better days to come for myself as an individual.”
They like their records in Ballyhale and the five-in-a-row has never been achieved in Kilkenny before, while they stand just one title behind Tullaroan in the roll of honour.
“That obviously will be another huge achievement for the club, on their 50th anniversary so that would be another target next year. Lookit, now we’re going to focus on the Leinster Championship and Mount Leinster Rangers.”
It’s an opportunity that they were denied last year as the provincial and All-Ireland club series was cancelled.
“We didn’t actually speak about it as a group at all,” said Mullen. “But it was probably an opportunity missed because we had a chance to maybe do a three-in-a-row if everything went well. But we’re back here again so hopefully we can achieve it this year.”
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More to come after cruciate ordeal says Ballyhale and Kilkenny’s Adrian Mullen
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