Things looking up for Kildare's Róisín Byrne after lengthy setbacks

In reality, it may have just been a first round game in Division 3 of the Lidl National League, but for Róisín Byrne, Kildare's clash with Down at St Conleth’s Park on 22 January felt like a whole lot more.

Having overcome persistent shoulder problems to be named on the Intermediate Team of the Championship for 2020, the Sarsfields attacker suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the Lilywhites’ League encounter against Longford on 6 June of the following year.

While she underwent surgery exactly a month later, she was back under the knife again in February 2022 due to the fact there was also substantial damage to the cartilage in her knee.

During her time on the sidelines, Byrne readily admits experiencing doubts over whether she’d ever feature again in a competitive inter-county fixture.

But those fears were finally put to bed when she contributed 1-05 as a starter in last month's emphatic 3-13 to 0-06 victory for Kildare over the aforementioned Down.

"I had ruptured the ACL, but I had actually shattered the cartilage, nearly all of it. The surgeon had basically said 'we’ll repair whatever cartilage we can’, but that it was so badly damaged that he anticipated in the next two years I’d be back for another surgery to remove the last part of it," Byrne explained.

"When I started getting back doing more rigorous training, it became apparent that it wasn’t going to work. It was a bit experimental to see can we save a bit of it and we couldn’t. I had the big surgery in July [2021] and I had another surgery the following February.

"My first match back with Kildare was on the pitch that I’d done my knee on. That was in my head as well.

"I know it was the first round of the league, but for me it felt nearly like we’d won a