Trev was so Keane to return
WATCHING Roy Keane recover from his cruciate ligament injury gave Meath’s Trevor Giles the confidence to make his own cruciate comeback in record time.
Giles suffered the serious knee injury in the 1998 Leinster final, and a little over six months later he was back playing club football after completing all of his rehabilitation on his own.
A physiotherapist by trade, Giles saw how the Manchester United and Ireland captain had battled back from the surgery a year earlier and admits it gave him the confidence to match his recuperation.
Giles told Inside the White Line GAA podcast: “To be honest I didn’t find it hard at all.
“Roy Keane had done his cruciate ligament with Manchester United around the same time and there was a lot in the papers about Roy Keane and getting back.
“I kind of just took it as a bit of a challenge. OK, he’s going to have the very best care and attention, he’s full time at this. I said I’m going to get back as well.
“I was 23 at the time and to me I was afraid my career was finished. I didn’t want it to be finished.”
With Giles on the treatment table following injury, Meath went on to lose that 1998 Leinster final to Kildare, who would go on to compete in the All-ireland final against Galway.
But after the former Footballer of the Year fought his way back to fitness his comeback season in 1999 proved to be one of his best as he helped Meath to victory in the Leinster and
All-ireland finals against Dublin and Cork.
“The big thing with me was there was no cartilage damage.
“It’s invariably about nine months. Whereas with me back then, I felt that at around six months it felt fairly good, so therefore I’ll go back.”