DEIRBHILE FEELING VERY LUCKY

BY

DEIRBHILE NIC A BHÁIRD says she is “incredibly lucky” to have earned an IRFU contract before suffering an ACL injury last September.

The talented Ireland No8 claims she would have been “goosed” had she not done so after sustaining the injury in a training match against the USA.

A Tackle Your Feelings ambassador (right, at yesterday’s launch), she admits she initially dealt “poorly” with the mental challenge of her first longterm injury.

“There was a lot of learning involved,” she said. “It’s the first time I haven’t been physically active in a normal way my entire life.

“It was definitely an eye-opener. The flip side is I have been very lucky so maybe I was due one.

“I have had really down days, like anyone would, but it has been the girls around like Enya Breen (inset) who came back last week after a year out with an ACL.

“The way I see it is I’m incredibly lucky that I had taken the decision to go back and take a contract before something like this happened.

“I know girls who have done ACLS playing club or in other sports and they don’t have a fraction of the supports we are getting.

“I have more or less full-time physio, full-time access to a high-class facility, we were in with surgeons straight away, all that stuff.

“This is a clear-cut example of how important this development has been regardless of all the other nuances and catching up and all that stuff.

“This is protecting players. That is more or less the bottom line and it has given me a lot of security – because if I had a physical job I would be goosed.”