McFadden: I’ve learned to cope better with injury setbacks

FERGUS McFADDEN is fully fit again, and he is keen to set one thing straight regarding a common misunderstanding about the manner in which he picked up his injury.

As the winger dived over the whitewash during last season’s Champions Cup semi-final win over the Scarlets, Steff Evans clattered into McFadden when it looked totally unnecessary.

The injury cost McFadden a place in the final as well as the successful Guinness PRO14 run-in, but there is no ill feeling on his part towards the Scarlets player.

“I don’t think it could have been avoided because it actually wasn’t anything to do with Steff Evans,” McFadden (right) explained.

“A few people thought it was him that jumped on top of me after it (the try), but the injury actually happened when I took my first stride on the way to the corner, so it (hamstring) had popped at that stage.”

While the 32-year old had to watch on from the stand as Leinster won the Champions Cup and PRO14, the injury allowed him time to focus on off-field matters and, more specifically, the arrival of his first child – a son named Freddie.

Becoming a father certainly helped ease the disappointment of missing such vital games, but then again McFadden has had to deal with his fair share of setbacks down through the years and knows how best to bounce back.

“It definitely hasn’t changed my perspective on what goes on in here (Leinster),” he insisted.

“It is the same mentality and at the weekend playing a match.

“But it probably changes my perspective on life anyway. There is a lot more responsibility outside of the day job here, which is great.

“I’m looking forward to, hopefully, Freddie coming along to a couple of games at home this year. It would be nice to do that.

“I’ve had so many setbacks, it hasn’t been a perfect career.

“I’ve had lots of setbacks in lots of different ways. I’ve learned to deal with them and leave them at the door here or on the pitch when they happen.

“I definitely don’t bring them home. I’ve got my own coping mechanisms for them and I deal with them pretty well, I think.

“I think the nature of the injury, it was quite bad, so there was no part of me going ‘I could have played those last few matches’.

“It was definitely difficult on the day – in the Aviva watching the PRO14 final and the final in Bilbao, knowing that I could have been out there. I turned into a bit of a supporter because it was such a good occasion.” McFadden made an earlier than expected return to action in last week’s win in Cardiff, as Barry Daly was forced off with an injury of his own.

And he also got to demonstrate his goal-kicking ability – an asset that has been put on the back-burner in recent years.

“I really enjoy having that responsibility when I can get it,” McFadden added.

“But the reason I hadn’t in the last few seasons is because I had that quad injury in 2017, that kept me out for most of the year, and I was very restricted with the amount of kicking I could do after that.

“The fact Joey (Carbery) is gone now, I’ll definitely be looking to be a viable option for games. I’m happy to get up and knock them over when the lads can’t kick them.”