It’s fairly grim for Seamus Coleman right now.
This is a man playing the best football of his career, selected to captain his country, touted as an imminent big-money move to a giant club and in the prime of his life.
One stupid, reckless, disgusting moment and it’s all gone in a flash.
If he didn’t move on from Everton – who are flying at the moment – he probably would’ve secured an even bigger contract such was the interest in the Donegal man. Now, he just has to work like never before to see to it that he can run again, never mind play football at the standard he was operating at.
He’ll miss Ireland’s World Cup qualifying campaign, probably a good chunk of next season too and he’ll have to contend with whoever Ronald Koeman brings in as his replacement at Goodison Park.
It’s not fair that one man’s stupidity and dangerous play can put another man’s career and lifestyle in jeopardy.
It’s not fair but it’s also not the end.
Stephen Ferris knows more than most the horrors of a bad injury like that. The Ulster and Irish legend missed 15 months with a wrecked ankle and, when he returned, he was never the same – having to call it quits on the game at just 31.
It wasn’t even a mental thing, it was physical. He just wasn’t able for it.
But there are guys who have come through bad injuries like what Coleman has to face and they can light the way for the Irish legend in his recovery.
On the latest SportsJOE Live sponsored by Screwfix.ie, Stephen Ferris pointed to the example of two of his old team mates to say that this can be overcome – to other leaders of the country.
Brian O’Driscoll was rumoured to have been suffering with a shoulder injury throughout the whole 2011 World Cup where he could only tackle with one shoulder and, despite denying it at the time, he went for surgery afterwards that kept him out of the next Six Nations campaign.
Rory Best missed the whole 2009 season with a neck injury and look what he’s done since.
They’re not broken legs but they’re not exactly elements that either could go without in their sport.
“It’s not all doom and gloom,” Ferris said on SportsJOE Live.
“You look at someone like Rory Best who had major neck surgery – Brian O’Driscoll had major neck surgery – and look at Rory Best now. Jesus, he’s playing some of the best rugby of his career.
“It wasn’t a few ago that he went under the knife and people were saying that his career was over.
“So, for Seamus, there is light at the end of the tunnel. He can come back and be just as good a player, if not better, when he does return.”
Rory Best also broke his arm four years ago…
Watch Ferris’ full take below (from 14:48).
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