Joe Canning's rehab from surgery is on track
#HurlingToTheCore ambassador Joe Canning was in Dublin today to announce more Unmissable Rewards for Bord Gáis Energy Rewards Club customers. For more information see bordgaisenergy.ie/my-rewards.
By John Harrington
Joe Canning says his rehabilitation from groin surgery is on course.
The Galway hurling star suffered a torn groin in the Allianz Hurling League semi-final against Waterford on March 24.
"At the time the prognosis was that he’d miss the entirety of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, and the time-scale of his recovery hasn’t changed since then.
I’m four weeks since surgery,” said Canning today at Bord Gáis Energy’s Rewards Club announcement.
“Torn groin, that’s all it is - I won’t get into specifics because there could be kids listening. It’s 14-to-16 weeks as the lads said a few weeks ago so it’s no different to that.
“I’m just taking it week-by-week really and that’s all I can do because if I set something for myself I might be disappointed if I get a setback.
“I’m just going with the physio, week-to-week, it’s four weeks now and I’m doing the rehab as best I can. Just light stuff, strengthening up the area around it and trying to get it right.”
Joe Canning is stretchered off the field after tearing his groin in the 2019 Allianz Hurling League semi-final against Waterford.
Canning is doing his best to keep a positive frame of mind and is confident his Galway team-mates will be able to cope without him for the duration of the Leinster Championship.
“It’s not the best thing, but I’m doing the rehab as best I can and looking at the bigger picture - I’m only one of 36 or 37 players, the guys are training and that’s what we have to be concentrating on,” said Canning.
“They’re the ones going out on the field and it’s not like we’re going out with 14 players.
“I look at Fintan Burke who did his cruciate and he’s gone for the year. There’s a group there that are willing to step up and there’s more made out of it than there should be - it’s not the end of the world.
“We’ll have 15 guys on the field and it’s going to be the same thing again - we have a strong panel.
“You saw during the League, we only had five or six of our All-Ireland team every day we went out so there was obviously another even or eight guys there who didn’t feature in the All-Ireland final who have gotten game-time and are pushing for places.
“That’s a big positive for us going into Championship. Guys are going well and looking positive.”
If Canning’s rehabilitation goes as scheduled he’d be available for the ‘business end’ of the Championship - the All-Ireland quarter-finals or semi-finals if Galway win Leinster – but he’s uncomfortable about looking that far ahead.
“Business end…will I give you the lottery numbers as well?! No offence, how do we know if we’re going to get out of Leinster?
“I’m not even thinking about that. Carlow is the first game and we have to take it step-by-step. It’s stupid talk, and I don’t mean any disrespect, to be thinking of the business end of the Championship when we have to win matches before that.
“That’s not a thing that we do. As any sportsman will tell you, if you look beyond the next game you’ll get caught.”
Joe Canning expects his nephew Jack to return home at the end of the year after a spell playing rugby in Australia.
Canning suffered his injury when he was floored by a shoulder from Waterford’s Kevin Moran in that Allianz Hurling League Final.
The damage was done from his subsequent contact with the ground rather than the shoulder from Moran, but the Waterford player still made a point of getting in touch to Canning afterwards to wish him well.
“To be straight up, I didn’t expect it,” said Canning. “It was a fair shoulder so he had no reason to text me. But Kevin texted me.
“I know him. He’s a sound fella and I appreciated that. It was nice to get it, but there was no need for it as it was a fair challenge. It was sound alright.”
Canning may not be the only member of his extended family back in a Galway jersey before too long.
His nephew Jack, who hurled with the Galway U-21 team last year, is currently playing rugby in Sydney with the Northern Suburbs club.
But Joe expects him to return to Ireland before the end of the year which will be music to the ears of Galway hurling supporters.
“He’s good,” said Canning of his nephew. “He’s enjoying himself out there. He’s playing a bit of rugby and drinking a few pints.
“He’s getting a tan as well. I gave him a text there the other day. He’s getting cold, it’s only 30 degrees at the moment!
“He’s acclimatised well. He’s playing a bit of rugby out there and a bit of hurling so he’s enjoying it. I think he’s back at the end of the year.
“He could change his mind next week. We just let him off and let him enjoy himself and experience life out there. He’s a good lad.”
