FEATURE
Time ticks away slowly for
footballers in the off season,
and 2020 was a year with
plenty of down time, but
you'd imagine Nicole
Owens' 15 month
injury comeback
was particularly
laborious.
By DECLAN ROONEY
I N TERV I EW
The Dublin forward suffered a
knee injury during the 2019 Championship,
and after a month of intense rehab work,
she somehow managed to be fit enough to
face Cork in their TG4 All-Ireland Semi-final,
but she only lasted four minutes before she
sustained another injury to the knee.
Six months later, Owens' recovery from
ACL surgery was ahead of schedule, but she
tore some of the labrum in her hip. Three
months off her feet was followed by yet
another surgery to solve a meniscus problem
to her knee. Setback after setback after
setback.
But the delayed TG4 All-Ireland
Championship of 2020 came as a blessing
for a determined Owens. She didn't feature
in either of Dublin's Group 3 games against
Donegal or Waterford, but manager Mick
Bohan parachuted the St Sylvester's player
straight into his starting team for their
All-Ireland Semi-final against Armagh. Her
manager's backing meant a lot.
"For me personally, it has been a longer
road than I expected. Obviously I would
have liked to have played more than two
Championship matches this year, but I'm
just delighted that I managed to get back in
