ANTRIM hurling star Niall McKenna says he knew something “wasn’t right” after he took a blow on his hand during an Intermediate Championship semi-final against St Enda’s, Glengormley last weekend.
The Patrick Sarsfield’s clubman had jumped to catch a ball, but caught an opponent’s hurl instead and when he landed he saw a bone sticking through the skin of his right hand.
Tough as nails, McKenna got himself to hospital where the dislocated bone was snapped back into place and his wound was stitched up. However, he could miss out on a busy period for his club because the west Belfast side went on to win the game and reach the intermediate hurling final. Sarsfield's are also in the latter stages of the junior football championship and McKenna has vowed to be back on the field as quickly as possible to help his club chase the rare double.
“I went up to catch a ball and a fella tried to block it and caught me on the hand with his hurl,” dual player McKenna explained.
“It was agony and I knew straight away it wasn’t right.
“When I landed I could see my middle finger wasn’t straight and I turned my hand round and the bone was coming through the skin.
“But I was dead on, I got up and walked off and went straight into hospital and they put it back into place and gave me four stitches where the bone came through.”
Sarsfield’s face Carey Faughs in the Antrim intermediate hurling final on Saturday, September 16 and McKenna hopes to be play his part in the decider; his club’s first in the caman code for almost three decades.
“An injury like that wouldn’t put me off, I’ll be straight back,” he said.
“As soon as I get these stitches out I’ll be straight back doing a bit of hurling. It’s just one of those things that happen, it’s just part and parcel of sport.
“You’re going to get knocks like that and if you’re not willing to take them you shouldn’t be playing because it’s going to happen at some stage.”
McKenna, a window glazer by trade, was called into the Antrim senior panel as a 17-year-old back in 2013 by then manager Frank Dawson. But he has since settled on hurling “his number one” and doesn’t intend to miss out on Sarsfield’s intermediate decider.
“We haven’t been to a hurling final in 28 years,” he explained.
“We’ll see how I get on. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back.”
McKenna was a member of the Antrim hurling squad that battled past Carlow to force their way back into Division 1B of the National Hurling League for next year.
That turned out to be the highlight of the season for the Glensmen who were well beaten by the Barrowsiders in the Christy Ring Cup final.
“It was brilliant to get that win in the League,” said McKenna.
“But the Christy Ring was bad, but I think it was better for us to get promoted so we’re playing in a higher League. We’ll go for the Christy Ring again next year; we’ll just go even harder.
“We’ll definitely up the training for next year, last year was hard training and this year will be something similar.”
