GAELIC GAMES:EVEN IN the euphoria of their All-Ireland victory, one Tipperary hurler was having slightly mixed feelings. A year ago, midfielder James Woodlock left Croke Park after losing to Kilkenny as intent as any Tipperary hurler on making amends in 2010. But one month later, playing in the county final with his club, Drom and Inch, he broke his right leg in four places.

So he was watching from the sideline on Sunday as Brendan Maher lorded the position Woodlock would most likely have still held, were it not for the unlucky break.

“It was a little bitter-sweet,” says Woodlock, still only 24. “I’m absolutely delighted with the victory. Obviously wind back the clock 12 months and I was playing yesterday. But that’s just the way it goes. Sport is tough, and I just got a tough break, missing out on the All-Ireland final. Playing anyway. But it’s still great to be a part of it.

“But my right leg was shattered, broken in about four places. It was the very end of the game, the whistle about to be blown. I went in full forward, on Paudie Maher. I went to tackle Lar Corbett, and he hand-passed back over my head. I went back to pick it up, put down the hurl, and Paudie ran into my leg, accidentally. My standing leg, with all the weight on it. I could hear it break. My ankle was stuck to the ground, and my knee was going the other direction. I knew I was in trouble.

“I’m back training, doing a bit at my own pace, and in with the Tipp lads the last two weeks. It’s been coming along all right the last month, a lot more than the last 10 months. If the club gets to the county final I’ll be back. I am back training, doing some sprints. But I still have the bar in the leg, and two pins inside in the ankle.”

Not that Woodlock bears any ill-feeling towards Maher for deputising so impressively: “No, he’s outstanding. I’m just hoping he’ll go back to wing back next year, and I’ll be a happy man. But no, Lar Corbett is in line for hurler of the year, and Brendan Maher young hurler of the year.

“So yeah, the drive for five is only starting. Look across our panel. I’d say 24 is the average age. Hopefully this team will be around for a while. And we got a tough call last year. Every Tipp person said we should have won last year. And if we’d won that, we’d be going for three in a row next year. But we didn’t get the breaks last year. We got two goal chances and we missed them. We took our goal chances on Sunday, and that showed in the victory.”