McGinley more susceptible to concussions

Enda McGinley collided with Dan Gordon in the 2008 Ulster Championship

One player who knows all about concussion injuries is former Tyrone star Enda McGinley.

He sustained a serious neck injury during the 2003 All-Ireland final between the Red Hands and Armagh, with a severe concussion for good measure. Since then he has found himself more vulnerable to concussion injuries.

“What I have found is that having had one major concussion, I seem to be more susceptible since then. Either that, or I’m extremely unlucky because I have had several incidents of concussion since then. I would definitely say that I have been more vulnerable to them since.

“My symptoms afterwards would have been dazed and headaches, I hadn’t a huge amount of confusion at the time, but I did have headaches and difficulty sleeping.”

One episode since then which stands out for McGinley was in the drawn Ulster Championship clash against Down at Healy Park in 2008, when he again picked up quite a severe concussion.

“Several minutes into the game, I was involved in what looked on TV to have been an innocuous enough collision with Dan Gordon, where his hip area came in contact with my head. I have no recollection at all of travelling to that match, or any part of the match.

“After about 12 or 13 minutes I took myself over to the sideline. I was down on one knee and I asked the doctor ‘Where am I?’ That was really all the doctor needed to hear in order to know that something wasn’t right. Afterwards in the dressing room, it took a long time for me to come right again.”

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday July 26. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here