You'd always feel for any sportstar sidelined through injury. In a lot of cases they put their bodies on the line for little or no reward. For GAA stars who have spent the winter nights building up for the season ahead a spring or summer injury is heartbreaking as you can forget about any team involvement for an entire year.
Such is the case for Cork senior hurler Christopher Joyce after confirmation that the 23 year old full back sustained cruciate damage to his knee in Saturday night's win over Dublin.
Joyce, who had been playing at full-back for the Rebels this year, suffered the injury after just four minutes of the Rebels' impressive victory at Croke Park where the Leesiders fired off a point a minute to end Ger Cunningham's honeymoon period.
The Na Piarsaigh clubman was in visible pain after taking a heavy fall and was removed from the pitch on a stretcher, sparking concern over his well-being.
Although he was subsequently able to walk from the sideline to the Cork bench, he was in considerable discomfort.
Initially, there was some hope that he had sustained little more than a minor injury, but a scan confirmed the extent of the damage. "He is scheduled to see an orthopaedic surgeon and faces the possibility of surgery in the coming weeks. said a statement from the Cork County Board. We wish Christopher well in his recovery. If he needs any inspiration on his road to recovery he needn't look too far.
Take fellow countyman and Cork footballer Colm O Neill.
The Rebel all star has bounced back from a cruciate operation and this year started all four of the Leesiders division 1 games bagging 3-21. Great going by any standards and just the incentive for Christopher to do likewise.
