ASHLING Thompson’s powers of recovery surprised her.

Sixteen weeks after fully dislocating her elbow in what looked a season-ending injury in March, the Cork powerhouse was back in action.

She announced her return with a performance against Waterford in the All-Ireland senior championship that her manager Ger Manley described as ‘exceptional’.

‘I was pretty much ruled out for the rest of the season when the injury happened, so to get back at this stage was a shock to myself and, I'd imagine, everyone else too,’ Thompson says.

‘It felt great to be back because it's not something I expected to get back to so quickly.’

Naturally, she felt rusty in her comeback game, Cork’s 1-13 to 0-10 win against Waterford that guaranteed the Rebels’ spot in the All-Ireland semi-finals.

But as the match went on, she felt more comfortable.

‘I felt like I was back at home again.’

***

In the split-second before Thompson dislocated her elbow in Cork’s Division 1A league win away to Kilkenny on March 7th, she sensed something bad was about to happen.

She hasn’t seen the footage of the injury. Maybe she’s better off.

Thompson went to collect a pass played into space. As she bent to pick it up, a Kilkenny player came down on top of her.

‘As I hit the ground and felt the pressure on my back, I knew my arm had nowhere to go. It wasn't just a fall where it popped. It was the force coming through my arm. It was incredible. I could almost sense, in that split second, that something was about to go,’ she says.

‘It was just a freak injury. You fall thousands of times over the course of your career, but this time there was a player on top of me and my arm just had nowhere to go.’

The damage was severe.

‘It fully dislocated. My forearm completely separated from my upper arm. It wasn't just a simple dislocation,’ she explains.

‘When it came out, it also broke the radial head, which is one of the bones in your forearm. It was what they call a Mason Type 2 fracture. Thankfully, it wasn't shattered, but it still needed surgery to fix it.’

Ashling Thompson watches a league game after her elbow injury. (Photo: David Ribeiro/INPHO)

***

Thompson didn’t rush her rehab.

She’s 36 years old and accepts she’s closer to the end of her career than the start, but the six-time All-Ireland winner would never take a shortcut.

She wasn't going to force it.

‘I was pretty much ruled out for the entire season, but when I was told there was a possibility of four months, I ended up shortening that completely,’ she says.

‘I was back training 11 weeks after surgery, which was a bit ridiculous.

‘It was just the way I managed the rehab. I really knuckled down with it, with my nutrition as well. Thankfully, I heal well. It was much quicker than expected.’

Thompson tore her ACL in 2022, and was back in action quicker than anticipated then too. 

‘If the elbow wasn't right or I felt I was pushing things too much, I wouldn't come back. That's not something I'd do,’ she says.

‘I said the same with the ACL – if it's not 100 percent, I'm not going to damage myself to the point where I'll regret it later. Especially with something like an elbow, it's not something you can really take chances with.’

The biggest challenge was getting the full extension back in her arm.

‘When it dislocated, it also ripped every ligament and tendon you could think of, so there was a massive amount of tissue repair as well,’ Thompson reveals.

‘Sure, it's my hurley hand. Whether it's blocking, hooking, striking or stretching for a ball, it's everything.

‘Even outside camogie, that's what made it so much worse than the ACL in many ways. At least with the ACL you could still get up, walk around and make yourself something to eat.

‘I couldn't even butter my toast.

‘My mother was inundated with jobs. It was so frustrating.

‘As I said, it's everything. Even if it had been my catching hand, camogie is all about hand-eye coordination. If that elbow hadn't come right, it genuinely could have been the end of my career.

‘So I'm incredibly grateful my recovery has gone well and, hopefully, it'll stay in position from here on out.'

Cork’s Ashling Thompson powers forward in her comeback game against Waterford last month.
(Photo: Stephen Heaney/INPHO)

***

She has done it all, but keeps coming back. Why?

Three All-Star awards in the last four seasons prove Thompson is still one of the best in the business. 

She owes this county absolutely nothing.

Her six All-Ireland titles are spread across 11 seasons – the first in 2014, the latest in 2024. She captained Cork to the title in 2015 and was player of the match in last year's triumph.

The relentless Rebel who keeps coming back.

‘Every year the answer probably changes a little bit, but I always think to myself that when camogie is done, it's done. You can never really go back,’ she explains.

‘I don't want to be the type who's leaving and then coming back, or regretting decisions later on.

‘Obviously I started a new job last year, so that adds a few complications. Maybe it changes how long I'll keep going, I'm not really sure. But as long as I can compete and keep myself in good physical condition, I'm going to stay competitive and stick it out for as long as I can.

‘Whether that's this year, next year or the year after, I don't have those answers.

‘I just try to live in the present. When the injury happened, it was a horrendous injury that I never saw coming. To be honest, you couldn't even compare it to the ACL. The ACL felt like a breeze compared to the elbow, even though the elbow kept me out for a much shorter time.

‘It was incredibly difficult and incredibly painful. It took a lot out of me.’

That’s when her competitiveness kicked in. She wanted to get back on the pitch. A Cork team shorn of so many regulars this season needed their leader.

‘To be back now, and to know I could turn it around as quickly as I have, just shows the hunger is still there. I still want to be here. I still want to be competing and hopefully we can be successful this season,’ Thompson says.

‘I think it all comes back to one thing. When camogie's done, it's done, and I'll never be able to go back.

‘It's been such a huge part of my life that sometimes it's scary to think what my life will be like once I retire. Obviously there's a lot more to life outside sport, but for me there isn't. It's been my whole life.

‘It's mad to think what my life will even look like without it. I honestly can't picture it.’

***

The hope is Thompson’s return can help Cork’s redemption this season. 

Last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists struggled in the national league and Munster championship, missing so many stalwarts who are not involved this season.

That’s why her return has come at the right time. Ditto for Méabh Cahalane who is just back in action, too.

Their experience in a younger set-up is priceless.

‘For the older players, I suppose we struggled a bit last year. If you look at 2024, we lost our head coach, our head physio and our psychologist. Continuity is extremely important in sport, especially in the GAA,’ Thompson says.

‘Then nearly ten players from last year's panel were gone as well. That was a huge shock to the system.

‘At the start of the year we didn't really know where we were at, but I don't think there was ever a stage where we thought, “We might as well forget about this season.” We knew we were in transition and we were just hoping it would all come together at some point.

‘There were so many players in and out as well. Amy O'Connor was injured, Laura Hayes was injured at the start of the year. There were a lot of big players missing at different stages.

‘We still knew we had a really good core.’

Thompson feels Cork’s All-Ireland U23 camogie success in May is also important – it’s evidence the new kids on the block have something about them. 

Now the big guns are back to increase Ger Manley’s options, as Cork prepare for an All-Ireland semi-final after winning all three Group 1 games.

‘Even if I didn't make it back, or Méabh didn't make it back, I'd still have huge faith in that team because of what they've achieved without so many players from last year's panel. It's been unbelievable, really,’ she says.

‘It's obviously a bonus having us back now, especially going into the latter stages of the season. It probably makes us unpredictable too. There's no team picked. I'll still be fighting for my place, just as much as Méabh will, ahead of an All-Ireland semi-final.

‘God only knows where we'll line out if we do play. And if we don't, we'll be happy to be part of the panel and cheer the girls on because they've been exceptional throughout the championship. Everybody deserves their chance.’