Shiels on comeback trail
August 30, 2016
Antrim's Paul Shiels gains possession against Offaly
Former Antrim hurling captain Paul Shiels made his first appearance of the year over the weekend.
Having undergone hip surgery in January, Shiels came off the bench to play the last 15 minutes of Dunloy's Antrim SHC quarter-final loss to Ballycastle on Sunday.
"The early stage of rehab is long, it's a slow process and, I suppose, the closer you get to when you think you should be back, the harder it gets and you wonder to yourself 'am I going to get back?'," the Cuchullain's ace told The Irish News.
"It's a dark place, but I had a good team around me, keeping me right. The first time I had it done, I was only 19, you don't really know any different. You just plough on with it and expect to get back. You don't ever doubt yourself. The older you get, there's other things in life outside of hurling, you don't know if you're going to get back.
"By no manner of means is that me back - I still have a lot of work to do. It's probably going to be a long winter, but there's a wee bit of light at the end of the tunnel."
