Club success gives Loughlin perspective

The Downs' Luke Loughlin celebrates ©INPHO/Evan Treacy

Luke Loughlin was delighted to be able to lead The Downs to back-to-back Flanagan Cups after missing out on Westmeath’s Leinster SFC success through injury.

The Downs vice-captain scored 0-7 as his side edged out local rivals St Loman’s by a point in Sunday’s televised county final after making a successful recovery from the Grade 4 hamstring tear and tendon rupture he sustained during Westmeath’s Leinster SFC quarter-final victory over Meath at the end of April.  

"I'm 31 now, very lucky. I've had a lot of ups and downs. I’d never actually been injured, this year I had a fairly bad injury,” Loughlin said in an interview with RTÉ.

"When it happened I just said, and it’s documented, that I wasn’t going to be playing. This is what I had my target set on, getting back here.

"We probably let ourselves down in Leinster a little last year (when losing to Tullamore). I’d love to right a few wrongs, I’m not saying we’re going to go on and win Leinster but I’d love to give it a good rattle.

"But you have to have great perspective, things could be a whole lot worse than missing a game every now and then.

"I'm very lucky, I wouldn’t change that journey - I learned a lot about myself this summer, to be grateful and put a perspective on things.

"I love playing for Westmeath, but nothing can replicate that there. To see my mother (Oonagh) crying, she wouldn’t know a football from a hurling ball, so I’m very grateful."