It was a tough blow for Adrian Mullen when, last February, he tore his cruciate ligament in a League game against Clare.
Before then, having made a name for himself as an underage sensation in St Kieran’s College and in Ballyhale, he’d taken to senior inter-county hurling like a duck to water.
In Kilkenny they always knew he was special but his performances against Cork and then against Limerick in the 2019 championship told them, if they didn’t know already, that this youngster was ready for the big time.
A Young Hurler of the Year award was picked up and by that stage, having starred in Ballyhale’s two All-Ireland club championships in a row, Mullen was a man on fire. It was in Nowlan Park a couple of months later when, just like two of his brothers before him, Mullen had his world ripped from under him with the cruciate curse.
His older brother Darren, who also hurls for Kilkenny, has torn his on two separate occasions while spookily, eldest brother Paddy also ruptured his in 2017. Adrian puts it down to bad luck but says that, in the fifteen months he spent on the sidelines, he became more interested and focused on gym-work which he feels will benefit him in the long run.
“You’re doing gym-work nearly every day for about nine months so you definitely see more of the gym side of things and you probably get more invested in that side of the game. You can definitely take a few learnings from all of that. Myself I’m very interested in the gym after it,” says the Kilkenny man.
“Look, it was obviously a horrible time. It was mentally tough and challenging. It was during lockdown as well so that made it that bit harder as well. I couldn’t meet anyone to train with them so it was just all on my own. Just trying to link in with the physio team and Mickey Comerford, the Strength and Conditioning Coach, as much as I could, but you learn from that.”
Initially, he was nervous about the comeback and felt slightly off the pace, but as the year has gone on, he’s come back into the form he’d shown as a youngster.
“It was very tough to get back up to the speed of things. My first game was against Dublin in the League and that was 15 months after the surgery so I was out for a long time and it was tough to get back up to the speed of things.
“The big thing was just getting match practice under the belt. It just took every game and I had to try to learn from it.
” It was tough but thankfully we got through it and I’ve no problem with the knee now thanks to that.”
Mullen showed flickers of his best in last month’s Kilkenny county final win over O’Loughlin Gaels when he scored 1-1 from play, and he says the time on the sidelines has made him appreciate his love for the game.
“Definitely. When you’re out of the game for so long you definitely do see a different side of things. It makes you feel that more appreciative when you win things. I’m obviously thrilled that we got over the line last weekend”
Super steal and score by @KilkennyCLG's Adrian Mullen! pic.twitter.com/hb1BTKjmBt
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 27, 2019
Growing up as a youngster in Ballyhale, Mullen says that he idolised the likes of Henry Shefflin and TJ Reid, as well his cousins Michael and Colin Fennelly.
“When I was younger, I’d always be asking myself the question, ‘Will I be good enough to represent Ballyhale?’ They had such a good team when I was growing up. Even with Kilkenny, you’d always be questioning if you’re good enough.
“That just makes you work that bit harder. As a young lad, I remember pucking every day off the wall, just trying to get myself up to that standard. Thankfully, I made it on the Ballyhale team, and then the Kilkenny team.
“Colin and Mick [Fennelly] were people I looked up to. To be able to share a pitch with them was unbelievable, and to learn from them. Colin had an unbelievable career.
“We’d be very close to them. They’d call in the evenings before an All-Ireland just to have a chat. It was unreal. I looked up to them, and wanted to be like them.”
Ballyhale Shamrocks and Kilkenny hurler Adrian Mullen in attendance at the launch of this year’s AIB GAA Club Championships and AIB Camogie Club Championships, that will see AIB celebrating #TheToughest players of all: those who don’t quit, who keep going and persevere no matter what.
