Limerick's hurlers have proven time and again how resilient they are but the battles that full-back Mike Casey has faced in the past three years are a different proposition entirely.
Casey experienced a cruciate ligament injury in a challenge game in 2020 and sat out that year's championship.
Last summer, he got back playing with Na Piarsaigh but damaged his cartilage and had to undergo more surgery. That was 2021 done for.
In December, he went back under the knife as the cartilage issue hadn't been rectified.
In 2022, thankfully, there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Casey returned to the Limerick defence at the tail end of this year's Allianz Hurling League, started the championship opener against Cork, and has been flying it since.
"It was an extremely tough period, going through lockdown as well, so it was a tough 19 months," the 26-year-old says. "My last game was Kilkenny in 2019 before this year, so that was a long lay-off.
"It was tough but looking on and seeing how well the boys were doing, what they were achieving, made it that bit easier.
"In the gym there was no skipping a set or skipping a rep, when you were back you wanted to contribute to the group, but to do that you had to be at the highest level because of what the boys were doing on the field, what they were achieving.
"So unless you were at peak fitness and ready to go you weren't going to get back in."
But there were dark moments and he thanks his girlfriend, Jessica, for helping him through that time. His team-mates were always there for him too.
"A lot of the lads have been through a lot of things, knee surgeries and things like that. I never left the group. I was asked to come in and help with stats and that so I was part of everything that was going on, there was some small bit to contribute to the team."
But he missed out on two full and successful championship campaigns and only came back into the fold midway in the trek for the third.
"There’s never a good time, but unfortunately the way the championship went, I was going to miss two. Even getting back in July 2021, it would have been a big push to get back into contention.
"In the back of your mind you have to think, 'I can get back in there’ but it’s a big challenge.
"But it’s done now, I’ve mended up and I’m delighted to be back, enjoying my hurling and doing what I love."
His younger brother Peter has had his own bad luck since. In the midst of a stellar display he suffered a cruciate rupture of his own in the first half of the All-Ireland final against Cork last year.
Peter is faring well now and in contention to face Galway in Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final. Mike was there to help all the way through his recovery.
"It was really unfortunate but he’s been able to bounce ideas off me and ask me questions. With an ACL, they’re all different but Barry Murphy did his the week after in a club game but they’ve rehabbed unbelievably well under our medical team of Mark Meldrum, Seánie McAuliffe, Dr James Ryan."
The recent Munster final win against Clare made him appreciate the halcyon days the county is enjoying right now.
"Having 45,000 people in Thurles for the Munster final was such an unbelievable spectacle. It was unbelievable to see that when the Munster Championship was launched, straight away tickets were like gold-dust. The appetite is there in the public, and that's brilliant to see."
"Thurles, there's something about it. There's a huge atmosphere, the terraces were absolutely packed. The rain was teeming down, and I think that added to it even more."
This weekend they take on the Tribesmen to try to make another All-Ireland decider.
With Mike back in situ on the edge of the square and Peter pushing for game time again their challenge is as strong as ever.
Follow the All-Ireland Hurling Championship semi-finals this weekend, Kilkenny v Clare (5.30pm on Saturday) and Limerick v Galway (3.30pm on Sunday), via our live blog on rte.ie/sport or on the RTÉ News app. Watch live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player with live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
