Barrow Raiders Ladies star Vanessa Temple admits there were some dark days faced as she nears a return to full fitness following a horrific injury which kept her sidelined for almost 12 months.
Temple – a stand-out performer for the Raiders Ladies since her arrival in 2021 – suffered an off-the-ball injury back in September 2022.
The former Wigan Warriors forward received an innocuous push in the back, which led to her enduring a full ACL rupture, fractured tibia and torn meniscus.
The proud Cumbrian has been in rehabilitation ever since the injury, but her comeback efforts took a major step forward in recent weeks as she returned to full training – almost five months post-operation.
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During her time away from the pitch, Temple has undertaken commentary duties for BBC Radio Cumbria – with Barrow Ladies head coach Amanda Wilkinson also a prominent figure behind the commentary microphone during her time away from the Raiders.
The Raiders Ladies forward has also been busy working on her parents’ farm and in her role as manager for Town Head Estate – proud main sponsors of Barrow Raiders Ladies for the 2023 season.
Discussing her injury, Temple said: “It felt awful at the time, but rehab has gone well. Perhaps most of all, it was horrible to miss out on games and helping the team on a matchday.
“Returning to training has been great, and in my mind I’m now ready to get stuck back in fully.
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“It’s been nice to do things still associated with the sport, such as the radio which has been a good experience. Following the injury, I’ve just kept moving as much as possible too.
“The mental battle is worse that the physical, absolutely. There have been some really low and lonely times, but I’ve just tried to focus on a return date.
“I’ve put a lot of time, money and effort into my rehab with private physios, personal trainers, fitness classes and massages to try and get back to full fitness.
“Now I’m ready and raring to get back out there with the girls and help us end the season successfully – which in our eyes is promotion.”
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