Glen Rovers' Lee Quilligan put 'life-changing injury' behind him as he looks to push on

Lee Quilligan has been through a challenging few years, but the hope now is that those tough days are behind him.

The talented Glen Rovers hurler has been unlucky with injuries in recent seasons. He has been a prominent player for the city club at both underage and now adult level.

Quilligan has been through hell and back as the talented hurler talks about the difficulties he has been through off the pitch.

He doesn’t want to dwell too much on it, but it has made him stronger in lots of ways.

“I got a kind of a life-changing injury. I got a spinal injury there at the start of last year so I missed three quarters of the season and just before the Premier Senior championship, they tried to get me fit.

“Basically the injury was down to wear and tear. At my age I have got a bad spinal injury, two bulging discs and I was told I wasn’t going to play hurling for a long, long time.

“I was very lucky I had the opportunity to play for the second team and take a small step back and just walk my way back into it.

“Thank God, I had a big long winter of work and a lot of core exercises but we got there and hopefully this year I can play fully.

“I am very grateful to Glen Rovers for letting me play for the second team and I was lucky I was in a great position to play for the second team. I was grateful just to get fit and get a few games under my belt.

“It was a great stepping stone for me just to get back playing hurling after such an injury.”

The importance of a second team doing well at a club is vital. Glen Rovers reached the Co-Op SuperStores Premier JHC final in 2025 where they lost to Kilbrittain. The latter went on to win the Munster and All-Ireland titles.

“The second team standard is just as high as our first team because we’re all training with each other every night. We’re all trying to get on the first team,” Quilligan says.

“We were very unlucky as well in the county final last year against Kilbrittain at the Premier Junior grade. I know I didn’t play the final myself, but the lads were very unlucky and obviously Kilbrittain on the day were a better team. Fair play to them what they did afterwards.

“I know the importance of playing for a second team in a club. I came into the first team panel about four years ago and you’re constantly under pressure to push players.

“You’re looking at Patrick Horgan, Dean Brosnan and others. You’re pushing for their positions, that’s what it’s all about. You’re constantly training, you’re fighting for a position constantly and if you don’t, you’re going to end up playing for the second team.

“I actually don’t like calling it the second team because our second team would be as strong as any. It’s just the way it works out but it’s brilliant. It’s great to have had a second team that did well last year.” 

Quilligan came on for the Glen in their loss to Kanturk in 2023 as they dropped out of the top tier of the Cork hurling championship for the first time in 97 years.

While it was a dark day for the northside outfit, it has proved to be a good thing in the long run. They bounced back at the first time of asking the following season.

“Getting relegated three years ago, you can’t get yourself ready for a thing like that to happen to a club.

“The hurt that was in Blackpool at the time was unreal and thank God we were able to come straight back up a year later.

“For people my age, we all won minor finals, U21 finals and then obviously we came into the senior set-up and we got relegated then in 2023 so it was a big surprise.

“I think we just took our foot off the pedal a little bit and other teams were taking off like Sarsfields and St Finbarr’s. Hopefully we have put all that behind us and we can push on.” 

Glen Rovers open their RedFM Division 1 Hurling League campaign tomorrow against Sarsfields in Riverstown with throw-in at 7.30pm.