By Andrew Horgan,Irishexaminer.com

Copyright irishexaminer

At least this injury – a broke metatarsal which he suffered during the Hane’s Confined Junior B football final victory – isn’t a severe as the blow he suffered over two years ago, when he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament while on the books at Cork City.

Also picking up the knock in a final where his goal helped his side ultimately emerge victorious is much better than doing it during a training session for City in a season which they would later suffer relegation in 2023.

“It was good to come home and play for your boyhood club, but I think I was only two or three months with them that I did my knee and was out for the whole season,” he recalls.

“So, I didn’t really get to play as much as I wanted to there – but things like that happen – especially when they were back in the Premier Division, it was exciting to go back and play for the club I grew up supporting.

“But then the injury happened, it was a big set back. It happened during a training session, I turned quickly, and my foot got stuck in the ground. Everything tore in the knee.”

Varian would finally return to action early in 2024, but it wasn’t for a City side cruising to a First Division title, instead it was for Ringmahon Rangers, who were cleaning up numerous trophies in the Munster Senior League.

It also meant that after six years, and stints at clubs such as Stoke City (mostly), Nantwich Town (loan), Raith Rovers (loan), Bohemians and Cork City (loan), the former Greenwood schoolboy striker’s professional career was over.

But given he was still feeling the effects of his knee injury, it wasn’t a situation he particularly minded.

“I didn’t really have any interest in going back at the time,” he continued, although as he only turns 24 in September, he hasn’t ruled out returning to a professional football club one day if the opportunity arose.

“I just wanted to get the knee right and just focus mentally on getting everything right.

“I just relaxed for a while to make sure the knee was fine. A couple of my friends play down in Ringmahon, so I got involved with them and I’m still there now.

“It’s been good, we won four trophies last year, although losing the FAI Intermediate Cup final to College Corinthians at Turner’s Cross was disappointing.

“Since I’ve been there, we’ve won a lot of things so hopefully we will have another good season coming up.

“I enjoy playing down with Ringmahon, I enjoy playing with my friends and stuff so I’m kind of just focussing on that at the moment.

“I’m not really looking at anything else. You never know what can happen but I’m just happy now playing with my friends.

“I’m back enjoying just playing because I stopped enjoying it for a while so it’s good to be back enjoying it with my friends.”

And given that he was no longer a professional footballer, he was also now free to play other team sports.

“When I returned back after my ACL injury, I wanted to get back playing GAA and back playing with my friends.

“The previous manager Declan O’Sullivan asked me to get involved last year so I said I would give it a go.

“I came out, I trained a bit, but my knee started to come at me again. I rehabbed the knee a lot last year, played a lot of soccer so I was rehabbed properly and then this season was able to go full flow with the GAA which was good.”

It’s something Ballyphehane are grateful for as well as the centre-forward showcased his prowess in front of goal by netting one of their nine goals in their historic Confined Junior B Football Championship final win over Araglen in July.

He will also be hoping to show his skills for their hurlers in the near future, but he is currently prohibited from doing so having played a game for the Barrs, whose Junior B side were beaten by Ballyphehane recently, back in 2024.

“It’s a bit of a disaster but I can play next season,” confirmed Varian, who decided against returning to the Barrs, where he played underage before leaving for Stoke.

“You can’t really play the three sports if you’re playing with the Barrs. The full-time schedule they have you wouldn’t be able to mix them.

“They kind of give you an ultimatum, GAA or soccer but Ballyphehane give you the freedom to play both so it’s a lot better for me to play here.

“I actually probably prefer hurling more as well. Hurling is a lot more intense, a lot more to it, a lot more skill so I prefer the hurling.

“I used to play midfield in hurling, it could be different now, but I used to play midfield or anywhere really, midfield, centre-forward, anywhere I’m needed really.

“But yeah, that was a great moment (winning the football title). The team has been fighting for the last few years to win it.

“Hopefully now we have two cups, hopefully we can add a third as soon as possible.”

And hopefully, after a tough couple of years, the injuries will soon be behind him.