Passing the minutes, hours and days before battle

The week of the game

PADDY KELLY: “What I’d say to any young player preparing for a big championship game is that it’s natural to feel a bit nervous but don’t let it ruin your week. The nerves are there to drive you, not hurt you. Enjoy the week, do what you’d normally do.

I tend to plan everything out in my head two weeks in advance of a game. I’d probably do weights on the Monday before a championship game to get them out of the way and give myself plenty of time to recover. Most forwards would probably go for a kick on their own. On the Friday evening I might wander down to Ballincollig, or meet up with (Daniel) Goulding and some of the other forwards in Cloughduv or Pairc Uí Chaoimh and kick 15 or 20 balls, nothing too strenuous. It’s just to calm the nerves; at that stage the work is done and it’s a case of resting up.”

DEREK LYNG: “The big thing is to stick to a routine that has worked for you in the past. Eat the same breakfast at the same time as you normally would; things like that. I found the best thing was to keep my mind busy, not to be taking off work and thinking about the match too much.

Of course you’d still think about the game. I’d play out different scenarios in my head. An All-Ireland final can start at such a frantic pace, it might take a while before you get on the ball, and the longer you go without that first ball, the more anxious you can get. I’d prepare myself for that, to just relax and eventually the play will open up and you’ll get into it, whereas before I’d have been worried about something like that.”

STEPHEN O’NEILL: “You try and stay clear of listening to too many people. I don’t mind meeting people but I’d ignore the football talk as best I can. People are giving advice and talking about other teams and how they mightn’t be going well or such and such a player’s not having the best of years, but if you listen to those things it can lead to complacency and backfire on you.”

PADDY KELLY: Back in 2009 I was maybe naïve when it came to meeting people and getting stuck in big conversations. Now I’d just be nice and polite and let them say their piece but basically blank out what they’re saying. But the worst thing you can do is be pissed off and be worried about meeting certain fellas because it doesn’t matter either way what they say.

You get a lot of text messages the week of a big game but to be honest I tend not to respond. That might seem rude but though they’re a lovely gesture and you’d love to say ‘Thanks’, I think they know me well enough that they don’t need a text back for recognition.

STEPHEN O’NEILL: “I’d still buy the paper every day but skip the GAA section. The preparation is best left to Mickey (Harte) and his management team and that’s what’s important, what we’re trying to do, not what others say.”

DEREK LYNG: “You have to embrace the goodwill and appreciate people mean well, but I wouldn’t be going around the streets as much as normal the lead-up to a big game. Generally we’d stay away from reading the papers as much as we could, although it’s impossible to avoid all of it, between the radio and TV.”

PADDY KELLY: “Every fella is different when it comes to reading the papers. Conor (Counihan) in the past has advised us that it’s perhaps better to give them a skip but maybe in 2009 I would have taken that to an extreme. Last year I was more relaxed. If the paper was there I’d open it. I wouldn’t go rushing to buy a paper but I wouldn’t go avoiding one either. If you see an interview with one of the lads you’d pick it up and see if there’s something to slag them about. I wouldn’t take much heed of what fellas outside the camp are saying. They’re judging us on game a month ago whereas the selectors are going on what they’ve seen in the last month.”

Day before the game

DEREK LYNG: “I’d usually go out for 10 or 15 minutes for a puckarund out the back garden or against the wall, just to get some fresh air and clear the head more than anything.”

STEPHEN O’NEILL: I’d just kill it the way I would before a league game with the club, not build it up into something bigger than it is. I might cut the grass, go down to see the family, just like I would on an ordinary Saturday. I’d have got my last bit of shooting practice in at training; I’d normally get in 45 minutes before training every night to get half-an-hour shooting in. The night before the game then I might watch TV or get a DVD but this year there we had a little baby girl so it’s definitely changed my routine. It’s a spare-room job the night before a game now.”

PADDY KELLY: “When I was younger I was far more nervous the night before games. Now I’d be much better. I take the view now that even if you don’t sleep great the night before, adrenaline will get you through match day. The main thing is if you’re not sleeping, don’t panic.”

The day of the game

DEREK LYNG: “It’s nearly a relief when the Sunday morning comes. I’d always look forward to meeting up with the rest of the lads. It immediately relaxed you whereas the night before you were on your own. You wouldn’t have been talking to them since the Friday night and they’re the one group of lads in the county who are in the same boat as you. Everyone’s chatting and generally relaxed. But as the day progresses it gets that more and more tense. From the hotel to Croke Park, it’s very quiet on the bus.”

PADDY KELLY: We have a routine now that once we leave the hotel all the iPods go on — except for the older generation that don’t know how to work them. There’s very little chit-chat at that stage. It’s a strange time, that. It’s the calm before the storm in many ways but you can feel the nervousness. Once you get into the town and see the crowds the excitement really starts building. Fellas say that’s the worst time for them but I love that time. Then we might have a small DVD on with some motivational or match clips and fellas will drop their iPods to listen to them. That usually finishes as we’re arriving at the ground.”

STEPHEN O’NEILL: On the bus to the game I’d usually read a book. I find it keeps my head nice and calm. Often you can be there very early before games and it can get boring waiting about, so I find a book helps me pass the time. Usually it would be a sports book. I’d be big into cycling, so I’d maybe read one on Lance Armstrong. At the moment I’m reading Mark Cavendish’s. Then when it’s time to get ready, I put it aside, but that might be up until five minutes before we go out.”

PADDY KELLY: I’d normally grab a programme and go out and watch 15 or 20 minutes of the game that’s on beforehand. There might be a small piece on one of the lads and it gives you something to slag him about later. At that stage fellas are normally looking to crack a joke. But then we go back in, get togged off and the warm-up starts and it’s all serious from then on.”

DEREK LYNG: “Five minutes before we go out, Brian (Cody) would say a few words, then a few other lads would throw in their tuppence. Every game it would be someone different. There was no onus on any fella or the same fella to talk. The closer it would get before going out, the louder it would get, without breaking any hurleys. The adrenaline would be really starting to pump at that stage.”

PADDY KELLY: When we run out, every fella can do his own thing for the first two or three minutes. We have that to ourselves. It gives you time to adjust to the changing scenario. You can stroll around or stand still, it’s up to you. I might saunter over to the sideline or to the 45 to get a feel for the place; then take a few potshots from 45, 50 yards to see how the wind is.”

Parade, national anthem

PADDY KELLY: Last year against Dublin I was looking into the Hill when (Michael) Shieldsy broke. I try and look around now. Not for anyone in particular but just to take in the general surroundings rather than closing in on myself. A couple of years ago when I was starting I’d be trying more not to look around, which I now realise was a negative thing to do. Against the Dubs last year the sound from the Hill was phenomenal. And I was thinking: ‘This is why we do what we do.’ We’d been dying to have a crack at the Dubs for years. If you couldn’t enjoy a moment like that then forget about it; what have you been training for?”

DEREK LYNG: “At that stage you’re trying to stay as relaxed and focused as possible, taking in good deep breaths.”

PADDY KELLY: “I would sing along to the national anthem to zone out everything else out as much as I can, but at that stage it’s like you’re on a leash; you’re buzzing, ready to go. But then the ball is thrown in and you can stop thinking, just let your instinct take over.

“Happy days.”