Backroom must fight sense of anti-climax

The initial challenge for management when an All-Ireland final is drawn isn’t conditioning or injuries, necessarily.

It’s the sense of an anti-climax for the players. Cork hurling selector Seanie McGrath and his colleagues had to deal with that after last year’s dramatic draw with Clare in September, and moving past the limbo that induces is the first obstacle for a backroom team.

“Players train so hard after a semi-final win, that it’s a huge anti-climax when you draw,” says McGrath.