How Doherty beat the demons: ‘Writing, visualisation, making sure I ticked all the boxes’

Mayo’s various sports psychologists and performance coaches provided all the raw materials necessary to construct Jason Doherty's very own mental refuge.

NOTHING LEFT IN THE TANK: Jason Doherty knew when he started out the beginning of this year it would be his last for the green and red of Mayo. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

There was a wheel. To make it as a Mayo footballer Jason Doherty was willing to do anything. Everything. Each required component was broken down into its own little segment. Piece by piece, he’d do what was necessary and colour them in, until the circle was whole.

He calls it a pizza. The slices were made up of sleep, nutrition, strength and conditioning, mental preparation, rehab, skills and hydration. By the end of the week, each slice was shaded. First it was by hand, diary after diary filled with scribbles and sketches and meticulously drawn spheres. Later it became a OneNote template.