All-Ireland final week not all fun and game

Mostly Hurling:Fans should spare a thought for the many pressures on players in the lead up to a certain September Sunday – and no, they haven't got a spare ticket

WHAT AN exciting time to be a hurler or a hurling supporter in Tipperary or Kilkenny, even more exciting if you’re a Tipperary senior hurler heading to Dublin to play in your first All-Ireland final.

There was a real sense of excitement in the air as the Premier followers made their way out of Croke Park after their semi-final demolition of Limerick.

For the forward-thinking supporter the build up began that evening. First stop was the phone, PC or laptop to check hotel availability on the first weekend in September. Then there might have been a quick check on irishrail.ie to be sure of a place on the train that weekend.

The build up to an All-Ireland final is a new experience for all of the Tipperary players except Eoin and Paul Kelly, Brendan Cummins, John O’Brien and Lar Corbett. Many of the Tipp panel have been lucky enough to savour All-Ireland day as minor players but there’s a big difference in being a senior player, particularly in the build up to the big day.

The main focus for the followers prematch is the hunt for the elusive match ticket. The clubs endeavour to be even-handed in distributing their allocation as fairly as possible. Ticket rumour and counter rumour permeate. There might be the hope of a few tickets from New York or England or the possibility of a swap with some Cork or Kerry (apologies to Meath) followers. A friend of someone else’s brother lives near Babs Keating and he’ll surely have a few. Some one else is working with a fella who knows the county secretary in Leitrim and he’ll probably have a spare few

The county secretary probably has the biggest headache of all. There’s the little matter of ticket distribution and more. The miracle of the loaves and fishes comes to mind.

For the overworked secretary the rest of the logistics take quite a bit of organisation. There’s the hotel in Dublin to be booked for the official party on Saturday night and the official party and wives, girlfriends, partners, kids and friends on Sunday night. We all know how difficult it is to book a hotel in the capital but trying to book one at short notice for much of County Tipperary is no easy task.

Then there’s the matter of the post-match banquet. Again most of the county want to attend. Getting a venue big enough is always a problem. Win or lose this will be a sell-out but there will only be room for half the county, so the other half will queue outside the door for the night hoping some kind soul will get them through security into the fun.

So all in all, an amount of organisation goes on behind the scenes but of course it’s what happens the field of play that matters and the preparation there has to be precise and smart.

At this stage Liam Sheedy, Eamonn O’Shea, Michael Ryan and trainer Cian O’Neill have their work done. The main focus now is keeping the players’ minds totally focused on the game and not the sideshows of which there are many.

One of these is the meet the media soiree. A press evening has become part of the etiquette in the build up to all the championship games. This occasion of media access to at least some of the team is important as it guarantees all those who attend a few valuable quotes and it also guarantees the teams their very important last few training sessions don’t become media circuses.

The players have much that is new to cope with in these weeks. There’s the awful hassle that goes with the match tickets and “friends” appearing out of the woodwork. There’s the perception that the players get a lot of tickets and that they get most of them without any money changing hands. Well they don’t get a lot and they certainly don’t get too many free ones.

Another extra hassle for the players is the collecting of money for the few tickets they get and for the post-match banquet tickets.

The signing of autographs can become a bit of a chore. I’ve no doubt the players wouldn’t swop it for all the money in the banks (bad analogy) but it can add an extra half-hour to their time at the training grounds and that after coming straight from work for most of them .

Then there’s the matter of the formal wear for the weekend. There are decisions to be made on style, colour, ties, and shirts. There are sizes to be taken and fittings and alterations. This again is an extra the players haven’t had to cope with before. Leisurewear has to be decided upon, ordered and delivered at short notice.

There are the personal appearances some or many players will be requested to do. New “unofficial” sponsors also appear out of nowhere offering goods like leisurewear, toiletries, bags, etc to show their appreciation to the team, of course! All they ask is a photo taken with some players or maybe a spare ticket!

It’s all new and wonderful to most of the team. There isn’t a hurler in the country with any ambition who wouldn’t love to be in the position these Tipperary and Kilkenny hurlers are in. But for Tipperary there’s a danger that the game might take second place in the build up.

When there is so much going on off the field it can be very difficult for the players to stay focused on the main event. All of the Kilkenny players have been through all this many times before and will have their own way of dealing with it.

Training can become a bit of a circus some nights with big crowds, unsupervised kids running wild, autograph hunters and well-wishers.

With the days getting shorter training probably is half an hour earlier. The nights start to get cold earlier so there’s a danger of players picking up colds (don’t mention swine flu) if they’re hanging around signing autographs.

I hope that I’m not painting too sombre a picture of what life is like for the team and management leading up to hurling’s most important fixture but I think it’s important for the well-wishing public to understand what life is like behind the scenes in these exciting weeks.

All that and not a mention of tactics, match referee Diarmuid Kirwan, controlled aggression, puck-outs, spare hurleys, ice baths, recovery sessions, hunger, Hogan Stand, Up For the Match, traffic jams, pasta, open top bus or four-in-a-row.