1. Winter break in Australia
“As you know the GAA is fairly full on and year round. It was great to get away. In saying that, I trained very hard over there as well. I was lucky enough to fall into the GWS Giants training camp.
“They were in the middle of their pre-season, Nicholas Walsh from Cavan was over there as well. I was lucky to be able to fall into some of the sessions and as well as that see how these guys train and what they do a bit differently or smarter.”
2. Training with an Australian Rules team
“The conditioning sessions they had on Saturday morning’s were an an hour and 45 minutes to two and a half hours. I was still on a holiday as well and they were in preseason so you can take what you want from that! In saying that, I trained and I wasn’t found at the very back of the field with my tongue hanging out.
“Was it tough? Absolutely. Those guys train to go for longer. I think their main guy was covering 16-18k which is incredible. The heat is another difference as well. We’re so used to training here in the rain in Skins. It’s a different lifestyle.”
3. Battling an Achilles injury
“I got an Achilles injury against Donegal, it was a slow enough process. I’m glad to be back in training now and try get the fitness up.
I missed a couple of weeks but I was lucky enough that I could still work away in terms of weights and doing pool sessions. I’d like to think that my fitness wasn’t massively affected. Sometimes a break can do you the world of good.”
Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
4. Decision to leave hurling panel and concentrate on football
“It was a difficult decision. You’d probably feel more disappointed for the group of lads you played with. Last year probably my football year went a bit better.
“There’s a side to it where you just have to be selfish in your own approach. It’s physically a pretty tough schedule and in saying that, I’m probably doing more training this year because there’s no skiving off on Tuesday night because you’ve played a game on Sunday.”
5. Potentially returning to being a dual player
“It’s difficult to say. I’m 26 now. It’s probably difficult to accommodate a few guys who play both and if you do does everyone else going to suffer as a consequence? Look at the last few years from a Cork point of view.
“John Gardiner was an excellent footballer, Tom Kenny, Sean Og too. It was always that the hurlers didn’t go to play football but if you swung it the other way you’d wonder what the football set up would have been like. It’s hard to accommodate everyone.”
6. Younger brother Alan on Cork U21 football team
“He was born with a more skill than I was he’s a forward! He’s a good fella, and being involved in a set up like that will bring him on physically and mentally.
“My first year in U21 we played Galway and after 20 minutes Michael Meehan and Sean Armstrong had eight points on the board and they were destroying us. The following year we were beaten by Mayo in Ennis and you learned from that and the following year we won an All Ireland.
“This year’s U21 team will learn as well. He’s still only 19 or 20. Physically he has a lot to do but he’s doing college exams and he has another year at U21.”
Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
7. Former Antrim player James Loughrey
“James is a good guy. He’s a good addition to the (Cork) setup, he has a good approach to training and a good mentality. We would have seen and heard how he played in previous games with his own county.”
8. Cork defender Ray Carey
“Ray Carey’s back in the country anyway. I think he’s been tied up with college or something. I’m not 100% sure what the story is going forward for Ray.
“I suppose he’s just trying to find his feet and he has to look after himself from a selfish point of view, as work is his main point now being back in the country.”
9. Colm O’Neill’s cruciate injury
“He’s a fantastic guy and a great player. I always use him as an example with his mindset and the kind of player he is. Colm doesn’t change his focus or how he approaches it.
“He comes down, does his rehab, inputs his thoughts into things and he’s a great guy to have around the team. He’s going to be a loss, no doubt about that.”
