Cork v Tipperary: Darragh Fitzgibbon keen to relive dream start of 2017

Tipperary as All-Ireland champions in the Munster SHC opener in Thurles – it brings back happy memories for Darragh Fitzgibbon.

In 2017, Fitzgibbon was barely 20 when he was thrown in for a first start along with Mark Coleman, Luke Meade and Shane Kingston as an unfancied side upset the formbook with a superb victory.

Nine years on, the Charleville man will lead Cork out as captain as they seek to make a winning start.

The eir hurling ambassador was on hand as eir celebrated another step forward in its network evolution, recognised by Opensignal as having Ireland’s No.1 5G network coverage and and he’s hoping to harness the same kind of feeling as back then.

“When you're that young, you're just kind of excited about it, really,” he said at the la.

“You kind of dream of those things when you're growing up. And, like, when you're younger, when you're 20, 21, you don't really probably think about it as much as you do when you're 27, 28, 29.

“But, yeah, it's kind of the same, similar thing this Sunday. Tipp were All-Ireland champions back then and they’re All-Ireland champions now as well.

“We went out that day and we probably hurled a bit with a lot of freedom. We tore into them and we'll be looking to do the same again.”

A lot has changed in the near-decade since, not least on the psychological side.

“I try mentally prepare as best as I can,” Fitzgibbon says, “it's probably something you learn and develop over the course of a career.

“Probably when you came in at the start, you wouldn't even know what mental preparation is, but you kind of see it from the guys that would be practising it that are older than you and also the work that you would be doing with any kind of sports psychologist within the group would be kind of, you know, advising it.

“So, like, you kind of learn your own techniques. You build your own techniques along the way from learning lessons that you might learn from performances, or kind of messages that you might hear here, here and there. It's something that you kind of just continually work on through your career.”

With a big game like Sunday’s one dominating so much conversation, Fitzgibbon is glad of the fact that work as a schoolteacher in Ballyhea NS can occupy him.

“You would kind of unconsciously probably just be thinking about it,” he says.

“Your mind might just wander, you know, to being in Thurles or being in training or something like that.

“The last two weeks before the league final, we were on Easter holidays, so, you know, you had nothing else to do only probably think and prepare about the match. But being at school, you know, it's such a kind of a hectic job day to day, you're always switched on, there's always some sort of thing that you need to sort or do.

“So it would take your mind off from that time you're in school, from nine o'clock until three o'clock in the day, it does probably help.

“Some people might ask me, would you rather actually be in school or would you rather be on holidays before the game? I'd probably say I'd rather be in school because, you know, you can just do your routines and you have your routines set out for you.

“Like I said, the kids I have in my class would take our attention away from the game!”

Which isn’t to say that he doesn’t fully prepare. Having his work-tools ready is an important part and that provides an extra layer to the manager-captain dynamic he has with Ben O’Connor as Fitzgibbon is a customer of O’Connor’s hurley-making business.

“Yeah, Ben does them,” he says.

“It's actually kind of handy, if I want to get a new hurley or a hurley fixed, I can just give it to him at training, I don't have to be calling over!

“I'd be fairly particular with my hurleys alright. I'd probably try and get new hurleys quite often.

“It's kind of hard to find the number one that you'd want at this level. I'd be wrecking his head a good bit about it alright!”

One gets the sense the manager would prefer it that way.

• eir has reached another significant moment in its network evolution, having been recognised by Opensignal as Ireland’s No.1 5G network coverage. Now delivering 5G to 99% of Ireland’s population, eir was the first operator to bring 5G to Croke Park and continues to elevate the matchday experience for fans and players alike.