From as early as I can remember, I have always been sports mad. No matter what the sport, if it had something to do with a ball, I was in. As I got older, hurling became the sport I was most intrigued by because of the skill it required and the excitement it brought. My local club and secondary school placed great resources in the sport, which also helped.

What I enjoy most about hurling is the camaraderie and the bond created among teammates. It’s a healthy and positive environment in which you know that someone will always have your back. The buzz in the team when winning an important match is hard to replicate. What I also enjoy is the competitiveness, both as a team competing against other clubs and individually trying to better yourself.

Hurling also provides a routine and structure to my life. Each week I know that I will have training three times and possibly a match. This routine is great for me as it gives a sense of purpose to my week. In the winter months, when there is no training I feel lost without it.

The drills and the focus of training changes throughout the year. At the beginning of the year, the emphasis is on fitness, which mainly consists of running and doing high-intensity exercises. This is the most gruelling and challenging period of the year but it is required and necessary in order to be successful. As the year progresses and the evenings get longer, the focus changes to dealing with match specific situations and perfecting the skills of the game. These are the sessions that bring the most joy to me and remind me why I love to play the game.