Limerick better not let build-up build up

Mostly Hurling: The build-up to an All-Ireland final is a new experience for all of the Limerick players except Mark and Barry…

Mostly Hurling:The build-up to an All-Ireland final is a new experience for all of the Limerick players except Mark and Barry Foley, but it has changed quite a bit since the mid '90s so even they will find it strange, writes  John Allen

With only nine days to go they've already got a taste of how manic it all can become. It's difficult to imagine it's only three years ago since the dual players in the county were opting for football over hurling. How times have changed. Since the epic with Tipperary the Shannonside hurlers have attracted a core of loyal supporters who badly want to be in Dublin on Sunday week.

The problem for many of those people now will be their inability to get tickets for that wonderful occasion.

For the players and everybody involved with the team the build up becomes the raison d'etre. It takes on a life of its own.

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The county secretary probably has the biggest headache of all. There's the little matter of ticket distribution. He would need a chat with the people at Cana to see how that stunt was pulled or maybe it's time to employ magician Keith Barry again.

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 Limerick is no easy task unless Keith is involved or unless you're well connected to a benevolent racing tycoon.

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.

A team room needs to be arranged for the team so that they can be together on the Saturday night.

In the '70s and '80s the Cork hurlers would often go to the theatre on the Saturday but over the last number of years the players, by consensus, were free to do as they wished. Some spent the night in the team room watching Aussie Rules. No prizes for guessing who orchestrated that.

Some went to the cinema, others to the dog track, but everybody stayed clear of the hotel foyer. Security needs to be tight in the team hotel. Two years ago we had a situation where some players got calls on the house phones in their rooms around 2am on the Sunday morning from well-oiled opposition fans.

There's the matter of getting to Croke Park right on time on the big day and organising extra buses for the extended party after the game.

The players' lounge, after the game, can become a source of annoyance for the management with again only a limited supply of tickets and tight security.

Dealing with the press is another area that needs careful managing. If the players thought they were popular over the past few weeks well now they're heading into the celebrity bracket. Organising a press night and only allowing access to the players on that night is very important.

It's probably over at this stage but that doesn't mean certain press people won't be looking for news from the inside track next week.

What became quite annoying over the last number of years were the television and radio shows that hadn't any sports connection ringing up on the week of the game looking for players to do interviews.

The players have much that is new to cope with these weeks. There's the awful hassle that goes with the match tickets and people asking them for those precious items. There's the perception that the players get a lot of tickets and they get many of them free. Well they don't get a lot and they certainly don't get too many free ones.

There's the collecting of money for the few tickets they get and for the post-match banquet tickets.

Another task that the players are faced with each night after training is signing hurleys, jerseys, sliotars, flags, programmes, cards, caps, autograph books and prizes for various fundraisers. We used to set up tables in the kitchen where the players would lay out their merchandise before training and everybody had to sign before they left the stadium after training. Some nights there were 50 or 60 items to be signed.

Then there's the matter of the formal wear for the banquet. 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 that the players haven't had to cope with before. Leisurewear has to be decided upon, ordered and delivered at short notice and no doubt there will be size problems or items missing.

There are the personal appearances that some or many players will be requested to make. New unofficial sponsors 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 the Limerick boys. There isn't a hurler in the country with any ambition who wouldn't love to be in the position these Limerick and Kilkenny hurlers are in. But for Limerick there's a real danger that the game might take second place to 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. The majority 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, which can bring its own pressure. The nights start to get cold earlier so there's a danger of players picking up colds 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 happens behind the scenes in these exciting weeks.

The old saying, "The dog that chases two rabbits loses both" could be very apt here.

There's only one rabbit that should be important and keeping it firmly in sight is the only thing right now .