Mostly Hurling: 'Dara, I know you have a really busy schedule. We just want someone of your stature and experience to talk to the team. I feel we're turning the whole thing round. We, I think, at last, have a panel of players who are totally committed to hurling. Attendance at training has been excellent. Our league form has been very encouraging. Hearing it coming from you will give it so much more cred, multi All-Ireland winner, multi All Star, hurler of the year. You've walked the walk. We'd love to hear you talk the talk."

So Dara, after a bit of gentle persuasion, agrees to talk to the team. He's at home feeling just a little uneasy that he committed so easily. He'll have to rearrange his own training for that evening. He's not overly confident about talking publicly about his own training regime. He spends a while mulling over how he'll approach his talk.

The next day he rings Aidan, the manager, to get an email address so that he can mail him on a list of questions he would like the players to have filled out before the meeting.

It's a bright Monday night in late March. Summer time is with us. The past week has been sunny. Grass has been cut. It's almost like summer hurling weather.

Our star arrives 30 minutes early. His audience is still on the field finishing up training. It's like a Rasta gathering, a multi-colour feast for the eyes. There are tracksuit tops, soccer tops, two shirts with "Punjabi Sliotars" emblazoned across the front, a Leinster Rugby shirt and many county jerseys. The socks are a kaleidoscope of colours. Our star isn't too impressed. Later he hears shouts from the dressingroom that the f***ing showers are cold again.

At 7.30pm they're all seated in the hall. The food has been arranged for after. Our hero asks for the chairs to be arranged in a circle. The manager begins. "Well this man needs no introduction. He's done it all. You're sick of listening to me so Dara, it's over to you."

Our hero cuts to the chase. "Right lads maybe for a start we'll have a chat about the questionnaire that Aidan asked you to complete. Really, to be going in the right direction you should have been answering yes to at least 12 of the 15 questions."

It seems some of the questions had surprised the players. Did Dara have at least six hurleys? Did he bring his own labelled water bottle to training? Did he wash his boots after training every night? Did he take his heart rate every morning when he woke? Did he monitor his urine colour during the day? Did he always report suspected injuries to the physio no matter how insignificant they might have seemed? Was he totally honest in his training? Did he always complete the warm-up, the cool-down and all the drills properly? Did he really not socialise at all?

The questions seem to have shocked the players into the realisation their addressing of the non-critical essentials was sadly lacking.

"I'll assume," says our hero, "that everybody here has the skill needed to be an intercounty player. Of course, what's probably more important is the dedication. This dedication puts your training and lifestyle as your number one priority. Okay so, I'll tell you about a typical week's training for me during the season.

"Sunday, there's probably a game or team training. On Monday I'll be in the pool to do a recovery session, probably some aqua jogging and maybe a little swimming. Then it's off to work. In the evening I'll go to the gym. Obviously, during the playing season it will be high reps, low weights.

"On Tuesday we have team training so I don't do anything in the morning, except go to work, of course.

"Wednesday is a repeat of Monday. Sometimes I might go to the ball alley instead of the gym. Thursday is team training again. On Friday I'll go to the pool in the morning. We usually have team training on Friday night. Saturday is my complete rest day.

"That's one part of the programme. The nutrition is also very important, as is rest. Every morning I take my resting heart rate. Breakfast consists of porridge or cereal, usually Weetabix or Shreddies, fruit juice and fruit, three or four slices of bread and honey. I'll also often have a cup of tea.

"Mid morning I'll have more fruit and water. Lunchtime it's usually pasta and chicken, lettuce, maybe cheese and brown bread. I'll be sipping water throughout the morning and a mix of water and an isotonic drink throughout the late afternoon.

"Dinner will either be the pasta and chicken or beef and potatoes and vegetables. I eat lots of vegetables even though I hated them when I was a child. I also keep an eye on the glycemic index of foods."

It was obvious from some of the reaction that this eating plan might be a bridge too far for some.

"Any questions?"

"Do you eat any chips or pizzas or ice cream or chocolate or crisps or rubbish of any kind?"

"During the season the only time I'll eat anything that's outside my healthy eating plan is on the night after a championship game when I'll, maybe, have a pizza and an ice cream, other than that never."

"What about alcohol?" pipes up a youngish panel member.

"I don't drink alcohol myself, but most of the lads will have a few pints the night of a championship game.

"Look lads, the way I look at it is if I know the sacrifices that it takes to make it to the top of my sport and I don't make them; well then chances are I don't make it to the top. I've been at the top. I like being up there.

"There's a great honesty among the players in our camp. It's grown over a number of years. Once everyone tries to reach the high standard we set ourselves well then we have some chance of ultimate glory and we all know what that is."

The conversation ebbs and flows for the next hour and a half. The subject of personal planning and goal setting is discussed. Dara impresses on them the importance of writing down their short- and long-term goals. He impresses the importance of doing this in the present tense.

"Really in this day and age all players should have a personal diary which should have accounts of your training, your diet, your goal setting, heart rate and accounts of games. You should also try and keep an account of how you felt before and after games.

"Look I think you probably have enough to be thinking about there. You might try to get the board to get you proper training gear so you look like a team, and not a group of individuals, when you're out there training. Oh, and get them to sort the showers and buy a few ice baths."

A question echoes from the back of the room. "Dara, what's the glycemic index?" "We might let that one for another night," our hero replies as he leaves the building.