Waterford star Kevin Moran pictured at the launch of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.
By Cian O'Connell
The planning and plotting never ends for the distinguished Waterford hurler Kevin Moran.
An All Ireland final defeat to Galway certainly made the winter a reflective period for Waterford, who return to Munster Championship action at Cusack Park on Sunday against Clare.
As one of the senior figures in a fairly youthful Waterford set-up how does Moran keep himself primed for the inter-county game? “I would be a lot more aware of my age now," Moran says. "If I am not doing enough, I put more time into what needs to be done.
"I have been injury free for the last number of years and hopefully that can remain. The Strength and Conditioning team are excellent and deserve a lot of credit. I can’t wait for the year ahead."
Moran simply enjoys starting a summer adventure. "I relish this time of year," Moran admits. "If I didn’t have it, I’d dearly miss it. There are times, situations in games, where you hate it. There’s no doubt about it.
"Like the Cork game last year in the Munster Championship, the aftermath of that was horrific for some reason. It was a bad personal performance from me, a bad day at the office for the team. You question yourself after that. You question everything.
"One thing is we stuck together as a group and really worked hard for the summer. We knew we were a good team, just one that fell that bit short. Days like that are very hard. Days in the League, when you lose and don’t play well, you are annoyed."
Kevin Moran in action during the 2017 All Ireland SHC Final against Galway.
Wondering about matches sometimes hurts, but Moran's respect and fondness for sport has never wavered and dismisses the notion that playing can be too much time for too little return. "No, I have never had days like that," Moran says. "I have been lucky in that regard.
"I work locally, train two minutes from my house, and the gym we use is about five minutes away.
"That’s a huge help. I know there is huge training involved, but I work with guys who are triathletes and they train as much as we do. So, to answer your question, I have not thought about jacking it in, or anything like that. I am still as fond of it as ever."
Hurling has brought glory and worry for Moran, but striking a good balance in life is what he has always sought to attain. "Even if we win a match, there are times when you spend the night wondering about why I failed to play well," Moran admits. "Then when you play well, you think about the fact you may be targeted the next day, stuff like that.
"You definitely take the defeats way, way harder than the victories, and I suppose, over the years, you have to try and strike a balance. It is a game at the end of the day and there are other things in your life you have to be more focused on as well.
"That is what sport is, the highs and lows, the unexpected nature of it is what makes people pay money to watch it. But those couple of hours after a big game, if you lose it, the bus is quiet, you are wondering are your mother and father are feeling.
"Then you get up, go to work, have a young child looking for her breakfast and that puts perspective on it. You go about your normal daily routine and don’t think about it too much."
