On Sunday, Bernard Brogan will think nothing of his game against Mayo up until the last possible moment. He has trained his mind to forget about GAA while on GAA duty.
If that sounds hard to comprehend, it is even harder to out into practice.
And yet, Brogan has been able to detach himself from the matchday din until he is fully kitted out in navy and blue.
The Plunketts man has been in the Dublin senior squad since 2006. His older brother, Alan, had paved the path back in 2002 and was already in his prime by then. On Sunday, Alan will be in the stands at Croke Park. Back where it all started – supporting The Dubs.
For Bernard, life goes on. There are more trophies to be won, for Alan and the blue hordes.
Colm Boyle probably the hardest done byhttps://t.co/8Lq9Xmf7rK
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Mayo have been the focus for the past fortnight but, all along, Dublin would have suspected they would face Stephen Rochford’s men.
For Brogan, though, his last thoughts about Mayo will be on Saturday night. After that, he won’t let them in.
The night before
“I’ve long since trained myself to park all thoughts about the match to the night before. It does you or your team no favours to be obsessing about them on matchday.
“I’ll do a lot of visualisation about the match – picturing myself in certain situations and how I would react.
“Diet is crucial, too, as you need your energy levels to be right for the day. We’ll load up on carbs so they will be on-board for the game, ready to burn off.
“We’ve looked at our sleep as a crucial element of our prepartions, in recent years. On the week of a game, I’ll try to get an extra half hour or hour each night. All told, that should work out as an extra night’s sleep.
“Going to bed, I’ll stay away from iPhones and laptops at least a half hour beforehand. I’ll get the lighting low and, if I need, use some breathing exercises to help relax.”
Game day
“I’ll get a good breakfast – an omelette toast, cup of coffee – and relax for a couple of hours.
“I’ll get my gear ready and head down to my Ma and Da for a while. We’ll have a chat and stay away from football talk. Keira, my wife, often joins us for that.
“I used to travel to training and matches with Alan but, now, Paddy Andrews and myself will take turns driving to The Gibson [hotel].
“We’ll have a short team meeting there, have something to eat [slab of meat, fresh veg, baby potatoes], and head over to the ground. We’ll go out for a warm-up and only then will the game come into focus.”
One year soon, Dublin will not have ‘Brogan’ on their team-sheet.
On Sunday, they will.
For Brogan, a man that constantly looking to the future, it will be a pleasure to live in the present and let the present wash over him.
Bernard Brogan was speaking to SportsJOE to promote the Good Food Karma Project.
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