Eye-opening comments on how far nutrition has come in GAA

That's what it takes.

Cheddar Plunkett is no nutritional expert and he doesn't claim to be, but the former Laois manager does know a few things about high performance. GAA players have strode into professional levels of high performance in recent years. Training is as intense and refined as it's ever been while the emphasis on strength and conditioning and sports psychology is growing with each passing year. These lads are putting their life and soul into getting the best out of themselves and they'll go to serious lengths for a percentage gain on game day. No risks are taken, no stones are left unturned because if you do let up you will be found out. And that's where diet comes into it all. Every other player with high aspirations is fuelling their tanks with all the right stuff so you'll only be lagging behind if you're lazy and careless in that regard. https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_GAA/status/760736491333152768 Plunkett was speaking on a recent GAA Hour Show when he cited a balanced diet as another spoke in the wheel for a GAA player, along with training, along with S and C work.

"This is a very serious area. It's a circular thing, from strength and conditioning to nutrition to training. If you're talking about high performance, you cannot say, 'I'm just going to be high performance in my hurling. It's a total lifestyle, high performance. It's all about sleep, it's all about rest and recovery, all of those things together," said the Laois man. "All of those things might only give you one percent of an edge, but if there's ten of them, that's ten percent of an edge.

It's impossible to give a general formula for every player to follow because it's a very individualistic thing. Foods that work for one person might disagree with another. That's why you've to get on to your dietitian to sort you out with a tailored plan. Either way, it's far from a fry in the Red Cow before games, it's far from Mars bars for energy our players are living on now. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/1017520814084755456

"Now, it's all measured down to minutes, what you'd eat before the game, what you'd eat at half-time in the dressing room - specific to player - if you're not at that, how can a manager speak to his players and tell them, 'we're in high performance now.' "It's hugely important that it's a one-to-one between the nutritionist and the player. Players need to know the right food to eat to fuel them up," he continued.

This is best shown by the case of Clare hurler John Conlon. In the past, he struggled with his digestion and often struggled with a bloated stomach during games. So this year, on the back of advice from his dietitian, he began blending all of his food - including his meat, his carbs and so on. He's cut other things like peppers out of his diet even though he loves them in order to better his performance. That man is flying this year. In fairness to the players, the majority of them take to this nutritional advice well. They're well able to cook, they know what works for them.

"Nearly all of the players now cook. You need to be able to cook the right food. Here's where this has gone to, players will be taking pictures of the food they like to eat in the supermarket and sending them down the line to nutritionists asking for advice on them. That's the level we're at. "If you're not doing it in diet/nutrition, allied to the proper S and C and so on, you're not in high performance in my view.

That's how far it's come. We've spoken to a number of players in the past on what works best for them. Lee Chin is a big believer in a high-carb diet, while Colm Begley is slightly more balanced in his approach.