Kevin McManamon’s unorthodox pre-match routine is way more relaxed than we thought

Three All-Irelands and a bundle of Leinster titles. Sounds like the way to go for us.

Kevin McManamon loves his music, almost as much as he loves scoring points for Dublin and causing havoc in opposition defences. The keen musician sat down with The Coronas' Danny O'Reilly for his Today FM show 'A Different Side' and offered a revealing take on a pre-match routine that has worked a treat for years. No heading out on the lash but no decades of the rosary or face slaps in front of a cracked mirror either. He said:

"I always go to something the night before a game. I've always found it very beneficial. "If you are looking at a few guys on stage, playing a few tunes, you can't really be thinking about what you're supposed to be doing the next day. That sort of pressure, and type of nerves, doesn't start, then, until the day of a game. "I always look at Ticketmaster for the night before a game and see if there's some gig or show - a comedy, play or a bit of music - and I'll head along."

The Dubs forward also discussed the type of music that gets himself and his team ready for big games. Two surprise names cropped up when McManamon was asked about the main tune-pickers in the Dublin squad. He replied:

"Everybody has their own little groove they'll get themselves into. Some lads will be cracking gags, chatting away with no real music [to listen to] but I like to get myself away. When we jump on the bus, that's when I like to get into my zone. "The playlist? We've got three big fellas in charge - Michael Darragh MacCauley, Johnny Cooper and Philly McMahon. "Philly is a big man for the dance tunes. That wouldn't be down my alleyway. Too much machinery, too much equipment. I like instruments. They'd be the lads. We get bombarded by Philly's latest classics."

Perhaps that is why Jack 'Frozen soundtrack' McCaffrey took a summer away from the game.