By the time the All-Star awards come around in November, Andy Moran will have turned 34. He's up for Footballer of the Year on that night along with David Clarke, Stephen Cluxton and James McCarthy.
Despite his age and the heights he's hit this season, Moran still sees himself as a work in progress. Little improvements, one percent increases can be made here and there.
Earlier this week, Moran was named PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for August. Speaking after receiving the award, Moran explained how changing his job in recent years aided his GAA career.
"I suppose I broke my leg in 2011 at the compromised rules. I did my cruciate famously in 2012. From then, I just couldn't get my body right," said Moran.
In the pre-season between 2014 and 2015, I met Eanna Falvey with my strength and conditioning coach Barry Solan, the two of them sat down and made a programme for me. My body has been a work in progress since then. We've got a brilliant medical team headed by Sean Moffat and Martin McIntyre. Strength and conditioning coaches: Barry Solan and Conor Finn, they kind of look after me, wrap me in cotton wool a lot of the time.
Two years ago Moran opened a gym in Castlebar. It meant leaving his job as a sales rep, one which saw him spend a lot of time driving. It was far from an ideal occupation for someone looking to recover from an injury.
When I came back from my knee, my back was a big issue. I couldn't get my body in line. If you're sitting in a car for three or four hours a day, you just can't do it.
I didn't think I was giving my best to that job and I didn't think I was giving myself a chance on the football field. So something had to change and it's made a big difference to me.
Moran said that changing his job has been a major factor in him staying healthy.
"Before I broke my leg, driving was not an issue. I could go and could be a rep. As soon as I broke my leg and did my cruciate, then all of a sudden sitting down, my knee would be getting stiff and I couldn't train. That was the issue."
