When a player retires, they never complain about missing the winter training. They rarely even miss the games. On the big day, a former player will wish he was out there, but they generally know they've had their time.
The one thing seemingly never goes away though is the loss of the camaraderie of the dressing room, and the craic had with teammates.
Anthony Daly was the guest on last night's Hurling Debate, in association with Centra, and told a story about the Dublin hurlers during his time as manager that really brings why this is to life.
They were such characters. Paul Ryan: the greatest mimic you ever met in your life. He could do me perfectly. Talk about frightening young lads coming onto the panel - 'Hey, Dalo here. Get up to the room here'. Young lads coming into the room, 'You looking for me Dalo?'
A lot of GAA stories like this tend to revolve around a drinking culture, but this wasn't the case for the Dubs, and Paul Ryan in particular cracked up the entire squad with his impressions numerous times, including one memorable time with a certain Irish sporting hero.
We went to Portugal a couple of times and it was just fantastic. We had to put the drink ban in place. It didn't always work out but you tried.
In general, Ryano was enlisted to wind up somebody. They'd done me so often, there was no point in doing me.
Famously, Mick Carruth - the Olympic gold medalist - was involved on the medical side as a masseuse. He was great around the place, no more of a masseuse was Mick Carruth. We used to train down his boxing club as well.
Unfortunately for Carruth, he wasn't as wise to Ryan's tricks as the rest of the lads and fell for the ruse hook, line, and sinker.
Sky were beginning to tout they were going to get involved in [broadcasting] the hurling. In 2014 we were in Portugal, Ryaner rings up Mick and we were all watching this in the background.
[English accent] 'Hello Michael, Tommy Carlyle here from Sky Sports'. He just went off and said that they'd collect him in a limo. 'Could you give me any injury updates of Liam Rushy?' 'Rushy will be fine,' says Mick. 'There's no problem there, at all'.
We were having the breakfast the next morning and I remember Mick saying to me, 'Dalo, would it be alright if I did and interview there with Sky? It'd be no problem now, very media savvy me. I've been through all this before'.
I had a mouthful of scrambled egg in my mouth and I had Ryano across the table pointing at me.
Daly would later tell us that Carruth was none the wiser about the incident until the team played a video of the prank on the team bus later in the week.
Brilliant.
You can watch the full episode of The Hurling Debate with Anthony Daly alongside Shane Stapleton and Mick McCarthy below. The lads predict the result of Sunday's All-Ireland Final and talk extensively about Daly's own playing and managerial career.
