The week of an All-Ireland final must see a constant practice of doublethink from players involved. Each knows that the most important game of their life is looming but at the same time they must make every effort to avoid over-contemplation of it.
Which might prove easy enough if you are a non-Dublin footballer living in the capital and can easily vanish into the crowds and take advantage of the various distractions on offer. But it must be a difficult task if you work in a football-obsessed dominion where All-Ireland medals are practically currency.
So was the picture Darran O'Sullivan portrayed when talking to Balls.ie as part of the special All-Ireland final episode of 'The Hard Shoulder' podcast.
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O'Sullivan was chatting about how he would prepare for the match in the week of the All-Ireland - and he revealed a slightly hermit-like existence that echoed Paul Galvin's account last week.
You'd be trying to avoid everyone, even family members. You kind of want to go away in your own bubble.
Friday you're waiting for Saturday to come, so you can get with the rest of the group and get back into that bubble where you're all comfortable, you're all in the same boat.
The days leading up to it are quite tough. I think it's all about stocking the house with the right food and stuff like that, so you don't really have to leave the house.
I might have a little trip to the pool, maybe early in the morning or late in the evening on a Friday when there's not many around, but a lot of it is about sticking to yourself and trying to avoid any talk of the football.
And O'Sullivan said that his previous job of working in a bank was not exactly conducive to avoiding All-Ireland talk, though he said he was unaware of rumours that team-mate Kieran Donaghy had been allowed time off from working in a separate bank to kick a ball against a wall away from pestering customers.
When I was working in the bank - it's impossible to avoid it then, you're up in the counter. (Those days) were always a bit tough, when you're kinda stuck there, and giving them the fake smile and nodding without trying to say anything.
They were tough enough days. They can be quite draining when you're listening to the same kind of talk all the time - day in, day out, all throughout the day. Eventually my boss took me down the back to hide out!
Everyone wants to give you their opinion, no matter if it's positive or negative, they all felt that it needed to be shared.
Predictably for a multiple Celtic Cross winner, O'Sullivan had plenty of interesting views on where Sam is headed this year as well as insight into the evolution of his own role in the Kerry side over the years since joining the panel in his late teens.
You can listen to the full All-Ireland final special of the 'Hard Shoulder' podcast below.
The lads were speaking on the seventh episode of this year's Hard Shoulder podcast, a weekly GAA podcast hosted by Meath legend Anthony Moyles. The podcast will run for the rest of the season and will feature many more special guests, and scientists [citation needed] believe it will improve your life by somewhere in the region of 84%.
In addition to the big interview, we quiz our guests and discuss some of the big stories to arise from the past week.
Previous interviewees include Dublin's Bernard Brogan, Kildare forward Johnny Doyle, Wexford's Matty Forde, and the Sunday Game's Michael Lyster. Listen here.
You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.
Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
