'Paul Galvin isn't exactly your normal inter-county player' is a line that has been written (no doubt) countless times over the course of his career and in the aftermath. Galvin has never been afraid to defy convention or move to the beat of his own drum in order to achieve excellence - which he frequently reached during his stellar Kerry career.
Many column inches will be devoted to speculating how the Mayo and Dublin teams will prepare for next weekend's All-Ireland football final. Stories might be told by old players of methods they used to get themselves ready - long walks over fields, trips to religious monuments, trusted rituals and routines.
But sitting in a 'relaxation room' clad in a robe, munching fruit and reading magazines probably won't be mentioned too often.
In his 'Sunday Times' column, Galvin was writing of his own favoured method of preparation for a final.
I was very good to myself match week. I spent a full day in the relaxation room of a hotel spa one year. I didn't even have a massage, or any kind of treatment. I just lay robed on a bed in the relaxation room eating fruit and drinking water and reading magazines.
It was the one place I knew no one would talk to me. Talking isn't allowed in those relaxation areas. Perfect. The staff knew the drill. They kept me in kiwi slices, apples, orange slices, mangoes, tea and water all day.
Galvin emphasized the importance of selfishness in the week of a game, of refusing to engage in extended conversation with punters about the match. He also revealed that he would use the hurling final a couple of weeks before to visualise his own processes on All-Ireland final day.
Clearly, being from a county appearing in multiple All-Ireland finals has its benefits - you get to know exactly how best to prepare yourself for the rigours of an intense final.
Picture credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILE
(The Sunday Times)
