Davy Fitzgerald has shared his perspective on the challenge of balancing one's health with a career as an elite inter-county manager.
The Wexford senior hurling manager had to deal with a health issue in 2016 and told The Irish Examiner that "probably my doctor wouldn’t have been the happiest that I got involved" in the inter-county scene again as soon as he did after departing the Clare job.
Speaking to Off The Ball, Fitzgerald explained the challenges that can crop up in terms of balancing life as a manager with other considerations, particularly when it comes to health.
"It was never an issue when I was playing and that's probably because you're going for five or six or seven days a week and it didn't matter what you ate because you were just burning everything off fairly quick and I think that's a big thing when you finish county," he said.
"I went straight into management, so it's very hard for you to do so because you're giving so much of your energy to the lads around you and you kind of neglect yourself a small bit."
He also said that he had a conversation with his doctor and "he was just saying to me 'probably a break might not do you any harm'. And I said, 'Well, you know me doc, I have to be doing something'. And reluctantly enough he said okay. Listen, I think a lot of it will come down to taking care of myself as good as I can. There are a lot of people in the same situation as I am."
He explained that he currently travels a round trip of about 2 hours 45 give or take each way from Clare to Wexford and now a busy period begins with the Allianz League.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's different and you'd be excited about what's ahead of you," he said of the campaign.
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