A CHILDHOOD FRIEND is helping to get Clare’s dual star Podge Collins back into peak physical condition following his cruciate knee ligament setback in May.
Collins is targeting a return to competitive action early next year and Cratloe clubmate Sean Hynan is overseeing his recovery work.
Hynan, a dual Clare football and hurling medallist last year at club level alongside Collins, is a personal trainer and fitness instructor who currently bases himself out of the club’s gym.
And he’s been working with 2013 All-Ireland senior hurling medallist Collins as the gifted forward targets a return to intercounty action next year.
“He’s good,” Hynan tells The42. “Podge is always in good form, never really down in the dumps or anything like that.
“From day one, he was on the road to recovery and in fairness, he’s the ideal client in a lot of ways.
“He’s very driven and his heart set on getting back and playing more than anything. The workrate he has is unbelievable.”
In this video, Hynan is working specifically with Collins on core strength, using weighted sit-ups and a medicine ball.
“The way I’m working with him, the cruciate part is being dealt with by the specialists,” Hynan explains.
“I’m looking at overall fitness and score stability from a strength and conditioning viewpoint.
“But his cruciate recovery is one of the best that has been seen for a long time.
“He’ll be looking to return maybe not at the start of next season, but early on.
“Right now, it’s more about keeping up his overall fitness for what he can do.
“You don’t want to push too hard because you don’t want the injury to recur again.
“There’s a lot of core work, keeping his overall strength and fitness up, and his diet is second to none.
“It always has been with Podge and that’s 90 per cent of the battle.
“He’d never have any problems putting weight on or taking it off.
“It’s about keeping him as fresh as we can for as long as we can, making sure that the knee gets back to normal while maintaining his overall strength.”
The bond between Collins and Hynan is a close one, dating back to when they were fledgling young players.
“Me and Podge would have grown up together,” Hynan says.
“I play for Cratloe myself, football and hurling, and we know each other from U12 up.
“Colm, Podge’s father, has been our manager from U12.”
Colm Collins is also Clare’s senior football team boss and at the start of the year, his son decided to commit exclusively to the big ball code at intercounty level.
Whether Podge returns to Davy Fitzgerald’s hurling set-up in 2016 remains to be seen but for now, his immediate objective is to ensure a successful recovery and return to play.
“He’d be up there at the top in terms of recovery,” Hynan adds.
“The man’s been known to cycle to work and to get back fit, he’s in the gym four or five times a week.
“The diet hasn’t gone off course, he keeps that to a tee.
“His dedication is unreal, you couldn’t fault the man in any way. He’s doing everything he can to get back as quick as he can.”
Hynan also hopes that his own career as a fitness professional will take off and he reveals: “To be honest, it’s on the side at the moment.
“I have six or seven clients. I was working with the Cratloe U21s last year as well.
“I’d like to start aiming towards working with teams, getting into the strength and conditioning work.
“At the moment I do it out of the Cratloe GAA gym. It’s a great facility and that’s where Podge does the most of his work as well, along with the rest of the players.”
On the pitch, Hynan is confident that Cratloe can bounce back in 2016 after relinquishing their county titles in both codes this year.
“We had a great year last year,” he reflects. “Unfortunately not this year but when you have the likes of Podge missing, it’s a dent in the armour. Hopefully we’ll come back stronger next year.”
So let’s get us get this… Every Galway and Mayo fan are going down the one road to a match…
On top of that the traffic for the Irish Open will also be going on as Ennis is the where the Park and Ride is going from.
Seriously could Galway and Mayo just use there home and away agreement… Galway was next due and next time it would be Mayo… This is just embarrassing…
@Cowboy Paddy: should have been played on Hyde park roscommon
@@at: Hyde is not big enough to maximise the cash at the gate and lets be honest thats the first, last, and only consideration for any GAA fixture location.
@@at: happy with Limerick . Mayo have bad memories of that ground . Hopefully we can give them another nightmare
@Cowboy Paddy: Whats embarrassing is the notion that our infrastructure can’t handle two sporting events 50 miles apart and can’t handle 30,000 fans going down a motorway between our 3rd and 4th biggest cities.
@Finnster: because it’s only down the road for ye
@According to Di Marzio: The Motorway will be fine, I was on the M4/6 two years ago when Roscommon played Mayo, and Galway played Kerry in the quarter finals on the same day in Croker. It was very busy, but nothing compared to the 3 land M50 on a regular rush hour.
@Cowboy Paddy: however bad getting to limerick will be, nothing is as bad as getting in and out of Salthill for a game
@Cowboy Paddy: motorway all the way from tuam lad. Traffic would be 10 times worse if it was in castlebar or Salthill. Limerick is well used to these events with the likes of Munster and limerick gaa. It will be the finest
@According to Di Marzio: plus let’s be honest, nobody outside Roscommon wants to be going to Hyde Park. Traffic in the town would be ridiculous not to mention the vast amount of supporters who’d miss out due to its capacity restrictions
@According to Di Marzio: exactly
@Anthony: Hyde Park holds 25k (since the upgrade), just under 19k people attended Mayo v Armagh at the weekend, so capacity wise, there probably wouldn’t have been an issue.
@stephen keane: Galway borders Mayo , Kilmaine , Ballinrobe , Claremorris areas are all as close if not closer than parts of Connemara and Clifden. So it’s fair on both sides . One of us is going to have a long sad drive back home though after the game ; )
@Do the Bort man: don’t put a damper on the Mayo ego and how they’ll be bringing 35,000 fans to Limerick – all pure mad of course!
@Cowboy Paddy: it’s ok, there’s a motorway!! They built one sometime ago!!
@Anthony: motorway all the way from tuam alright. But what happens when everyone trys to use the same exits into limerick?
@Finnster: I hope so but the way we have been playing it’s hard to see it. We have played 2 mediocre teams and one average team so far and haven’t even remotely impressed. That type of form isn’t good.
@Cowboy Paddy: Has to be neutral venue for a game of this magnitude. Limerick is only down the road. You have a strange idea of what the word ‘embarrassing’ means.
@Finnster: they played us in the Gaelic Grounds last year and gave us a predictable walloping Finnster so there most recent memory is positive.
@mike Kennedy: true , forgot about that
@Tony Boyle: they are really going to have to step it up . The second half in the Connacht Final was dire
@Cryptoalcho: do a bit of research before you leave. There are lots of different exits you can take. Stadium is well served and more accessible than most I think.
“Capacity of 43k”. There was 44k at it yesterday. Funny that.
One game on RTÉ over the weekend. Sad !
@Nightowl: money hungry GAA – madness having the game in Limerick
Can we assume that Kerry vs Galway/Mayo will be on Sunday 14th July? (as the winner of Meath/Clare will be entitled to a 7 day turnaround in the Group’s other match).
It’s a complete joke that the GAA cannot tell us exactly what dates matches of this scale are being held until 6 days prior to the match itself.
I wonder what the attendance will be? Works carried out at Dr Hyde park has increased its capacity to 25,000 people. Surely that would have been enough, and closer for both the teams and supporters.
Ahh The sports grounds…
Tuam or Nowhere
According to this article both Mayo & Galway gaa agreed to the venue. Its their own county boards’ fault. There is also a big tiddly winks blitz on in Limerick, oh the mayhem.
@The don: Surprised Mayo agreed considering Limerick is closer to Galway
Really daft that two Connacht counties has to play a championship match in Munster. Both could have come together and agreed on a home venue like the agreement in place for Connnacht championship games. Hyde park was more than capable of hosting the expected crowd of 18 to 20k matter of fact there was 24k at the Connacht final in 2015 but GAA politics tells us other wise now.
Should be played in Dr Hyde Park. 8000 capacity wasnt an issue last year in Newbridge. Its down to greed. 7pm throw in as well. Sky dictates the starting times.
What a joke ,.
Surely there wont be anything more than 20k-25k max at Mayo-Galway game? Hyde Park would have been sufficient.
But sure the Gaelic Grounds and the throw-in time gives Mayo fans another reason to whinge, so everyone happy all round then.