KIERAN Hughes says the regret of his own lack of involvement in Monaghan’s 2018 run to the All-Ireland semi-final “eats at me big time”, but that rumours of a fallout with then-manager Malachy O’Rourke were “complete and utter bullshit”.
The versatile Scotstown man had been a key figure for the county up until that year, but found himself in a bit-part role that culminated in a late run off the bench against Tyrone.
His presence at full-forward almost helped swing that game in the last quarter and led to question marks over why he hadn’t started, but his body was at the point of breaking down.
No matter what this group achieves in the time it has left together, that day will always feel like a missed chance as Monaghan looked to reach a first All-Ireland final since 1930.
“It eats at me big time, probably every day,” said Hughes.
“The more I’ve grown up and matured a wee bit, it’s in the past and I’ve learned so much from it. My body wasn’t in good shape at that time, there were too many pains and aches.
“There were rumours going about that me and Malachy had fell out – that was complete and utter bullshit. There was none of that.
“He, as a manager, had to pick a team that was fresh and ready. I wasn’t close to it. The two of us had admitted that.
“Every day, don’t get me wrong, it’s one of those things. I was going through a real bad patch in my career, I think every player goes through it.
“Whatever I did, the harder I worked to try and get ready, the worse the pains got in my body and around the tendons. I just couldn’t manoeuvre enough for them. It sickens me, it really does.”
Monaghan had reached the last four with an emphatic and brilliant win away to Galway in their final Super 8s game, with the scenes after the match among the most memorable in the county’s history.
“I’ll never forget the final whistle in Salthill, I was straight around the corner into the dressing room and trying to focus on ‘what can I do this week to get myself ready for a semi-final?’
“I saw the crowds on the field, not that I was in agreement with that. I think it took away from our performance the week later, boys maybe got a wee bit carried away that we were somewhere that we weren’t just yet.
“That’s probably one of the regrets. If there’s one thing I’d change, I wish we’d just focused a wee bit more on our play that week.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, that’s a big one for me. If that didn’t happen me years ago, I don’t think I’d be where I am now body-wise and freshness-wise.”
Even the illest of winds blows some fortune in. For Hughes, after a clutch of long autumns with Scotstown and long summers with Monaghan, this was a rare chance to press the reset button.
“You ask any man that’s trying to rehab, it’s very hard to do that and keep your training load up. I tried to be up at that intensity level you need to be at to play inter-county and I couldn’t get the balance right.
“The whole lockdown completely freshened me up. I was working on stuff and then able to get my runs in during the day, then I could do rehab at night, or vice-versa. I was able to recover properly, rest up and go again a day or two later.
“I found when I went back to club training, I wasn’t at the back of the runs any more, which I had been the last couple of years. I was back to where I knew I could be in them, I was on the line with the top fittest boys in the club.
“I know there’s another couple of levels for me, I don’t want to be happy where I’m at. I want to keep going.”
Driving to Kilkenny, he finds himself caught at the back end of what Google tells him will be a 50-minute delay. Gardai checkpoints are up and he slips off to avoid the queue.
The 30-year-old has had a busy few months. He got engaged to Claire in July, with the wedding set for next December, just as with county team-mates Dermot Malone and Karl O’Connell.
He, like so many others, labels the 2020 club season as one of the most enjoyable he’s ever had. Life has given new context to Gaelic football over the last seven months and Hughes hopes that lessons have been learned across the board.
“The older you get, you’ve work and family to look after and the time football takes up in your life is absolutely mental.
“I know this year with the club, we’ve realised that less is more.
“We got our training done and home for quarter-past, maybe half eight. That gave you another couple of hours to enjoy your evening.
“The smart coaches will know, and I’m delighted to be surrounded by them.
“I think there has to be a lot more trust put in players to get the work done and tune into the whole thing. A lot of responsibility is on them.
“But I’ve enjoyed the last few months as much as any time in my career, because there was responsibility given to the player for once.
“And if you didn’t do it, you’re going to be found out. Simple as.”
He has become a big advocate of the split-season idea and hopes that it’s implemented soon enough that he’ll get the benefits of it while he’s still playing.
“I need to nearly bite my tongue when it comes to talking about the ones up above in Croke Park. I don’t know the personnel operating it, but I know if I did get them around a table some day, I’d have a few issues with the whole thing.
“I feel as a player we’re these little ants, running about to keep these ones happy and keep these ones in a living, and that doesn’t sit well with me. I love football.
“I’m no different to any player, I love the sport. I’ve spent the majority of my days, my weeks, my months thinking about football. Maybe I shouldn’t be but that’s the reality.
“You want to enjoy it as much as you can because it’s a short window. From the age of 26 to 30 has absolutely flown by me. I don’t want to be 35 or 36, looking back going I should have done this or that, or wishing it had been this way or that way.”
