“It’s important to just completely switch off, when we do get back, you’re mentally fresh” | Sean Finn on importance of switching off

The Bruff man talks inter-county commitments, Warriors for Humanity and academies in Limerick.

It’s been an incredible year so far for Limerick corner-back Sean Finn as he collected his fourth All-Ireland winners medal as the Shannonsiders also retained their Munster title for a fourth successive year.

Finn was accordingly nominated for a fifth All-Star at the intercounty seasons end with his club side Bruff into the premier intermediate semi-finals this weekend.

The 26-year-old has been a main-stay for both club and county this season playing in the majority of games throughout a hectic split-season schedule for Limerick GAA.

Finn opened up about the new format and admits he’s a huge fan of the split season, enjoying the break away from the gruelling demands of the inter-county season while playing with his club in the PIHC.

“We’re still training away I suppose we’re training nearly eleven months of the year, but I suppose the physical and mental demands of the inter-county season.

“I’ve really enjoyed the break from that and I suppose maybe the intensity of the club commitment wouldn’t be as high as the intercounty so I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of months.

“A balance maybe between the league finishing and when the championship starts is one place that maybe could be improved on, I think there’s only maybe thirteen or fourteen days between the last league fixture and the first round of championship so maybe that’s something that could be considered.”

Three months have passed since Finn and his Limerick team-mates scooped their third Liam McCarthy in as many years and their fourth under manager John Kiely in front of a packed out Croke Park.

It was the first of the three that could be celebrated properly with the fans due to Covid-19 but the quick turnaround for the players to focus on club duties allowed for shortened celebrations.

This was a factor that didn’t bother the Bruff man too much as he believes it’s important to switch off from the inter-county commitments when he’s not actively playing to mentally prepare himself to do it all again next year.

“I’ve found just to completely forget about hurling as much as I can when I’m not playing with Limerick and just concentrate on the club.”

“When you do have time away from Limerick it’s important to just completely switch off and then when we do get back, you’re mentally fresh and you’re ready to commit and I suppose put everything into that basket – I’ve enjoyed not even us thinking about Limerick and what we’ve done.”

Earlier this week, it was announced that Finn was one of 50 inter-county stars that would be teaming up with Warriors for Humanity, Self-Help Africa and the GPA for the launch of the Plant for the Planet Games in Kenya this year.

The games will take place from the 19th-27th of November in a bid to raise awareness of the impact of climate change as well as raise funds to plant one million trees in Africa. More on the Plant for the Planet games can be found here.

Touching on his involvement in the games, the four-time All-Ireland winner admitted that climate change was something he held a passion for and acknowledged the use of his platform that can go a long way outside of sports.

“All in all we’re in a privileged position as inter-county players, and with that comes responsibility and influence so it’s something that I’m passionate about and it’s an opportunity for me to use my position to leave my legacy in Kenya by planting a million trees and providing food and water to those affected by climate change.”

To reach the highs that Finn and his Limerick team-mates have summited to, a solid foundation was required.

In recent years, the development of the academies at youth level for GAA sides has progressed significantly and have been an integral part in sculpting the inter-county stars we see today.

Finn reflected on his time spent coming up through the ranks of the Limerick side and how it helped him on and off the pitch as well as what it could do for the next crop of Limerick talent.

“It (The Academy) was hugely influential.

“We were one of the first groups to come through it and again, luckily enough, we had some really great people involved with us from under-14, obviously different people put up to minor and then under-21 but yeah the habits. the way that you should carry yourself, the level of professionalism that you need to have to be the best player that you possibly can, all of those things we’ve learned at a young age.”

“That’s the beauty of the academy that it nurtures those habits in young lads from a very early age.”

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Finn will be in action for Bruff this Saturday as they take on Newcastle West in the Limerick PIHC semi-final.