The All-Ireland final replay threw Jack McCaffrey’s schedule out of kilter to such a degree that he had to miss training ahead of the game.
The 25-year-old is a recently qualified doctor and now works in Temple Street Children’s Hospital and was left in a predicament once a second day out was required.
He explained: “I had everything worked out to a tee and everything worked out nicely but then we drew and that all went out the window.
“I missed my first training session with Dublin on the Thursday after the drawn game. I had not legislated for a replay and I was ringing Jim, telling him I might be 10 mins late, I might be 15 mins late, and, in the end, I told him I am not going to make it.
“He said, ‘Look, you're trying your best, we've lads who work in incredibly challenging areas’. There's no-one taking the p*** and saying, ‘I'm going to use work as an excuse to miss training’ or anything.
“Once you make a genuine effort to get there and if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.”
McCaffrey was in sensational form in the drawn game and it was widely noted how laid back he was ahead of the throw-in that day.
“You're just soaking in the moment and realising that you're living your dream, which not a lot of people get to do, to be honest.
“If I walk around smiling in the parade and I play well then it's the best thing in the world. If I walk around smiling in the parade and I play well, it’s the best thing in the world.
“If I walk around smiling in the parade and I play poorly, I’m a f***ing eejit, so I wouldn’t read too much into it.
"I’ve learned over the last few years to just do your own thing and whenever anyone else wants to make of it… it probably drew undue attention after the first final, and it is what it is.
“I love it, I’ll never apologise for doing it and if I ever get the chance to do it again I’ll have a grin on my face again.”
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