Brian Howard skipped Dublin team holiday to prepare for breakthrough 2018
"I just thought that when they were all away, I could do a bit more fitness or play a bit more football."
Wednesday 6 March 2019 06:33, UK
Dublin footballer Brian Howard has revealed his preparations for his breakthrough 2018 season, including how he forewent the team holiday to train.
It's been quite the rise for the Raheny club man. Drafted into the Dublin senior starting team at the beginning of 2018, Howard seized the opportunities when presented to him, becoming an integral part of the side and helping the Sky Blues to a dominant All-Ireland procession.
"My first league start was against Kildare and I was obviously nervous in Croke Park for my first proper game starting there," he recalled. "But from then my confidence built, I learned by picking up little tricks from the other lads.
"I just kept developing, getting more confident. And Jim Gavin, he's a real man for if you're playing well then you'll get an opportunity, and, thankfully, I took mine when I went out against Kildare."
This opportunity arose through hard work and dedication, with the youngster even electing to skip the team holiday at the start of 2018 so he could hit the ground running in the early part of the season:
"I just wanted to keep on playing football. I just thought that when they were all away, I could do a bit more fitness or play a bit more football," he said.
"Jim just gave me the opportunity then come the first League game."
Although he was thrust into the heart of the action at a young age, Howard found it easy to adapt despite the daunting nature of walking into such a high-achieving dressing room.
"On one side was Jonny Cooper and on the other was Ciaran Kilkenny, they were like heroes of mine growing up. Sitting around, looking at them, it was so surreal the whole experience," he explained.
"But from day one, the lads were welcoming me into the team. It was something that I found very helpful. I felt like I was part of the team, one of the lads straight away. They were cracking jokes from day one so it was a lot easier for me coming into a welcoming dressing room so I could fit in."
It was a learning curve throughout the season for the young sensation, as he played an integral part during the year as Dublin swept to Allianz League and All-Ireland titles.
"From the first session I went in, I was just taken aback by the whole thing - not that the U21s wasn't as professional - but it's just that because [the season] goes on for so long," said Howard.
"You want to perform every training session, whether it's just a light session or a game, you just want to learn."
"It was tough at the start to reset your body to try and perform in every single game but after a few sessions, I just fitted in nicely.
"You settle in quick enough. Obviously, there are games at certain times of the year and you could be playing against the likes of Jack McCaffrey, if you're playing wing-forward, or John Small, James McCarthy, but when you're playing against them, it's like an All Ireland final. There's obviously that step up in terms of physicality and pressure and all that when you're playing because obviously, you want to perform. There's no nastiness in it.
"You can't [afford to take a step back] but as I say, Jim picks his starting 15 based on form and if you're playing well, no matter if it's your first time up with the seniors or you've been there 10 or 12 years, he's going to pick the player that's playing the best and as a team, we've acknowledged that and we know that if you're playing well, you'll play."
