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30th November 2022
03:53pm GMT

"It might have looked from the outside that we didn't, but we did.
"He did a lot for me personally and on the field, so it was great to hear to be fair. He gave it everything for Waterford, and that's all we could have asked."
Gleeson also talked about issues he has had with his fitness during that BBC interview and we asked how he managed that side of things during this off-season, given that it was longer than in previous years.
"We had a bit of football, but it wouldn't be the highest of standards!
"So you have to keep an eye on yourself even when you're not in training. That's the biggest thing. You have to be tipping away in the gym, outside on bikes, to keep it going, that's what the majority of us are doing. If you don't do that, you'll be months behind.
"And the way the game has gone now, it's very hard to get back to that level."
On the subject of dealing with expectation - the man was Hurler of the Year at 21 - Gleeson says that the best way to deal with it for him is understanding that he doesn't have to win games on his own.
"I always thought that if I play well, it gives the team a good chance. But that was a selfish way of looking at it.
https://twitter.com/GAA__JOE/status/1116334389661663233
"Nowadays, I know that even if I don't hit a ball, I don't care as long as we win.
"That's what Liam and Mikey used to explain to me - if you get three hooks, three blocks, three turn-overs, that's just as good as scoring. I tried to make that a big part of my game as well, over the last few years, to get those hooks, blocks and turnovers. And I'll try do the exact same thing again this year."
There's always debate about where to play him but Gleeson says that his favourite position is in the half forward line.
"I'd probably say wing or centre forward to be honest with you. The way the game has gone now, you can kind of do both, defending and attacking from there."Having had his disciplinary issues in the past - Gleeson was sent off twice last year - he says that while he will continue to play on the edge, his aim is to cut those 'stupid incidents' out of his game. He admitted to, with refreshing self awareness, that he has no-one to blame for those incidents other than himself. "I put myself in those positions. It's nothing to do with anyone else. It was my own fault and that's the way it's been. There's situations where I have held my cool and other times when I haven't, and that's when I let myself down and let the lads down and let the management down. "That's something I have been working on the last few years but last year I got myself into those stupid situations again. Maybe there's a bit of it, that my reputation precedes me, but it's my own fault for giving that reputation out. "At the end of the day, I won't be changing the way I play, which is on the edge. Because if I did that it would take a lot away from my game. That's my game, I need to be fired up to get going a good bit. "If I can just get rid of the stupid incidents, I will be a lot better myself. It's something I need to work on personally. I think I should have learnt a lot more last year, so hopefully there's no more of those incidents this year." [caption id="attachment_277716" align="alignnone" width="2048"]
Waterford hurling star, Austin Gleeson, in attendance at Croke Park today following the unveiling of eir as a new official sponsor of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship. The five-year deal, which begins with the 2023 Championship season, will see eir’s partnership with the GAA evolve to support the Senior Hurling Championship.[/caption]Explore more on these topics: