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Published 17:12 1 Jan 2022 GMT
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Mike McCarthy and Sean O'Brien pictured at Ireland training in 2011. (Credit: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE)[/caption]
"It was absolutely ridiculous. They'd have the all the buffet lined up, in those metal tin things. You had steak, salmon, pasta. Endless supplies of food. "This was back in 2004 and professionalism wasn't where it is now. So lads would be going in and filling their plates with tuna-steaks, salmon, steaks; mountains of food. "Peter Bracken was putting steaks in napkins and sticking them in his fleece pockets for later! Then we'd go off and play a game and we'd be full up."[caption id="attachment_243315" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Peter Bracken pictured playing for Connacht in 2001. (Credit: Brendan Moran/SPORTSFILE)[/caption]
"It'd be getting the right amount of carbohydrates in so the batteries are fully charged for the next day. That's a lot of food - four to six meals. Bananas, blueberries, smoothies, rice, yoghurts. Up the carbs, lower the proteins. "The morning of, I'd usually get up at 8 or 8:30am on match days, no matter the kick-off time. I'd have overnight oats or porridge, then poached eggs, maybe a bit of bacon and one slice of toast. That's really me until pre-match. I usually have a bowl of rice pudding. I try to get the day before 100% so I don't need that much food on the day of a game. I like to feel light and lean."The area of nutrition and the best food and drink to be taking on-board is constantly changing, so the stories of the current generation may change too. One thing O'Brien definitely avoids, nowadays, is the caffeine gels or pills before a match. "I took two of the before a game, once," he recalled, "and I had four penalties given away in the first 15 minutes. I was wired!"
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