Conway hails Earls for improving his mental resolve
Munster star reveals how conversations with team-mate have been helping him with his game
KEITH EARLS has been through it all since he burst onto the professional scene with the reputation as being one of the most exciting players to have come out of Munster’s schools system.
Having just turned 31 earlier this week, the former St Munchin’s College student has had to adjust to his role of being one of the more experienced players in both the Munster and Ireland squads.
It has been noticeable in recent times how many players, particularly the younger ones, have spoken about the value they get in sponging as much information as possible from Earls.
Jordan Larmour is one such player and, earlier this week, Andrew Conway became the latest international to speak glowingly of Earls’ impact on him. As was welldocumented in the build up the All-Ireland final, Earls spent time with the Limerick hurling squad as he offered advice about how best to cope with the mental demands of playing on such a big stage.
By all accounts, the Limerick players were seriously impressed, not only by the information Earls relayed, but also the manner in which he was able to do so.
Resolve
As is part of his character, Earls will downplay his role in helping to build the mental resolve that saw Limerick win their first All-Ireland title in 45 years, while it also said so much about his modest nature that after he refused to accept payment for the time he gave to the squad, the Moyross native instead donating the money to charity.
Little things like that make Earls such a well-respected person, not only in Limerick but all around the country, and that’s before we even mention the fact that on the pitch, he is in the form of his life.
Injury delayed his start to this season but he looked razor-sharp against Ulster last weekend when he marked his first appearance of the season with a try. During the Six Nations earlier this year, Earls revealed that he had been working with magician Keith Barry in a bid to “get those one per cents”.
It’s clear that Earls understands the value of a positive mindset and having struggled with nerves in the early part of his career, he seems to be determined to help as many other players as possible.
“I chat to Earlsy a bit about the mental side of things,” Andrew Conway explained this week.
“What he says is that we train hard and do everything in the week to get ready for the game but when the whistle blows for start of the 80 minutes nothing else matters – that’s what you’re judged on.
“Everything you do works towards that so I think that’s a really nice mindset to go into games because it’s only 80 minutes in one week and then you reset on the Monday and go through the processes of getting your recovery done, getting your training done, getting better at all those small skills that create the by-product on the Saturday.”
Like Earls, Conway came out of school with a big reputation and while it didn’t quite happen for him as quickly, he is now looking every bit the player he promised to be during his time in Blackrock.
Conway has also learned to focus on those little extras that Earls refers to and he admitted that in his earlier days, he often took to the pitch expecting to things to happen, rather than going and making them happen for himself.
“You’re kinda trying to analyse where you are in the game or where you’ve shortcomings in your own game and attack the week with a plan,” Conway maintained.
“Passing for me would be a big thing at 15 more than the wing – being accurate because from passes we are doing across the board from here or if you’re up in (Ireland) camp, the space on the edge is a by-product of accurate passing from one side to the other.
“It’s a constant evolution, you’re constantly chasing getting better.
“If you think where you are at is good enough you are going to get found out pretty quickly.
“When I was at the start of my career (I was) thinking I could go out there, the ball would come to me on the wing and I would score a try and then I’d go back and the ball came back to me again.
“But that’s just not reality. It’s not even the physical action, it’s the mental capacity to walk on the pitch and say, ‘I’m going after this for 80 minutes and I’m going to work for 80 minutes.’ Nothing else is relevant other than the 80 minutes in front of you.”
Just as Earls has been explaining to Conway in their conversations.