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Out of the big time action made 'Cha' realise what he was missing
HE won six senior All-Irelands, four with the county and two with his club, and he was a former Hurler of the Year, but James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick doesn't care about that.
He wants more and these times he has a totally new appreciation of life in the fast lane of sport.
The Shamrocks (Ballyhale) man lost what he termed a "good season, or most of it" last year when injury and illness knocked him for six. Now he is out to make up for lost time.
"Last year was a difficult one for me," admitted the three times All-Star who is flying in the engine room of the Kilkenny team again after a broken hand and a bout of the mumps ripped his season apart during 2009.
"I used the club championships, local and beyond, as something of a springboard to get myself back in form."
No chance
Twelve months ago Fitzpatrick had no chance of being named in the team to play Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. On Sunday one would reckon he is as sure as any player can be of making the cut.
The lost time and enforced stint on the sideline gave the 25-year-old a whole new perspective on what he was involved in, what he was missing.
"When I got back I worked hard, that was about it," 'Cha' said of his slow but sure return to top form. "Hurling is a simple game. You work hard at the simple things to get yourself going again."
He admitted that the Shamrocks run in the All-Ireland club championship was a blessing in disguise. The more hurling he got, the better he liked it, the more his fitness improved.
In every game Fitzpatrick worked harder than most because he had his eye on a far off goal . . . . getting back on to the Kilkenny team. He sat on the bench last September when the Cats completed the All-Ireland four in-a-row. He had mixed feelings.
"On a team level it was great," he smiled. "Personally you want to be out in the thick of the action. I was so used to being out there. It was a bit of a disappointment on a personal level, but I did appreciate all that was achieved.
"Missing it makes you realise the value of team sports. All I could do was put the head down and keep working. Club matches are the roots of the GAA. You have to be doing it at club level to try and advance up the ladder.
Found form
"I suppose I found a bit of form at club level this year. I feel I am going well in training. You have to be flying or you won't be on the team in Kilkenny."
He freely admitted that he knew he was down on power last year and he just couldn't keep up when Summer hurling was in free flow. He couldn't find the form he had before. The interruptions to his game caught up.
"You know on the training pitch if you are being out played, out-run or out powered or whatever," he said openly. "I knew I didn't have the adequate form. I am feeling a lot stronger now."
The primary school teacher said sport had a lot to do with confidence. A lot depended on how things were worked out in the head.
"Most of it is confidence," he offered. "It is like anything you do. You have to have confidence or belief. Everything else will flow then."
His season stumbled into life. He picked up a hamstring injury in the local league before the start of the Leinster championship. He sat out the Dublin game, and then the good form of Michael Fennelly and Michel Rice shut the door on him getting back into midfield.
He got his chance in the All-Ireland semi-final against Cork when injury KO'd Rice. Fitzpatrick was overjoyed when his name was mentioned on the starting XV on the Friday night before the match.
"It was a great lift to get back in," he smiled. "You know it is a great opportunity to pull on the jersey again and get the chance to perform. There is an element of pressure there as well. You just have to be flying on the pitch, but you enjoy it at the same time.
Reality check
"When things are going well there are times when you could take it all for granted. Last year was a reality check that it could also come to an abrupt end. It was a bit of a kick. Sometimes that can be good in sport. It can drive you on."
The feeling of being able to compete again with the best was a relief, a total new freedom.
"When Cork beat Tipperary in the Munster championship I just said that a good team doesn't become a bad one over night," was his appraisal of Sunday's opponents. "They have been building momentum, building confidence all year. They are waiting in the grass for us.
"We are facing into our toughest match yet. Tipperary know they had chances to win the All-Ireland last year, but they didn't take them. There will be a huge element of revenge about them. Revenge is a great motivation tool.
"It all means we will have to work harder and raise the bar higher. You can think about the five in-a-row and all you want. You can butter it up any way you want. At the end of the day it will be a really tough match for 70 minutes.
"We have a lot of experience. That will stand to us. We won't lose too much energy thinking about the opposition. This is a huge opportunity for us. We will enjoy the challenge.
"As a player you want to be contesting All-Ireland finals. This is why we play sport. It would be phenomenal to pull this one off. Everyone is raring to go.
"In fairness to the trainers, they kept everyone fresh and they didn't dog us. Everyone is in prime conditions. We won't be caught for fitness, appetite or anything like that. For me to be able to say that now is just great."
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Weather for Kilkenny
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South
