Weight spiralled in All-Ireland aftermath - Gleeson

Gleeson won 2016 Hurler of the Year at the age of 21

Waterford hurler Austin Gleeson has opened up on how his weight issues spiralled after reaching the 2017 All-Ireland final.

Gleeson shot to hurling stardom in 2016, just his third year at senior level, when he was named Hurler of the Year aged just 21.

The next year Waterford reached the final but lost to Galway.

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"After the All-Ireland I just decided to go on the tear with the lads for two weeks, got knocked out early in club, kept going on the tear," Gleeson revealed.

"Eventually my weight just went crazy. It was something that I severely struggled with, getting it back down.

"No matter what I tried for some reason I just couldn't get it down.

"Without me even realising my weight just went up and kept going and going, and I could not get back to where I was in 2016."

It was in the early weeks of the spring 2020 Covid-19 lockdown that Gleeson, who noticed that being largely housebound had once again increased the speed with which he was gaining weight, sought the help of an online personal trainer.

Having been permitted to bring home some of the gym equipment from his club Mount Sion, the 2016 All-Star saw an opportunity to ensure he was in the shape of his life for hurling's return.

Four gym sessions and up to three cardio sessions a week, coupled with 10,000 steps a day, brought about swift progress.

"It's weird the way it fell. The last week of the PT, I finished with him on a Friday and eight days later we played our first club game," Gleeson reflected.

"It was eight weeks I did with him, and on the week I finished with him I was playing club again. It was like someone told me almost 'this is when to start because this is when it's going to kick off again', but none of us knew when it was going to kick off at that time.

"It's always something that has stuck in my head, that someone's told me somewhere that that's the case.

"It was tough, those eight weeks were very tough but it was definitely something I needed to do."

'Across the white line I'm a different person'

Gleeson's Mount Sion were defeated by Ballygunner in the Waterford club final last month

In September Gleeson was sent off less than two minutes in to Mount Sion's Waterford Senior Hurling Championship semi-final with Roanmore, having been dismissed earlier in the year in Waterford's league semi-final against Wexford.

Despite sometimes paying the price, Gleeson insists playing on the edge is an essential component of his game.

"Across the white line I'm a completely different person than I would be off the field. Anyone who knows me would say the same," he said.

"Playing down in Waterford in club games, I could be playing against my best friends but I don't care. I want to win. When we're losing I can lose the head a small bit.

"There were people that tried to change the way I was playing in previous years and trying to put me in positions where I couldn't do much. I just couldn't get into games and found myself getting more frustrated. I need to play off the cuff, that's my game. "