I just work hard every single day. People don’t see the sacrifices I put in or other people put in. I’m a true believer that hard work pays off. You really have to make huge sacrifices in your career to sustain [yourself] at a good level.
I think some young lads in this day and age don’t realise that. “They’re in this bubble of training until 12 o’clock, coming off the training pitch and doing no extras, playing pool, training in this luxury training ground, heading home and playing on their games console and two years later when their apprenticeship is finished they’re going: ‘What am I going to do now?’ And that’s the realisation of it,”
Hourihane continues. “I don’t see any young lads grabbing a bag of balls and doing extra work, at all the clubs I’ve been at. They’re in this bubble training from nine to 12, having free food, nice breakfast, nice lunch, playing table tennis, playing pool. “They don’t put in the hard work and two years later they’re wondering where they go from there. That’s the sad thing to see. Lads don’t realise it. They’re working harder on the table tennis table than they do in training. “The senior lads are out there for an extra hour working on their game. Young lads should see that and take inspiration from it, but they don’t.
