The massive boots of big John Hayes sticking out from under the toilet door during his pre-match vomiting routine. Kieran Donaghy seeking out Sean Boylan the night before the 2016 semi-final for tea and brown bread to ease the mind. Paddy Burns scribbling away in his notebook as Armagh gear up for battle.

In sport, pre-match nerves are a near-universal sensation. Anxiety, after all, is a familiar companion in life. How each player handles it, though, is deeply personal. That approach is shaped by temperament, experience and the weight of expectation.

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