Gearóid Hegarty says patience is driving his Hurler of the Year bid

Why patience became Hegarty’s focus

The six-time All-Ireland medallist says the key to his 2026 form has been learning patience. Hegarty starred in last month’s final defeat of Galway.

A decade on from his championship debut against Tipperary, the St Patrick’s clubman admitted he had moments of real self-doubt after a couple of disappointing seasons.

Wondering whether Limerick would ever return to Croke Park on the game’s biggest day. The answer came last month with a sixth Celtic cross.

“Trying to become a more patient person is a big one for me," Hegarty told The42.

"I’m boiling that down to the smallest of moments in games... into the week of the game... into the whole year.

"It’s probably the one thing that I really went after this year.”

The winning feeling has not dimmed. “It almost did feel like our first one again,” Hegarty said, speaking to Balls.ie.

“It was as good a week as I ever had.”

Long regarded as one of the game’s most explosive forwards on the days that produce some of the highest-scoring hurling around, Hegarty has a simple message with a Hurler of the Year vote to come: keep improving and stay patient.