In recent years, Shane Dowling has been a frontline player for Limerick.
But 2018 saw him used more sparingly which was a different experience for the Na Piarsaigh clubman.
But he still rose to the challenge in the All Ireland final, coming off the bench to score the third goal that proved crucial in ultimately pipping Galway by a point and meaning Limerick were just about out of reach as Micheal Donoghue's men mounted a stirring comeback.
In a candid chat with Joe Molloy, Dowling admitted that the last few months as an impact player rather than an established starter was difficult to adjust to, with the nadir proving to be the game against Carlow where game-time wasn't forthcoming.
"After that game, I buried myself into my house for the day," he said.
You can watch the full chat with Shane Dowling on YouTube:
"I didn't speak to anyone. A few of the lads knew I wasn't myself. They rang me, they came up to my house and I just didn't want to speak to anyone."
In his own words, he described it: "The reality is for four months of this year, it's been an absolute nightmare for me. It's just great when it works out."
But he also added that speaking to manager John Kiely and others in the build up to Sunday's final did perk him up somewhat.
Dowling also spoke about his feelings if he had landed in a parallel universe and Galway had managed to mount such a comeback that Limerick lost.
"It wouldn't have been a long winter. My life would've probably been ruined - unless I won another All Ireland," he replied instantly.
"I can only speak for myself. That would've probably killed me."
In the full chat, Dowling spoke about visualisation of moments like his All Ireland final goal and how the real thing compares as well as his "massive, massive problem" with the fact that the players outside the main 26 are not included in the final day programme.
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