Illness hampered Eoin Larkin's early season progress but the seven-time All-Ireland winner is fighting fit ahead of tomorrow's All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Waterford.

"I was back about three weeks and got glandular fever," he recalled in conversation with The Examiner. "That was another kick in the teeth, but thankfully I got through it.

"I was sleeping nearly three or four hours a day, then going to bed and sleeping that night. I had to take it handy and was out (of the barracks) a couple of weeks, it takes all your energy.

"In fairness (trainer) Mick Dempsey has worked with me a lot over the last while to get me back in good shape for the championship so huge credit has to go to him - things like 100 metre runs and so on, and I had a good bit of training behind me from the other years. I wasn't actually too bad.

"I was a bit worried because it was about six or seven weeks in by the time I actually realised there was something amiss - I went to the doctor then and I was nearly a week or two on the other side when it was diagnosed.

"I trained for two or three weeks through it but I was just wrecked. I used to go home and lay on the couch or go to bed. I was just shattered."

The James Stephens clubman's perseverance has paid off and he will wear the number 15 jersey against the Deise tomorrow.

"I wasn't able to run, but there was plenty of training and matches, club games and so on.

"The club games helped me, and training inside is intense enough so that brought me on an awful lot.

"I always thought 'God, I have to get back here or I am going to be in trouble by the time the summer comes around'. There was no point going back when I was still sick as I could do myself more harm than good.

"I just took the couple of weeks and said to myself it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if I was a sub. I was going to try my hardest to get back fit and get onto the team. I decided that I was going to stay going."

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