Young, gifted & white

YOU WANT to understand the change in Kildare football. You want to know how they are coping in their brave new world, how much they miss — or don’t miss — Micko. You need to discover how an age of uncertainty transformed swiftly into an age of unexpected success.

Something happened Kildare footballers between the league and championship. It was like they spent spring in disguise.

The scenes at Conleth's Park on this muggy Newbridge evening capture perfectly the changed landscape. Shield your eyes with your hands and view it. Just look at the journalists, people who have been coming here to this ground chasing quotes for years. See the perplexed look in their eyes. Imagine coming to the same place for years and turning up one July evening and realising all the familiar faces have gone.