Billings backs Kildare to push for glory

DAVE BILLINGS, has predicted Kildare will be major contenders for Leinster championship honours.

The former Dublin selector manned the line for UCD on Sunday as the students battled hard before going down by two points to Kieran McGeeney’s side in Newbridge in the O’Byrne Cup.

UCD included Ciarán Lyng (Wexford), John O’Loughlin (Laois) and Francis McGee (Longford), as well as four members of Kilmacud Crokes’ All-Ireland winning team – the O’Carroll brothers, Ross and Rory, Cian O’Sullivan and Niall Corkery.

“I thought Kildare were a big, strong team at this stage in January. In June, I suppose they’ll have tidied up their football. They have the physique so if they get the football they’ll be a threat to everyone in the Leinster championship.”

McGeeney used 12 players who saw championship action last term. The Kildare boss said: “I didn’t go out last year just to compete in the O’Byrne Cup and lose it. I would hope that you want to win every game. If you look at the mentality of Kerry or Tyrone, regardless of what they play, they want to win it. That’s the mentality you’re looking for, the way we approached it for the last two years.”