Comerford under no illusions about task facing Lilywhites

WHILE Kieran McGeeney has been getting all the plaudits for his exploits with Kildare footballers, another All-Ireland winning captain from 2002 has been bringing about an improvement in standards to much less fanfare.

It is a quirk of circumstance that the men who lifted the Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cups eight years ago were appointed as managers in the same county at the same time, but that’s exactly what happened in 2007.

Like McGeeney, Andy Comerford has demanded a lot from his charges. He has pushed them out of their comfort zones and they haven’t always liked it. But the three-time All-Ireland winner with Kilkenny never backed down and while the Christy Ring Cup has remained tantalisingly out of reach, there has been an obvious improvement.