Why this week is different
“I’ve been the kit man to the Kilkenny team for 34 years now. The media booklet said I’ve been at it for 20 but that was a misprint! I’m glad to say Kilkenny have won 17 All-Irelands in that time. Nobody would know me if you called me Denis. I’m Rackard to anyone who knows me and that goes back to my playing days.
“I’ve never known the game as professional as it is now. You’re talking about it being up there with Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea. They don’t want to acknowledge that in Croke Park, the amount of work that is being put in. They want to keep it amateur and they’re right to a certain degree. When we’re in full flight like this week I’ll be in three days a week, starting at two o’clock, organising everything from milk to bananas to hurling and then heading to Nowlan Park to get the dressing room ready for the lads.
“I’m on Up For The Match tomorrow night — RTÉ wanted me to make an appearance — and then I’ll be back down to Kilkenny to have everything right from 7.30 on Sunday morning. The lads only have to have their hurls and their own bags getting onto the bus.
“Everything else is taken care of. I’ll drive up in the van to Dublin and that’ll be stocked with everything, A pair of laces, a pair of togs, boots, sliotars, sweets... you name it I’ll have it. You might get the odd request like a new set of cogs but it’s usually nothing out of the ordinary.
“There’ll be a second van going on Sunday with all the players and management’s suits hung up for the players for the function on Sunday night. Everyone was measured up for them last week and they’ll have their names attached to each of them. We get them from a Kilkenny company as you’d expect. The hotel porters will hang them up in each of their rooms on Sunday. That will also have the clothes for Monday, which we call the ‘walking out’ gear.
“The jerseys will be with me and they’ll all be laid out and positioned for the players when they come into the dressing room on Sunday. It’s important that they have things right and there’s a routine that they can follow. If it gives them peace of mind I know I’m doing my job right. But it’s a joy to work with such a fantastic bunch of lads. Brian is a superb manager. We’re one big unit, one big happy family.
“Not being cocky or anything but we’ve been at this stage for so long now that everything falls into place. Things almost happen automatically. In other counties, you’d have two or three lads doing my job but I’m happy enough to do everything by myself.
“When we’ve won All-Irelands, the boys have brought me up and I collect the base of the Liam MacCarthy Cup. It’s like a new world to me each time. Defeats get to me bad. After the Leinster final, I didn’t talk to anybody for a whole week. So I’m just hoping that I get the chance to walk them Hogan Stand steps after the boys on Sunday. It’s the same as receiving a medal for me. If a lad gave me €5m to swap places I’d tell him to keep it and that’s no bullshit.
Interview: John Fogarty
