Kissane has doubts over dual mandate

Retiring Cork defender Paudie Kissane says the county’s dual players should give both codes a go for a year or two but nothing long- term.

A number of his football team-mates this year, like Ciarán Sheehan and Aidan Walsh, would all-but-certainly be welcomed with open arms into Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s hurling panel.

“I haven’t spoken to the likes of Ciarán or Aidan but it’s natural enough for them as very talented hurlers while they are young to give it one crack, even for one year,” he said.

“To do it over a long period of time would be very hard. The demands are too much but that’s their own decision. You wouldn’t blame them. If I was in their shoes at their age, it would be nice to give it one go for both teams.

“It’s not feasible long-term. One guy could be prone to injury but it could also be about the position you play on the field and then there’s the stuff away from the field, like work and study. A lot, too, depends on the two managers.”

Kissane signs off on a six-season inter-county career which saw him pick up silverware in all but this year.

The intermediate final victory over Macroom earlier this month filled that vacuum, and after three decider defeats in four years, it proved particularly sweet for Kissane.

Like Joe Kernan’s Armagh, Conor Counihan’s Cork may be regarded as a team that deserved more than one All-Ireland title.

The semi-final defeat to Donegal last year is one loss that sticks with Kissane but he is otherwise positive in looking back on his time in a Cork jersey.

“There’s definitely disappointment that we didn’t win another one. You can’t say you should have. Kerry did the two in a row in the mid-2000s but Donegal were well beaten in the quarter-finals this year. Dublin could do it next year but they couldn’t do it after winning two years ago.

“Yeah, you look at the players we had and winning another one is what drove us after 2010. At the same time, it was very hard. We gave it our all. In hindsight, you could say we could have done this and that but at the same time I’m still proud of what we achieved.”

A former coaching officer with the county board, Kissane has branched out to create his own business in athlete development and performance.

With 15 years of coaching and training experience behind him, he’s looking forward to expanding his work over the next while.

“I aspired to play at the highest level as a player and feel I have a lot to offer in developing players at the highest level, working with them to be the best they can be.

“Whether it’s a 15-year-old wanting to know what to do or a 30-year-old seeking to gain an edge, I’ve experienced the whole lot. I tried to educate myself the whole time from minor. I don’t know the whole lot but I feel I’ve a lot to offer.”

Naturally enough, he gleaned a lot of pleasure from turning up to training and wondering what Counihan and his management team had in store for the players.

“Other fellas, they love playing and then you have the trainers. That’s just the way it is in a group. Coaching is my area so I got a kick out of going to training and seeing what coaches were doing and asking them ‘why we’re doing this’ and ‘why we’re doing that’. I was living the dream that way too.

“You’ll miss the camaraderie with the lads and there are some great characters in the group. We had some great trips north in the league this year and back in 2010, we had some great wins in the North during the league.

“I don’t think it’s one thing I’ll miss, it’s lots of things. Just knowing what you’re representing, going to matches and seeing the crowds. You shut yourself off coming up to matches but you see what you’re representing and how great it was to wear the Cork jersey. “Going to matches in 1990 and ‘93, that’s where the love was born. It’s something to treasure.”

As well as the 2010 All-Ireland title, three provincial and four league honours, Kissane also won an All-Ireland junior title with Cork in 2007. But he also cherished his time lining out for Munster under former Cork selector Ger O’Sullivan.

The All-Ireland win over Down three years ago capped by a deserved All Star was obviously the pinnacle, though. “It’s the ultimate goal and looking back it was great.”