Ryan out to end Kildare’s five-year final wait

On the surface, it was nothing other than a facile win but beating Louth earlier this month meant so much more to Jason Ryan. The victory was a bullet dodged.

Aware of local history, he knew both Mick O’Dwyer and Dermot Earley Snr had lost their first Championship games as Kildare managers to the same opposition.

Since Micko’s first appearance in the county, only Pádraig Nolan has won his debut SFC match. The margin over Louth was a handsome 15 points but for Ryan it was sweet relief, doubly so as they won just two Division 1 games and were relegated.

“As a group, we needed that win to justify our tactics and our team selection, justify the content of our training and so on. From that point of view, it was really important to get that win.

“We would have been reminded of previous management’s first games in charge in Kildare. The first game in the Championship hasn’t been the best hunting ground for previous Kildare managers.

“I think there’s a level of edginess going into every Championship match. There’s a lot at stake, a lot of people paying a lot of money to watch their county travel around the country and there’s so much pride at stake — Kildare is a football-mad county. We were playing in Division 1 and there’s an element of pressure and expectation when you’re going into a game as a favourite that you’re going to win.”

It goes without saying that the onus on Ryan to succeed is a lot stronger in Kildare than it would have been in Wexford, although he led the latter to one more Leinster final than Kieran McGeeney in a shorter timeframe.

Yet he firmly believes Kildare people appreciate this is a crossroads period for the team.

“I’d like to think that for a lot of supporters they realise this is a group in transition. A lot of the marquee players, the Dermots (Earley) and the Johnny Doyles, are no longer around.

“There was little made of James Kavanagh over the last two years not being around but James was one of the star forwards in the team.

“Even last year, losing Daniel Flynn, Ronan Sweeney and Morgan O’Flaherty, a lot of the linchpins have gone so at the moment it is a case of trying to keep expectations down somewhat.”

If it weren’t for his experience in Wexford and “learning the ropes” of being an outside manager, he admits Kildare would be a tougher assignment.

Describing the discipline of the players as “phenomenal“, it’s made his life easier as he’s faced the four-hour return commute from Dungarvan to Newbridge.

Kildare have a chance to reach a first provincial final in five years on Sunday. Understandably, as he was a coach to McGeeney last year, Ryan is diplomatic about why the county reached just one Leinster decider under the Armagh man.

“Damien Hendy is involved in managing the team this year, as is Morgan O’Callaghan, but apart from that it’s all new people in the backroom team. Even from a playing point of view, there’s quite a few new faces so it’s a different group. It’s not that our expectations or goals are any different.

“With Kieran when I was involved last year, we were hungry, mad for a Leinster title. We prepared as best we could in the best manner that we thought and it still wasn’t enough.

“At the moment, Dublin are the difficult team for everybody.”

It’s Dublin who he throws a playful jab at when it’s mentioned that Kildare have at least had a recent outing in Croke Park whereas Meath have to go back to last year for their previous appearance there.

“I am delighted we had the opportunity to play in Croke Park. GAA players would all like to have the opportunity to play in Croke Park week-in, week-out but we’re not all from Dublin!

“I don’t think it’s any advantage to ourselves (over Meath).”