White over the moon to be back

Gary White felt wanted. An email from Jason Ryan last October to Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon where he was stationed on United Nations and he was sold.

The Sarsfields man had left the Kildare panel in February of last year. The lieutenant was required to complete a tour of duty and it was only a question of when.

There he trained twice a week, while keeping tabs on what his team-mates were doing at home. It was a killer, especially when he was listening and watching them notch up wins in the early part of 2013.

“When I was two weeks out there I missed it straight away, especially as Kildare were going well in the league and you were hearing the results. You would be raging that you’re not a part of it and it’s always in the back of your mind, you’re thinking this could be the year they win something and I’m not there! It was always the mindset of ‘Jesus, they’ll win something now and I’m not around!’ For that reason, it was definitely very difficult to listen to the games. Obviously you want them to do well! You wouldn’t be playing inter-county football if there wasn’t ambition inside you. I think every kid dreams of playing with their county, I’m still no different.”

When Ryan, who White only worked with for six or so weeks at the start of last year when Ryan was Kildare’s coach, got in touch he was over the moon.

“He actually sent me an email which was great. To realise he’d thought of me while I was over there and with that in mind I was eager enough to get back and train hard. With a new management team it freshens things up and gives everyone a clean slate and a fresh chance to make an impact.

“I wouldn’t have played football at all for the guts of nine months last year. To call in a guy like that is a risk to take so I really did appreciate the email from him. I’d really only played six weeks at the start of last year but he was happy enough to bring me in for a trial when I came back from overseas. I was really grateful for him remembering me.”

White returned in late November and was soon enough part of Ryan’s 2014 plans. The player has the utmost of respect for Ryan’s predecessor Kieran McGeeney and his professional ethos, but admits: “There’s definitely more competition on the team and a new outlook.”

White was an unused substitute against Louth earlier this month, a one-sided game almost as much as Meath’s was in their quarter-final with Carlow.

He appreciates Kildare may be fancied in Sunday’s Leinster semi-final but points to some facts to contradict that school of thought. “We’re playing against a Meath team and while people would have us as favourites maybe they’re the ones with the consistent league form and they’ve been in the last couple of Leinster finals, they’ve won Leinster much more recently than us. We haven’t won it for 14 years but we’re not going to fear them and they’re not going to fear us so it makes for a very good game.”