Gloom lifts for Hickey and Kerry

ALL-IRELAND JFC FINAL:

The Castleisland Desmonds footballer will captain Kerry in today’s All-Ireland junior decider, bringing the curtain down on a first injury-free campaign since, well not even Hickey can recall a summer where he didn’t stand on the sideline supported by a pair of crutches or a sling wrapped around one or other shoulder.

As injury occurrences go, Hickey’s list is impressive.

“It was my final year at minor level, 2011, and we beat Waterford in the Munster quarter-final. The weekend after we were playing county league against Kilcummin and I shattered my collarbone into six pieces,” he recounts.

“I was going down for a ball and got a strong knee into the shoulder. I had a plate and six screws inserted. I missed the entire minor championship, sidelined for five months. We lost to Tipperary in the Munster semi-final. We were 10-points up in Thurles at half-time and they came back and won it by one. It was terrible to lose and terrible not to be able to play any sort of a role.

“I broke my ankle the year previous to that and then a year-and-a-half ago I did my other shoulder in a county league game. That meant another significant period on the sideline. Since coming back from the last injury I haven’t had any knocks, which has been great.”

Hickey missed last year’s U21 meeting of Cork and Kerry through injury, lining out at corner-forward when the two counties locked horns for the 2014 instalment back in March. Defeat for Kerry, comprehensive at that, marked their fourth consecutive loss to Cork at U21 level since 2011. Hickey believes too much has been made of the county’s underage difficulties.

“The gloom and doom of our underage defeats has been a bit overstated. You are never going to get 12 or 13 from a minor or U21 side, irrespective of how good or bad they are. What you are looking to get is two or three from a team on any given year to push on for the seniors. It is not all about the winning. I wouldn’t pay heed to the criticism of how we have performed at underage, I wouldn’t listen to it.

“Six from this year’s U21 team have been regular starters for the juniors this summer. When you are young you see the junior set-up as a stepping stone to the senior ranks. By bringing in young fellas that gives them the impetus to try and impress for a spot on the senior panel down the line.

“I was in for one or two senior trainings, A v B games, and I was more than happy to go in and help out. It was great to get that level of experience.

“It gives you a tremendous boost in confidence to be in with them. You want to be with them someday playing in Croke Park with them.

“The U21 didn’t go well so it was important to get in with the junior team. It keeps you training. It gives you a chance to impress Eamonn [Fitzmaurice]. That is never easy when 30 other players have the same objective.

“This was my last year U21 and that finished before it ever really began. We are out of the county championship. This is the only stage left to impress. Beating Cork in the Munster final was a major fillip for us younger lads. I had played Cork twice, lost twice. It was great to break through that barrier. It was very pleasing.”

Cavan provide the opposition today, their underage success — four Ulster U21 titles on the hop achieved earlier this year — in stark contrast to the Kingdom’s barren run of late.

“We don’t know much about them only their impressive underage structure the last couple of years. They have won a lot of U21 titles.

“I imagine they are blooding a lot of those players at junior level, much like us using it as a stepping stone to senior. I know they had a good win over Scotland in the semi, but I don’t know how good Scotland were. We just will be looking to get a performance from ourselves.”