Kieran Kingston: 'The club form of 99% of Cork players was really good'

Kieran Kingston, the Cork senior hurling manager, is focusing on the positives. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

Kieran Kingston nods when Pauric Mahony is mentioned.

The Waterford sharpshooter was recently ruled out for the season with a knee injury and Kingston can empathise with Déise boss Liam Cahill.

“The year that’s in it, every team is going to have its challenges, whether those are Covid challenges, injuries or turnaround between club and county, and we’re no different.

“The key thing is getting the players fit, contact-free and Covid-free, and getting our panel together and keeping them together. We’re just trying to do that as best we can.” 

Focusing on the positives 

The Cork manager is focusing on the positives.

“The club campaign in Cork has been excellent this year, we were wondering earlier this year if we’d even have one, but the format was really good.

“It’s the first time in a while I heard the Cork players say they really enjoyed playing with their clubs this year, so they really enjoyed the club campaign.

“Two, the form of 99%  of our players with their clubs was really good, so it gives us a positive challenge in terms of introducing players and getting that balance right going into the championship. So it was very positive from our point of view.” 

On the other hand, preparations have been unusual, to say the least.

“Our last competitive game was eight months ago next Sunday. So during that time there was intermittent preparation — guys were working on their own, back with their clubs, bits and pieces, is the championship on, is it off?

“Everything is different. The logistics around playing are different, down to travelling to the venues.

“Each night at training there’s nothing indoors, no meetings — everything is outdoors but we’ve been lucky with the weather in that we’ve been able to have our meetings for five or 10 minutes outdoors if we need to.

“There’s no food, lads take showers if they’re not living nearby, they're driving to games in their own cars and bringing their own food, so there’s a huge amount of change, but that’s the same for everybody. They’re the protocols, so we just have to do that, and we will.” 

With the lack of games in general, Kingston says he has “to focus on ourselves in the timeframe we have.

“My focus would always be on us to a large degree, though you have one eye on the opposition in terms of what they’ve done in the past or in their last game or whatever.

“No team has the advantage there apart from maybe those which have been on the road a little longer. The focus has to be on ourselves, there’s no other way of doing it.

“As the championship goes on you get a sense of what other teams are doing, but in the first game the focus is on ourselves.” 

Did he always feel we’d reach this point? That we’d have a championship?

“Some days I did, some days I didn’t. At times there was more hope than anything else, but at the back of the mind always we prepared on the basis that it would go ahead at some stage.

“We didn't know when — whether it would be July, as was said in March, or September, or now. It was a challenge for everybody but of course there were times when everybody was unsure because it wasn’t something we were in control of.

“We’re all on the bus and we want to be on the bus, but none of us are driving it, so we weren’t really in control of our destiny. All we could do was prepare ourselves on the basis that it would happen, and we’re thrilled it is.” 

Challenging times

 He paid tribute to the Covid team in Cork (“our Covid officer Dave Nolan keeps us on our toes and does a super job, as well as Dr Colm Murphy and Dr Con Murphy”) but also pointed out the reality.

“We’re an elite group but we’re not a professional sports team. We have the bones of 50 people coming together who can’t cocoon when they leave training.

“We have eight teachers who have to go back and do their jobs the following day and there are others who interact with people on an ongoing basis.

“So we have to protect the people in our group, the people in their families and the people they interact with on an ongoing basis.

“That’s a challenge but it’s the nature of where we are. When we’re together we take every precaution we can to ensure we can continue to participate in this championship.” 

Some things stay constant. Like the honour of representing the county.

“Every player respects the position he’s in, being allowed to play the game.

“It’s an honour to represent their county any time, but in the year that’s in it, irrespective of the protocols, it’s an honour to represent the county in this year with the lockdown and the hardship and so on.

“It’s very important to the GAA people in Cork, and to GAA people all over the country, that we can do that and we’re honoured to be part of something special in an extraordinary year.”