Flor McCarthy: 'We're seeing youngsters carrying around hurleys and mad for hurling'

His Wexford and Cork credentials are firmly established but down in Kilmoyley they regard John Meyler as one of their own at this stage.

Fri, 04 Feb, 2022 - 06:00

Paul Keane

His Wexford and Cork credentials are firmly established but down in Kilmoyley they regard John Meyler as one of their own at this stage.

"I think he's with us nearly 21 or 22 years now, on and off," said Kilmoyley captain Florence McCarthy. "He hasn't been there every year but he's been there 16 or 17 years of those years I'd say."

In all, the former Wexford, Cork, Kerry and Carlow manager has guided Kilmoyley to seven county titles and having recently helped them become the first Kingdom club to win the Munster IHC title, they now stand 60 minutes from All-Ireland success.

For all that Meyler has done in the inter-county game, it would be a remarkable achievement if he and Kilmoyley could pull this one off. Even if they don't, it won't be the last you'll see of him down along the west Kerry coastline.

Flor McCarthy of Kilmoyley. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

"He really enjoys Banna Beach which is only over the road from us, three or four minutes away," said McCarthy. "He loves going in for a swim there, any time of the year. I don't know how he does it, especially this time of the year. It's absolutely Baltic out there but not a bother on him. He also does a good bit of cycling around the place in the summer. He's like another member of the parish at this stage."

At times, Meyler is double-jobbing while in the area, enjoying a chat but also mining locals for information about up and coming hurlers.

"If there's a younger group, like the minors or the U-16s, if he's down for the senior team but a bit early, he'll take those teams," explained McCarthy. "He knows what's coming up and what everyone is capable of and just from talking to everyone around the parish it just helps him to bleed all those players into the senior ranks.

"We've seen that with, say, Daire Nolan and Ronan Walsh, two of the guys that came on against Banagher the last day in the All-Ireland semi-final. They had a massive performance when they came in, fresh legs. Just from his experience and from being around the parish and talking to the people of the parish, John gets to know all those players quickly enough."

McCarthy, among a clutch of Kerry players on the Kilmoyley panel, knows how important an All-Ireland win could be for the future of the club, potentially inspiring more youngsters to get involved.

"Even outside of our own parish the last while we're seeing youngsters carrying around hurleys and mad for hurling," said the defender. "That's a welcome boost. Even in the schools and on social media you see the excitement that's going on. And for the other clubs, seeing us being there, I think that should really push the standards up."

They're saying similar things around Naas, about this being a rare opportunity for a landmark win to inspire a generation of hurlers in a county dominated by football.

"Naas are very strong, they'd have 10 or 12 of the Kildare panel," he said. "We know the company we're coming up against."