'Tweek' Griffin: 'Days like that, you remember those people who’d love and give anything to be there'

Kerry manager John Griffin. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Kerry’s last piece of hurling championship silverware was the Christy Ring Cup success of 2015. The current manager, John ‘Tweek’ Griffin, was captain on that occasion.

One of his favourite photos from the immediate post-match celebrations at Croke Park 11 years ago shows a smiling group consisting of his dad, Martin, mam Betty, fellow Lixnaw club members Willie Dowling and the late Paul Wallace, as well as Tweek’s cousin and fellow panel member James Flaherty.

It’s a photo that carries increased sentiment for this latest final visit to Croke Park, with Tweek’s dad, Martin, having passed away in February of this year.

“It's hard to believe it happened at the start of February, and I was lucky that I was able to come back into that dressing-room after and just the support from the group was super,” said the Kerry hurling manager.

“One probably cherished photo I have from 2015 is after the game, under the Hogan Stand, with himself, mum, Willie Dowling, Paul Wallace, who is also no longer with us, along with my cousin James Flaherty, who was on the panel that day too, so I suppose those little moments in Croke Park afterwards, meeting family and friends was huge and I know he got a lot out of that day.

“He'd have loved Saturday, he'd have loved the build-up, but unfortunately things change very quick.

“It is tough if you think about it too much. The big thing is to go up and get a result, and if we do, there’d be no prouder man. Days like that, you remember those people who’d love and give anything to be there, but that’s it, unfortunately, things move quickly.” 

The Christy Ring Cup they are attempting to reacquaint with this weekend held second-tier status 11 years ago. 

The Kingdom spent the following two years in the Leinster SHC. 

Thereafter, there were three unsuccessful appearances in the final of the new second-tier championship, the Joe McDonagh.

Last year’s relegation brought slippage to hurling’s third tier. The manager cites as imperative a swift return to Joe McDonagh level.

“It doesn’t always work that you jump back up straightaway, as we have seen with other counties. But we are in a position to do that now, and if we can perform and get what we want on Saturday, it would be huge for the group,” Tweek continued.

“Even for all the younger people, it would be big for them to see Kerry win in Croke Park. It is probably needed at this stage. Kerry needs that bit of a boost again.

“For the players, to win and then reflect maybe on where they’re at and being able to say, ‘right, we go back again, we have a cut off Division 1B, and have a cut off Joe McDonagh’. That would be huge for them going forward because it probably has been disappointing the last how many years, the yo-yo nature of the panel. 

"It would be huge to use that as a domino effect to kick things on for the next year or two, but like a lot of things in Kerry hurling sometimes, there are no guarantees or you can’t look too far ahead.”