Peter Keane
‘It’s a big rebuilding job, there’s no doubt. It will take time’
PETER KEANE insists that the prospect of stopping Dublin’s ‘drive for five’ hasn’t even crossed his mind as his first concern as Kerry manager is simply getting a panel together.
Keane made his first public appearance as the new Kingdom boss at the county’s impressive €8million Centre of Excellence in Currans last night. It is the spot where the squad will meet for the first time in December. But even though the shadow of Jim Gavin’s all-conquering side hangs over the whole of Gaelic football, Keane was keen not to dwell on the possibility of dethroning the All-Ireland champions.
‘I suppose I haven’t even a panel picked yet, so where would I start on that question without a panel?’ Keane said when asked about trying to derail the Dublin juggernaut. ‘That’s like digging a field and you don’t even have a shovel. We will get the shovel first and then we will start thinking about that one.’
Keane was in a relaxed mood, even offering a fulsome apology that his inaugural press briefing started almost an hour later than scheduled. And he said all the right things.
Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s time in charge was characterised by his belief that the gates of Fitzgerald Stadium should be locked for training sessions.
The new man acknowledged that there is a long tradition within the Kingdom of allowing the public to watch training — and he is open to letting supporters in for the odd session.
‘There was the lad up the tree in Killarney a few years ago, so I can understand why they did it,’ Keane said. ‘But I don’t think it is hard and fast and I wouldn’t be closing the gates all the time. I am open to the idea of having some sessions open.’
Keane, who has yet to meet the Kerry squad, accepts that the players may feel that they are better off continuing to train behind closed doors.
‘The players may feel that way. We haven’t met yet. I was asked a
question as to what I think and I don’t see it as a problem. I think it served us well over many years.
‘If you look at the town of Killarney, there’s almost a tourism built around it. You hear about people coming down from Armagh to watch Kerry train. Does that mean you open them all the time? Probably not. But there are times when I don’t see a problem with opening them.’
As the new man reflected on what awaits him in the role, he accepted that he faces a huge rebuilding job as veterans Kieran Donaghy, Donnchadh Walsh and Anthony Maher have all retired in the past few weeks.
‘It is probably a big rebuilding job, there’s no doubt about that,’ Keane said. ‘There was seven debutants last year. When you take seven young fellas, even when they come into a club team, in the first year they might be great but they might drop off a small bit the second year before they bounce again.
‘And because there are so many young players coming in, you are not sure where you are at. Plus there are a few more older fellas going out the door now. That may mean that there will be a couple more introduced again this year. It will only be in the fullness of time when we get everyone in that we will see where we are at.’
Having led Kerry to the last three minor All-Ireland titles in their historic five-in-a-row at that grade, Keane has worked with plenty of the young talent that the Kingdom’s future will be built around. And even though he will be dealing with adults in his new role, he insists the fundamentals of the job don’t change from minor to senior.
‘Fundamentally, what you are doing is the same. You are dealing with people,’ he said. ‘It is about man-management. That is what it is. Are you dealing with more expectation? Yes, there’s no doubt about that. There is more expectation. We will have a go and see what will happen.’
In the few days since he has been appointed, Keane says that his phone has been hopping with well-wishers and people wanting to congratulate him.
But even in preparing for his first media briefing yesterday, he was able to get a sense of perspective that while Kerry football is important to many people, there are much more important things in life.
‘There was sad news this morning from Killarney about a young fella called Niall McGillicuddy, a young Under-16 Legion player who would have played with St Brendan’s last year. I would have been looking at him as a potential Kerry minor in 2019.
‘He got sick a couple of months ago with leukaemia and passed this morning. It’s very, very sad to think that there was a young fella that you were looking at to play minor with Kerry — that’s the predominant thought in my head all day.’
One suspects that sense of perspective will serve Peter Keane well in the coming weeks and months as he attempts to rebuild the Kingdom and ensure they become a viable challenger to the dominant Dubs.
We have a rebuilding job on. It will take time until we know where we are. There’s more. No doubt about it. We’ll have a go and see what happens. Essentially, what you are doing is the same. You are dealing with people.