AFL STINT WAS A CRYING SHEEHAN
“If you won the All-ireland on the Sunday and you have a League game the following Saturday, are you really going to be looking forward to that?”
Wrapping up the Championship by Christmas could be a challenge for the GAA if there are any hitches over the next few months, particularly if they decide to give teams at least two games, something which Kingston favours.
“Given what is going on and the fact there is so little preparation for it, it is probably right that teams should only have a second chance.
“More than likely the round robin format will be gone but it is only fair that you have a second chance.”
The Douglas man will be allowed to resume training with his club later this month before full contact resumes in July, according to the GAA roadmap, and he says he has no qualms about throwing himself back into that.
“Obviously people will have concerns. That’s completely understandable. For me personally, I’d jump at the opportunity to go back.
“Thankfully, every one of my family is healthy. It would be completely different if someone wasn’t healthy. You’d be thinking twice about it.
“It is completely individual, but for me, thankfully I’m alright.”
When the plug was pulled on GAA activity in March, Kingston was in the throes of a busy schedule with the League in full swing having played a starring role in UCC’S Fitzgibbon Cup success, for which he received the Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Rising Star Hurling Player of the Year trophy yesterday.
So, initially at least, he was glad of the break.
“Absolutely. Obviously it’s so hectic going from Fitzgibbon to League. You are probably out four to five nights a week.
“Loving it obviously but that bit of time off gives you a chance to relax, allow the body to recover a small bit, you can work on your rehab stuff to make sure you won’t get injured.
“It gives you a chance to work on things you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work on before.
“I wouldn’t say it’s an ideal scenario, but look, it’s not the worst.”
Of course, his father, Kieran, is back as Cork manager this year and he struggled with being idle and the uncertainty of what, if anything, would be happening.
“It was grand for me to be honest, I was training away the whole time, whereas for him, he was tearing his hair out, not knowing what was going on.
“Obviously now he is delighted. We are all delighted, obviously. No, I was just training away myself.”
CIARAN SHEEHAN admits that he was wary of Tommy Walsh’s experience as he resumed his intercounty career.
Sheehan returned to the Cork team this year after spending six years in Australia, his hopes of becoming an AFL regular with Carlton largely wrecked by injury, similar to Walsh’s experience down under.
The Kerry man failed to re-establish himself with the county at first and withdrew from the panel in 2016 before returning to great effect last year, though 2010 All-ireland winner Sheehan was enjoying a decent League campaign prior to the shutdown.
“I was actually very conscious of that and in particular with Tommy Walsh,” Sheehan explained to Tomas O Se for Benetti Menswear.
“The pressure, the expectation, the weight of expectation.
“Now, that might not have been the case for Tommy but I was conscious of it. Tommy probably had his own reasons in terms of where he’s getting to but it did make me conscious for whatever reason.
“When I sat down with Ronan Mccarthy, Ronan was excellent in terms of how he approached the whole thing. He said, you know, ‘If it doesn’t happen straight away, don’t worry about it, take your time with it, it may not happen this year and it may not happen next year’ and I was comfortable with that as well.”
Meanwhile, Sheehan is enthused at the prospect of do-or-die Championship clash with Kerry when inter-county action resumes. I think it’s going to be very exciting. This is unknown territory for everyone. I think there’s going to be a good buzz leading into the Championship.
“I think everyone’s going to try and get an edge some way or another.
“I think most likely they’ll be keeping the provincial but if we’re playing Kerry in a knockout game, whenever it is, I can’t wait.”