Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
REBEL WITH A CAUSE
Kingston never doubted Cork quality
KIERAN KINGSTON doesn’t quite resort to saying “I told you so” but you probably couldn’t blame him if he did.
Just over a year ago, his first season in charge of Cork hurlers ended with their first Championship loss to Wexford in 60 years, coming not long after a pitiful display against Tipperary in Munster.
There was no surprise whatsoever that Cork didn’t win the All-ireland, but the fact they failed to do so meant they were entering their longest drought without one since 1954-66.
But even if Waterford tomorrow or Galway next month force it into a 13th year, you’d expect them to pick up an All-ireland before the county’s longest ever fallow period of 16 years (1903-19) is tested.
Kingston said as much in the immediate aftermath of the loss to Wexford last year, even if their march to a Munster senior title this summer has probably outstripped even his expectations.
Cork won the under-17 All-ireland last Sunday and the minors are expected to progress to the final when they play Dublin tomorrow.
“It has been well debated and spoken about, from strikes to lack of underage success, development squads or lack of them and so on,” says Kingston when asked as to why they’ve failed to add to their 30 All-irelands since 2005. “That was put aside over the last number of months because the minors were successful, the
17s have been successful, the development squads have been successful, the 21s got to a Munster final.
“Sometimes, people only hear what they want to hear. I said even last year when we lost that I felt Cork hurling was in a good place.
“I thought there was really, really good lads coming through. I’ve seen that in development squads and underage.
“We had a development squad in place last year away from the panel and we got a number of players out of that.
“After the Wexford game last year I said I thought the future of Cork hurling was in a good place. Most people probably thought there was something wrong with me saying something like that after the year we had at all levels.
“But I believed that – still believe it. That there are very, very good players coming through in Cork.”
You wonder where they’d be now if Domhnaill O’donovan hadn’t scored a most unlikely equaliser for Clare in the 2013 final, when Kingston was Cork coach, before going on to win the replay.
“Very hard to know. It was very disappointing, not winning. The position we put ourselves in.
“Saying that, Clare were deserving winners over the course of the two games. We only led for about 30 seconds in the two games.
“When you concede five goals in an All-ireland final you are going to be up against it. Of course it would have been fantastic to win.
“It would have been an unbelievable score to win it – it was an unbelievable score by Pat Horgan.”
Kingston’s son, Shane, has been a product of the development squad system and is one of a number of youngsters who have infused the likes of Horgan with a fresh energy this summer.
But, having to manage his own son brings obvious difficulties, he admits.
“It’s probably more difficult on him than it is on me. You just got to get a balance. Treat him the same as every player.
“There is that temptation [to be harder on him than others]. Between not being seen to be favouring him in any shape or form, which I wouldn’t do.
“And at the same time not to go hard on him because of who he is. That’s a balance.
“You have to be very careful of how you manage it. You have to have honesty from the rest of your management team – and they do that.
“Because it’s going to be more difficult at times to separate it. You’ve got to leave it in the dressing room. You can’t bring it home.”
It is probably more difficult on Shane than it is on me. You have to be very careful..