Wayne’s World

WAYNE KINSELLA is relishing the chance to lead Carnew out on the field on Sunday to face Glenealy in the Dacia Cars Senior Hurling Championship. It’s a place that he had every confidence of reaching since earlier in the season after the arrival of James Hickey as manager.

‘There was definitely no doubt. I knew by that Leinster League and by James (Hickey) coming in that we’d be there or thereabouts. He was bringing a new life to the while club. you can see that now; the club is in two finals. The belief that he brought back into players is huge.

‘He’s extremely passionate. He just loves the game. I don’t know how to explain it. Some people just have it. They just bring belief in you. You couldn’t pick a better lad for Carnew. All I knew about him was the ad (AIB). It’s not the same as any other clubs. There are big personalities in the dressing room,’ he said.

Carnew have hit a few bumps along the road to this championship final, most notably the defeat to Kiltegan. Wayne Kinsella says that there were a number of factors that might have contributed to that defeat.

‘A couple of lads who were big starters were missing, like Jack (Doyle). We were going well, we had won the hurling league, the lads nearly won the football league, you can’t win every game either. Maybe it was a lack of concentration. Against Glenealy the first day we were a bit flat as well. We had even pointed it out to ourselves that Kiltegan would be waiting for us. Maybe we got a bit wound up in our own heads.

‘In the second game against them we realised that you have to give respect to every team you play,’ he added.

A pointed out after the semi-final, discipline is a major factor in the transformation of the Carnew hurlers. Respect is a big word in the language of James Hickey but it’s not something that he enforces. It’s more of a natural occurrence says the Carnew captain.

‘It’s not like he’s came in a said that we have to do this or that you have to do this. He didn’t come and say anything directly. It just comes from him. It’s the way he approaches the players and officials. He doesn’t enforce it. He did say at the start that he had seen that we had got cards before but it’s not something he’s preaching,’ he said.

Confidence is high in Carnrew, there’s no denying that. Kinsella was in no doubt that they would beat Bray.

‘The second half is still a bit of a blur. James came to us at the start of the year and said to us in the Corner House that the goal for this year would be two county semi-finals, Intermediate football and Senor hurling. He wanted us to go one step further. Coming into that semi-final I had no doubt whatsoever that we would win that match. I had no fear that we were going to lose.

‘It’s the belief we have in our ability and our ability to finish out games. We’re finishing way stronger now than we were. James Hickey instills that confidence in us,’ he said.

Glenealy stand in Carnew’s way of recording a much-needed championship victory for the Wexford border club. Kinsella believes that the talent is there and that the ability is there within the ranks. All they have to do now is go out and prove it.

‘I know we set out the goals of getting to semi-finals and he (James Hickey) says that we have surpassed those goals but when you get to a final you want to win it. He says the same. He has every confidence that we can win this. For me, I believe that we can win this 100 per cent.

‘We believe that we have the ability to win. That had faded. We are in the third final in four years. A lot of people were saying that Carnew were gone. Sometimes all it takes is a manager to make things click. We were in two finals against Bray, missed last year and now we are back in it again. If you keep knocking on the door, you’re going to get in. The talent is there. Everyone has bought into it so much,’ he added.

After an early period of uncertainty in the county grounds, Wayne Kinsella has taken to the captaincy role with eagerness and a natural ease. It’s not premeditated, he doesn‘t feel the need to make big speeches. He lets his playing do the talking.

‘At the start of the year I was finding it hard to play in Aughrim. I was playing at full-forward, now I’m in midfield and Aughrim is not the same as other pitches. It’s bigger. First couple games it took me a while to adjust with my positioning and things like that.

‘The captaincy doesn’t come into my head when the ball comes to me. I don’t think I have to this or that because I’m captain. I just stay in the middle of the field and try and motivate the lads.

‘James Hickey says I’m a ‘quiet captain’ and it’s hard to believe with all the shouting that I do. In the dressing room I don’t have to stand up and preach or motivate, there’s enough lads in there to do that.

‘Maybe I was getting caught up in that for the first few games. Now I just go out and play and try to lead on the field,’ he said