BUILDING ANOTHER BRICK
Kerry’s hurlers have arrived at a position where they can compete with game’s elite
IT’S a stage they have been on before. Once. Ten years ago, Kerry hurlers found themselves on a doublebill that contained plenty of household names when their Division 2 final with Dublin served as the appetiser to Kilkenny’s Division 1 final with Limerick. The TG4 cameras were in Semple Stadium, although few in the live television audience had much reason to remember Dublin’s eightpoint win in an unremarkable game.
A Limerick man was steering the ship back then, too, as Rathkeale’s Gerry Molyneaux was at the helm. But that’s where the similarities end. If Sunday’s Division 1B match with Wexford is simply the starting dish ahead of the repeat of the 2014 All-Ireland football final, the live television coverage means that the revolution i n Kerry hurling has gone national. And after Ciarán Carey’s young side had pushed his native Limerick to the limit, following on from their defeat of Laois, there will be plenty of curious folk tuning in to see if they can take a substantial scalp in Wexford; some just tuning in to see if there’s finally a new hurling team edging its way towards the game’s elite.
When Kerry hurlers last had a League game broadcast live on television, Shane Brick was their outstanding player. He was their brightest spark that afternoon in Thurles, as he was so often the leading light during over a decade fighting the good fight in green and gold.
Having brought down the curtain on his county career a couple of years ago, Brick is simply an on-looker in this revolution. His only contribution to the cause is providing t hem with hurls, through his company, Shane Brick Hurleys.
But he has been impressed by what he’s seen to date. ‘Things have gone well so far, but the thing about being in Division 1B is that the tests keep coming,’ Brick said.
‘They did well to beat Laois and gave a good account of themselves against Limerick but there will be even more watching them on Sunday, to see what they can do against Wexford.
‘But this has been building over the past four or five years. Ciarán is just continuing the work of those that have been before him. And the big thing was that they kept Damien Reale on board in strength and conditioning, that has had a serious effect as you can see in the players this year.’
Brick reckons in his decade toiling for Kerry, two League games were broadcast live on television — the Division 2 finals in 2001 and 2006, when they went down to Antrim. Even though they spent time nudging their way to the edge of the elite, they could never truly make the breakthrough.
When Brick considers the development of this current team, he highlights the i mpact of the Christy Ring Cup.
‘When I started off with Kerry, the League was structured differently and even though there were a couple of years when we got into Division 2 finals, we then had to compete in the Munster Championship. And it was very difficult, year after year. Whatever small bits of progress that were made, we might lose heavily in Munster and be back at square one.
‘With the Christy Ring, Kerry have been able to play teams at their level for a couple of years and have only progressed when they were ready for it. It has been gradually building over the last few years.
‘This year, they are in the round robin of the Leinster Championship, against teams at the same level. They are up in Division 1B after beating Antrim last year, they haven’t had to take massive steps. It has all been gradual and the team have benefitted because of that.
‘But there will be a lot more eyes on them now on Sunday. It’s a big stage, sharing it with the footballers who are facing Donegal. So hopefully, they can rise to it and give a good account of themselves.
If they do, they will generate even greater interest,’ he added.
Kerry’s tussle with a Wexford side that are under pressure will be the first glimpse supporters will get of the new sand carpet pitch at Austin Stack Park, complete with the new 13m goalposts that are identical to those in Croke Park. The redevelopment work is still on-going.
Just as the development of Kerry hurling continues. Win or lose on Sunday, this will be the first time that Ciarán Carey’s side can impact on the national psyche and hurling may finally be able to welcome a new team. That alone should be cause for celebration – even in the footballing Kingdom.