SHANE DIDN’T FEEL GREATER HEAT WITH DAD
SHANE Kingston says it was “a very weird and awkward situation” for himself and his father Kieran when the latter was Cork manager.
The pair did the maths recently from Kingston’s spell in charge — and Shane (26) almost always started.
“Obviously you want to start,” said Shane, as Eir launched their Championship coverage at Croke Park.
“He managed me for 18 Championship games and I didn’t start just one or two.
“When you look at it like that, it wasn’t that bad. It just felt bad! It was probably just the nature of when I was being taken off — maybe that was a bit harder.
“One time in particular against Antrim was probably the worst. I got taken off in the first half, which was definitely a low point.
“When you look back on it, the amount of games I played under him in League and Championship, it’s a nice thing to have.”
The pair didn’t really discuss their dynamic until Kieran left the Cork job after the 2022 Championship, with Pat Ryan taking over.
Situation
“I knew it was obviously a very awkward and weird situation for him as well as myself,” says Kingston, who has been ruled out of the Rebels’ Championship opener in Waterford on Sunday week following a hamstring injury.
“I can’t blame him for being harder on me because the last thing you want is to be ridiculed for nepotism or something. But he did the opposite, whatever that word is.
“Ah sure look, it was always for the betterment of the group.
“It worked well on one occasion against Kilkenny. It was up to me to be playing well and driving it on.”
Kingston hit seven points from play against Kilkenny off the bench in the extra-time All-Ireland semi-final victory in
2021.
“That’s obviously a narrative nobody wants, the impact sub or super sub,” he says.
“Look, I was fortunate enough to start the final (defeat by Limerick).
“It started well for me and went downhill then fairly quick.”
He continued: “There probably was that bit of added pressure but I didn’t really feel it to be honest.
“It was just he (Kieran) had to act fairly quick if things weren’t going my way, which is understandable, and it probably taught me a lesson.
“It feels like a lifetime ago now. I won’t be holding grudges with him anyway.”
According to Shane, it’s a better dynamic now between father and son, with Kieran not in the hotseat.
Tension
“For 99 per cent of the time, it was perfect,” he says.
“There was the odd time where I felt there could have been a hard call made, so there might have been a bit of awkward tension at home for a couple of days.
“But look, once you are back in training, Tuesday, Thursday, night you wouldn’t be long getting over it then either.
“I had it in ‘16 and ‘17. I can’t even remember what it was like back then. It wasn’t that weird either.
“We didn’t treat each other like father and son in there.
“I was just another player in his eyes, which was probably the best way to have it.”
The Rebels face the Deise at Walsh Park in 12 days’ time and are at home to Clare seven days later.