CORK’S KEARNEY GOES OFFLINE TO KEEP CAREER ON TRACK
Cork star sticking to social media exile after being victim of internet rumours last year
DANIEL KEARNEY typed out the short and succinct message and pressed send. ‘Just to clarify, I have not left the Cork hurling panel and the recent rumours that say otherwise are totally false and have no basis.’
And with that, he left all forms of social media behind. It has been over a year since the Cork midfielder posted that terse sentence on his Twitter account, denying he left the panel in the wake of the dismal Munster Championship defeat to Tipperary.
He hasn’t been back to it and insists he doesn’t miss it.
Hardened by his own experience, Kearney reckons that it is better for inter-county players to avoid the various traps and landmines that are planted across social media. The wild rumours that attach themselves to all county teams are no longer the preserve of lads on a high stool, who heard what happened at training the previous evening.
In the age of Facebook and Twitter, those tales can rage like a wildfire across phone screens within hours, as the recent example in Tipperary proved. For his own sanity, Kearney prefers to exist in a state of blissful and wilful ignorance to what’s being said on social media and internet forums.
Perhaps, he would still be on Twitter if he hadn’t been the subject of a wild internet rumour himself. He doesn’t know. As Leeside came to terms with Cork’s poor display against Tipp last summer, a post on Facebook claimed that Kearney, who was called ashore early in that game, had walked off Kieran Kingston’s panel. It moved swiftly across the information superhighway. The only problem was that there was no truth to it.
‘I never knew where all of that came from, to be honest,’ the 27year-old explained on the eve of today’s Munster final against Clare. It was just a Facebook post and it got momentum.
‘That’s the modern age. Stuff just gets thrown around on social media and people believe it.
‘It was frustrating at the time. Your name is getting dragged through stuff like that. It’s unfortunate but there’s nothing you can do. It’s out of your hands. I suppose that kind of stuff comes with the territory.’
The rumours reached Kingston’s door very quickly, who immediately rang Kearney looking for clarification. ‘Kieran rang me alright. He knew that it wasn’t true. But I suppose I talked to him about getting a bit of clarification and I suppose that [going on Twitter] was his way to do it,’ the Sarsfields man recalls.
‘I had friends and people like that coming on to me, WhatsApp going mad. It was a few days, really of a bit of commotion. In the modern age, that’s the way things happen. But to be honest, as I have got older, I have learned to stay away from the media. You try to step away from it in terms of matches, because a lot of it could influence the way you play and your perception of a player, things like that.’
Given that he has an interest in current affairs, Kearney, an accountant with Voxpro in Cork, would prefer not to have to swear off Twitter. But he gets most of his news the traditional way.
‘I’m very much into current affairs and try to read a newspaper every day, just to try and keep up with what’s happening in the world,’ he says. ‘It’s part of my job to keep up with what’s going on — nationally and globally. But you have Brexit and Trump and all of that is feeding into politics in Ireland.
‘There are no surprises now when you wake up in the morning and listen to the news — anything could happen. But I like to keep up with that stuff because if you don’t step away from hurling at times, because you train so much and are playing so many games, you would get fully consumed by it.’
And with Cork hurling in the past few years, that is to be consumed by gloom and negativity. Kearney emerged as a star when the Rebels made the 2013 All-Ireland final, losing to Clare after a thrilling replay. But their stock had fallen so low by last summer that it was wondered when Cork would be back. ‘Given how hurling has gone in the last few years, it is very competitive and sport by its very nature, you are never going to be winning all the time. Losing is just as much a part of the game as winning is and 2015 and 2016 especially were tough years,’ Kearney explained.
‘We didn’t play and perform as would have liked to or expected to. They were tough, but it’s all about dealing with that, learning from it and just keep going on. Sometimes it’s easier just to throw in the towel, put the head down or give in. When you are down, it takes more courage to just keep going and keep trying to improve. I suppose that is why we are where we are today.’
It was only a year ago when it was doom and gloom in Cork hurling. There was a lack of underage success. Wexford had just ended their summer with a first Championship victory over the Rebels in 60 years. But Kearney believed that things were never as grim as was being suggested.
‘I think at times, this idea of the state of Cork hurling was getting built up too much. I know there has been a lack of underage success but there are good players in Cork. Playing club championship, you can see there are very good young fellas out there and there are more out there to come as well. I think we’re in a good frame of mind, we’re level-headed, we’re focused, we’re not getting carried away with our performances and we’re just looking forward to this game.’
Kearney endured a frustrating spring. He suffered a wrist injury against Kilkenny in the National League which sidelined him for two months and when he was getting back to full fitness ahead of the Tipperary match, he injured his Achilles tendon. It meant that his summer appearances have been restricted to a 10-minute cameo off the bench against Waterford the last day.
‘I am feeling good now,’ Kearney stated. ‘I am injury-free, finally. I had three months when I couldn’t puck the ball or do any gym-work, so it was very frustrating. I was out for two months with the wrist injury and then I had just come back, and
Stuff gets thrown around and people believe it, that’s the modern age
When you are down, it takes more courage to keep going
I hurt my Achilles a month before the Tipp game. So it was basically three months of no hurling. Very frustrating.’
When Cork last captured the Munster title in 2014, Kearney was key to their game-plan in midfield, setting up Paudie O’Sullivan for the vital goal.
However, his three months on the sidelines mean that if he will make an impact this afternoon, it will be from the bench, as he did against Waterford.
‘From my point of view, like any player on the panel, I just want to make a contribution. If it’s a minute, it’s a minute but you just want to get on the field. Thankfully, I got 10 minutes against Waterford and hopefully, will get some time against Clare.’
Given that just over a year ago, some keyboard warriors had decided to cut him from the panel, Daniel Kearney is just going to savour every moment of this latest Rebel rise.