Stand-in Kildare captain Kelly sees league final as 'stepping stone' on the way to championship

Kildare vice-captain Peter Kelly is not looking towards silverware as the main attraction ahead of Saturday’s league final against Clare. The Two Mile House defender sees the benefits of having a run out on the Croke Park turf ahead of their Leinster Championship opener against Wexford in a little over four weeks as a bigger bonus for making the Division 3 decider. While it does present the opportunity for Kildare to put some silver into the cabinet in Hawkfield, many players will be making their first appearance in Croke Park, and that seems to be the most important thing for Kelly ahead of Saturday’s game. “It’s just another stepping stone on the way to championship. It’s not the be all and end all, I suppose nobody will really remember next year who won the Division 3 league final. It’s nice to have the extra match, it’s good for the new lads on the panel and they can get the experience of Croke Park, which can be daunting for some lads. They can get the nerves out of the system before we play Wexford a few weeks after that, so it’s just good to get the extra match really,” said Kelly. Kelly has had to fill the captaincy role in the absence of Eoin Doyle, who has yet to return from injury, and despite expressing his pride in leading the Lilywhites out all year, he says that his attitude towards preparation and playing the game hasn’t changed a bit. “I’ve kind of had to step in with Doyler being out, but it’s not a huge thing either. You still have to go out and to play your game and maybe have a few extra words in the new lads’ ears. To be honest, even if I wasn’t captain I’d be doing that anyway, so it hasn’t really changed anything for me. Obviously it’s a big honour for me to do it,” he said.