From struggling to form a panel to aiming for the Christy Ring title next year- Joe Quaid interview

Speaking ahead of Kildare’s Christy Ring Cup semi-final against Meath last month, Joe Quaid quipped that St Conleth’s Park was not going to be a cauldron of noise when the Royals took to the field in Newbridge. The number of supporters that turned out for the majority of the Lilywhites’ games this year was disappointing to say the least, although not entirely unexpected.

What a far cry that must have been for a man used to playing in the hurling amphitheatre that is Semple Stadium, when he commanded the goal line for the Limerick hurlers for the best part of a decade. He was under no illusions when he took the job however, and he contends that taking the Kildare job was not about boosting his CV, but boosting the profile of hurling in the county. He even claims that short-term success was sacrificed at the expense long-term development.

“We took the job on a development footing. I didn’t want to bring in outside players. We could have brought in five outside players this year, and we probably would have won the Christy Ring, but at what cost to Kildare hurling? It would have been great for me; it’d look great on my CV. But that’s not why we took the job, that’s not why I’m involved in GAA,” began Quaid.

“We saw an opportunity to go from a 35-point defeat in their last competitive match last year to rebuild the panel. There’s an awful lot of coaching still to do as well,” remarked Quaid.

Teething problems

The former All-Star goalkeeper was in no denial that he would have to pull together a squad of players by asking them to turn up, rather than lads turning up at Hawkfield with hurls in early December raring to go, but he did admit that it was hugely disappointing to have his eyes opened at the lack of interest in hurling in the county. Such was the reluctance by some players to train with the county side, Quaid had to make sessions lighter than he would have wanted, so he could entice more men into the setup. That had a detrimental effect on the team’s fitness.

“I said to ye around the time of the Kehoe Cup that I couldn’t understand why lads wouldn’t come in around the panel, and didn’t want to play for their county. I suppose as the year went on it became clear that fellas that initially weren’t interested, were getting interested. So they obviously liked the setup, and the way we went about our business. I suppose the one thing that did hinder us was that we were trying to put in a setup that wasn’t as tough as we’d have liked it to be. I don’t think the lads were as fit as we wanted them to be. You didn’t want to bring lads in and absolutely kill them; you were trying to make it attractive to come in.”

Fitness issues

One of the hallmarks of the hurlers’ performances this year was their ability to really up their game in the second half, which would contradict the notion that they were off the pace in terms of fitness. When it was put to the Kildare manager that training must have gotten tougher as time went on and more players made themselves available to the panel, he outlined how the new additions made training more competitive and they pushed each other on, rather than the management team having to flog them.

Kildare finished the 2015 season with a chastening defeat at the hands of Kerry in the Christy Ring semi-final, losing by 36 points to the eventual champions. This season has seen a marked improvement in fortunes, as the Lilywhites secured their status in Division 2A of the National League, while an agonising three-point defeat to Meath in the Christy Ring semi-final brought an end to their year last month. Meath went on to draw with Antrim in the final, proving that Quaid’s charges are not that far off the required standard.

“Would we have been ready to beat Antrim? We probably could have, but I don’t think we would have been ready to go up and compete in the Leinster Championship next year. We’re just that bit behind. Not much behind, but just that little bit at the moment,” remarked Quaid.

No to Kehoe

Kildare captured the Kehoe Cup at the beginning of the year, brushing aside the challenges of teams such as Longford, IT Carlow, Trinity College and Maynooth University with considerable ease. Those games did little to prepare the side for the rigours of Division 2A hurling, and Quaid outlined that if his side aren’t promoted to the Walsh Cup for next year, they won’t be competing in a pre-season competition whatsoever.

“The Kehoe Cup definitely didn’t help us this year. We went into the league way off the pace,” remarked Quaid.

“I’m hoping we’ll be put into it[the Walsh Cup]. I’ll put it this way, if we’re not left into the Walsh Cup, we still won’t be playing in the Kehoe Cup.

So what are the plans for next year? It’s quite simple really. “We need to stay in 2A, and hopefully competing at the top end of it. Certainly, the Christy Ring Cup is the priority now,” concluded Quaid.

The Ulster Bank employee has plenty of time to prepare for the beginning of next season, and he continues to live in native Murroe, but he plans on taking in plenty of the Senior Club Championship games in Kildare this summer, while his involvement with the Kildare U21 side will also ensure that he’s never too far away from his adopted county.