'It is not working' grassroots air discontent at Kildare County Board meeting

A short meeting was anticipated but as Ger Donnelly remarked before proceedings got underway at the Kildare GAA June Co. Board meeting, those are the meetings that often drag on for one reason or another, and he was right.

​The main topic of the night was undoubtedly Bryan Murphy’s contribution, now firmly wearing his Head of Football Development for Kildare, but there was much more besides.

The disappointing attendances at recent Kildare games was commented on, and very forcibly at that. The need for additional referees was raised, not for the first time by Dave Cahill of Coiste naÓg.

But the ‘chat’ about where Kildare senior football team is the item that undoubtedly will garner the main headlines and generate the most comment.

The success at minor and U20 level is brilliant, but we have not seen that success bolster the senior side to a degree that one would expect.

As said above, the issue of success, or in this case, the lack of success at county level was raised and while Co Board Chairman, Mick Mullen, asked, on more than one occasion, for patience, his plea fell on deaf ears, well on some at any rate.

After various contributions concerning the underage success, one delegate wondered aloud when commenting on the senior team.

“As supporters we have given the team a chance, but it is not working.”

The words of Kilcock chairman and county board delegate for his club, Brendan Nurney.

READ NEXT: Kildare minors advance to All-Ireland semi-final with win over Kerry

Now Brendan is, undoubtedly, one of the best supporters around. Rarely, if ever, misses a game, he is passionate, he is totally involved at ground level and he undoubtedly knows his football.

On Tuesday evening at Cedral St Conleth’s Park, he aired his frustration, and did not hold back.

“Am I missing something here,” he enquired.

Am I the only one that can see this is not working? he implored.

"Brian Flanagan has been in the manager’s role for just two years now; we have gone from Division 3, to Division 2 and now back to Division 3 again” adding “maybe I’m the only one that sees this is not working, at present, but it is simply not working” insisted the Kilcock man.

The chairman replied: “We will be having a review at the end of the year” something he repeated on a few occasions throughout the evening, adding “but we need to support the team.

“"I sent out a letter back in May to all clubs, to fly the Kildare flag, there is nothing, absolutely nothing.” Brendan Nurney intervened again saying “we have” meaning Kilcock.

Rathcoffey delegate, John Flood chipped in saying “I asked at a county board meeting some ten years ago, ‘was all the talented footballers born in other counties rather than in Kildare,’ answering his own question he said there ‘are as many talented footballers born in Kildare as anywhere else but what happens them’?”

The Rathcoffey man went on to ask “did Westmeath get lucky in getting a good manager, because they weren’t so good last year. I have a dream that I might see Kildare winning an All-Ireland, but I am running out of time, he added.

“The transition between minor and U20 to senior seems to be where it is all falling down” said Flood, “if it takes a high-powered committee to get the right person so be it, set it up, Louth got the right person, Westmeath got the right person, Donegal have the right person; they are no better footballers than us but we have to ask the question why” insisted Mr Flood.

Winding up that part of the debate, disjointed and all as it was, the chairman intervened again asking for support, asking for people to come out and support especially in the upcoming game against Kerry.

“We have to support the team, we must believe we can defeat Kerry, we have done it before and we can do it again” he said, then asking “do you believe we can defeat Kerry?”

The response: silence. We move on.

Appointed by Chairman Mick Mullen back in September of 2025, Bryan Murphy, gave an update on his role in recent times. No doubt Murphy will give the position his all, and while he may still have the lilt of a Cork accent, his heart, his football heart, is well and truly in Kildare.

Passionate, committed and a man with various and varied plans to lift football up in the county, as he says himself it is something that needs to be lifted from the bottom up and the top down.

Recently he organised a seminar with the chief speaker being Gary Keegan, a leading high performance advisor for both business and sport, by all accounts well received.

Murphy also organised a similar event at his home club in Clane in which Stephen Rochford was the main speaker in a coaching workshop session; it was, in the words of Bryan Murphy, “a wake-up call, very informative and insightful.”

The former Kildare hero, remember ‘98, has many plans in the pipeline in particular involving underage coaching, looking at getting more coaches into schools, along with giving Hawkfield an “enhanced cultural identity.”

We await to see the fruits of his labour.

The attendance at recent games involving Kildare also came in for comment by Bryan Murphy and hurling boss John Burke.

Murphy said that at the Kildare-Westmeath game Kildare were out-numbered by possibly as much as 2-1 while John Burke said “it was embarrassing at the recent Kildare v Offaly hurling clash at Newbridge it which the home side were out-numbered by some 80-20.”

At the end of the day it is all about winning, and don’t let anyone say any different.

This is not just Kildare, look at the Leinster final Dublin v Westmeath, the attendance? 16,500.

Success breeds success and without it the numbers will fall and continue to fall.

That is the task facing Kildare. Both on and off the field.