Kildare hurling captain Byrne hopeful players have some say on new manager as Quaid departs

Joe Quaid’s departure from the Kildare managerial post took some players by surprise admits Kildare hurling captain Brian Byrne, but there will be few within the camp not wishing their former manager all the best down the line in whatever he does.

Quaid is primed to take over the Westmeath senior hurlers, and it was confirmed on Wednesday that he would not be seeking another term as manager of Kildare. The Limerick man was there for three years, eventually going out on a high by guiding the Lilywhites to the Christy Ring Cup. For outside managers to come in and stay in a position for three years is normally quite rare nowadays, but Quaid had a hardened stance to improve hurling in Kildare and to claim some silverware at the end of it.

The man who lifted that piece of silverware on the steps of the Hogan Stand in June was Byrne, captain of his county at the age of 22 and one of Quaid’s most trusted players during his time here. Byrne made his debut under the former Limerick camogie manager in 2016 and was a constant in the team when available, before being promoted to the role as captain early this year.

“From the off we had a good relationship,” Byrne told KildareNow.

“We had our disagreements here and there, as you do with everyone you play hurling with but it’s all to learn and to get better. As a guy that gave me my first chance to put on a senior jersey for Kildare, it has been a good three years.

“I think as a whole team it was just fantastic – every one of his management panel to the whole team, they just wanted to improve Kildare hurling. We wanted to win and wanted to make Kildare hurling better, and after his three years there it is exactly what he has done. He has left us in a very good spot.”

Those who have dealt with Quaid in any capacity can testify to the fact that he is a man who likes to enjoy himself, lighthearted but also honest and committed to his convictions. He very much gives off the old school vibe of management, being able to enjoy the company of the players in downtime but also having the ability to rein them in if needs be. Striking a balance like that is a key cornerstone of managing at intercounty level – or any level for that matter – and Byrne spoke of a man able to understand the needs of the players.

“He gets the balance of craic and seriousness quite well,” remarked the Naas clubman.

“When it came to games and training he was extremely serious, and he spoke to lads quite often about basically everything. If they needed a kick up the hole they got the kick up the hole, but if they were doing well he told them they were doing well and that was it. When we had our weekends away where we were able to enjoy ourselves, there was definitely a bit of craic there. His backroom team and himself were really able to have a bit of craic most nights, especially when you’re training in November, December and January and it’s doom and gloom where you’re pucking ball in wet horrible weather in Hawkfield, it can be hard to dig down and work hard, but they were always able to lighten the mood and make sure there was always fun and enjoyment on those hard nights.”

A major part of the progression that Kildare hurling seen in the final year of Quaid’s tenure was the joint refusal of management and players to call in permit players. Under the rules governing counties in the Christy Ring Cup, Kildare could have called in five players from another county to bolster the team. In 2017 David Reidy, All-Ireland winner with Limerick two weeks’ ago, was among the players drafted in, and he was arguably Kildare’s standout performer.

But bringing players such as Reidy in, while helping to drive on standards, doesn’t do an awful lot for the progression of hurling in the long term. Opting to use only Kildare players in 2018 may be beneficial for years to come. It looked like a move that might have backfired when Kildare lost all five games in the league and suffered relegation, but they regrouped and managed to build momentum in the Christy Ring Cup.

“We weren’t playing the right way, we weren’t doing the right things in training. We felt that we could change that ourselves and it wasn’t up to relying on four or five other lads coming in from outside the county to do that,” he continued when talking about the issue of permit players.

“We could up our standards ourselves, and at the end of the day we did exactly that. We were rewarded with a Christy Ring, so I think the actions we took halfway through the league definitely reaped the rewards from it.”

The focus now turns to appointing a new manager for 2019, and members of the county board met last Thursday night to set up a committee to choose a successor. Some names have been bandied about – realistic and some unrealistic – and Byrne is just hoping that the players will have some input in the decision over who the manager will be.

“I would like to think that the players would have some say. Obviously, there is going to be a panel put together between the county board and other people that are going to have the final say, but I would like to think that the players would have some say or some contribution to the process that goes into picking the next manager. Nowadays teams are starting to train in November, so there is no point in sitting and waiting and seeing what happens. We have to step on this straight away. I know Joe is only gone, but we have to look at Kildare hurling as a whole because we need to make sure we are right and set up for next year.”