David Moran and Tommy Walsh will be key for Kerins O'Rahilly's. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
WILLIAM HARMON WILL spot a recognisable face in opposition when he gets to the Austin Stack Park sideline on Sunday.
He is trying to steer Kerins O’Rahilly’s to Kerry senior football glory, Wayne Quillinan is a familiar figure that will be trying to do similar for Austin Stacks.
“We go back a long way.
“I know Wayne well and we worked together and we are good friends. After the club championship match we met and we said we would go for a cup of tea when everything is all over.
“It hasn’t happened yet which is probably good for both of us and it won’t happen until after Sunday but hopefully it will happen in two weeks and Wayne will be paying the bill!
“We worked together with IT Tralee and we were involved when managing Milltown/Castlemaine my home club, so we are good friends. I have massive respect for Wayne as a coach and what he has done with Stacks, winning three club championships in a row, a couple of league wins. If I can achieve half of what Wayne has achieved , I think I will be doing okay, so I have a bit to go.”
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Austin Stacks manager Wayne Quillinan. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Both are trying to coach their teams to victory in a highly novel decider in the Kingdom. It is 85 years since the two clubs met in a Kerry senior final, 58 years since two clubs from Tralee contested at this stage.
The local football rivalry is ratcheted up this week but Harmon is staying detached from that.
Kerins O'Rahilly's manager William Harmon. INPHO
INPHO
“As coaches we have enough to be doing, planning sessions, focusing on the teams and players and I can’t speak for Wayne. But from my point of view and I have experience of being involved with my own club in big games, I find it easy to divorce yourself from all that noise.
“You are so focused on the next training session, the next game that I don’t get caught up too much in that. It’s a historic occasion but we can’t let that get to us, so we will be focusing on getting ready and shutting out the noise among the supporters.”
This is Harmon’s second season in charge with the Strand Road club.
They fell short at the first hurdle last year in a season where preparations were interrupted by Covid-19. He arrived armed with a decent coaching CV, recently involved when South Kerry lifted the Kerry senior crown in 2015 and reached the final in 2017, along with a role with Laois when John Sugrue was boss.
“To be honest I think this Kerins O’Rahilly’s team has very similar values to South Kerry in terms of how they go about their business. I actually believe that Kerins O’Rahilly’s are a country club in the town if that makes sense. There is that family feel to it and that is what I like about the club. I like that togetherness and family atmosphere within the club and that is what attracted me to the club.”
“I did know there was a good group of lads at the club and would not have got involved if I though there weren’t. They are honest lads, hard working lads. So I always believed that this team had the talent to achieve something.”
Jack Savage is part of the Kerins O'Rahilly's side. Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
Harmon hailed the character his team has displayed this year in recovering from a heavy league final loss to Dingle and the manner in which they dug out a victory in the second half of their county semi-final against Dr Crokes.
“I do believe that the experiences and the losses we suffered along the way this year has made the group stronger and has helped develop it. Most of them have been in two semi-finals in 2017 when they lost to Crokes and 2018 when they lost to South Kerry and they wanted to get to the next level.
“Players want to take a bit of ownership and I do believe that they stepped up at the right time. Against Dingle in the League final when we fell behind by 1-8 to 0-3, things did not go well for us so I reckon fellows said are we going to allow that to happen again.
“That helps character building. I also believe in that inner drive in players is very important in terms of let’s have a go and players play with a bit of freedom and they just want to get over the line. I think that the players have to take a lot of kudos for the character they have displayed in the championship to date”
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'I always believed that this team had the talent to achieve' - Tralee derby in Kerry final
WILLIAM HARMON WILL spot a recognisable face in opposition when he gets to the Austin Stack Park sideline on Sunday.
He is trying to steer Kerins O’Rahilly’s to Kerry senior football glory, Wayne Quillinan is a familiar figure that will be trying to do similar for Austin Stacks.
“We go back a long way.
“I know Wayne well and we worked together and we are good friends. After the club championship match we met and we said we would go for a cup of tea when everything is all over.
“It hasn’t happened yet which is probably good for both of us and it won’t happen until after Sunday but hopefully it will happen in two weeks and Wayne will be paying the bill!
“We worked together with IT Tralee and we were involved when managing Milltown/Castlemaine my home club, so we are good friends. I have massive respect for Wayne as a coach and what he has done with Stacks, winning three club championships in a row, a couple of league wins. If I can achieve half of what Wayne has achieved , I think I will be doing okay, so I have a bit to go.”
Both are trying to coach their teams to victory in a highly novel decider in the Kingdom. It is 85 years since the two clubs met in a Kerry senior final, 58 years since two clubs from Tralee contested at this stage.
The local football rivalry is ratcheted up this week but Harmon is staying detached from that.
“As coaches we have enough to be doing, planning sessions, focusing on the teams and players and I can’t speak for Wayne. But from my point of view and I have experience of being involved with my own club in big games, I find it easy to divorce yourself from all that noise.
“You are so focused on the next training session, the next game that I don’t get caught up too much in that. It’s a historic occasion but we can’t let that get to us, so we will be focusing on getting ready and shutting out the noise among the supporters.”
This is Harmon’s second season in charge with the Strand Road club.
They fell short at the first hurdle last year in a season where preparations were interrupted by Covid-19. He arrived armed with a decent coaching CV, recently involved when South Kerry lifted the Kerry senior crown in 2015 and reached the final in 2017, along with a role with Laois when John Sugrue was boss.
“To be honest I think this Kerins O’Rahilly’s team has very similar values to South Kerry in terms of how they go about their business. I actually believe that Kerins O’Rahilly’s are a country club in the town if that makes sense. There is that family feel to it and that is what I like about the club. I like that togetherness and family atmosphere within the club and that is what attracted me to the club.”
“I did know there was a good group of lads at the club and would not have got involved if I though there weren’t. They are honest lads, hard working lads. So I always believed that this team had the talent to achieve something.”
Harmon hailed the character his team has displayed this year in recovering from a heavy league final loss to Dingle and the manner in which they dug out a victory in the second half of their county semi-final against Dr Crokes.
“I do believe that the experiences and the losses we suffered along the way this year has made the group stronger and has helped develop it. Most of them have been in two semi-finals in 2017 when they lost to Crokes and 2018 when they lost to South Kerry and they wanted to get to the next level.
“Players want to take a bit of ownership and I do believe that they stepped up at the right time. Against Dingle in the League final when we fell behind by 1-8 to 0-3, things did not go well for us so I reckon fellows said are we going to allow that to happen again.
“That helps character building. I also believe in that inner drive in players is very important in terms of let’s have a go and players play with a bit of freedom and they just want to get over the line. I think that the players have to take a lot of kudos for the character they have displayed in the championship to date”
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GAA Kerins O'Rahilly's Kerry William Harmon