RETURNING CORK HURLING manager Kieran Kingston acknowledges that there is some unfinished business with regard to the role but he isn’t losing sight of the size of the task at hand.
Kingston’s appointment as success to John Meyler – whom he preceded – was confirmed at last night’s Cork county board meeting at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and he was unveiled along with U20 manager Pat Ryan, minor boss Dónal Óg Cusack, U16 manager Noel Furlong and high-performance manager Aidan O’Connell this morning.
Having led Cork to the Munster title in 2017, Kingston endured an All-Ireland semi-final loss to Waterford and he is keen to improve on that. However, Cork lost to Kilkenny at the quarter-final stage this year and Kingston is cognisant of the need to improve.
“We have to be realistic as well,” he said.
“We are where we are – if you take the top ten or 11 teams in the country, at the moment, based on results, we’re a mid-table team.
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“There’s a massive challenge there and a huge amount of work to be done, I’m very aware of that, but there’s still a hunger and a passion to get that holy grail and have us competing at the top table on an ongoing basis.
“There’s a degree of that [unfinished business] but there’s a passion and a hunger for hurling and it never goes away.”
When Kingston departed at the end of 2017, work commitments were cited as a major reason. This time round, he is happy that the landscape is satisfactory for him to resume.
“At the time, when I did leave in 2017, I had very good reasons for it,” he said.
“I didn’t rule out, if the opportunity arose, coming back at some stage, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.
“Once John decided to step down and support came from the players and the people around this table, I said that if I could add something to the group then I still had the hunger and it was an itch I had to scratch again.
“Once the opportunity came, I grabbed it with both hands.”
But he is clear in his intentions that it isn’t just about taking part.
“I’m not here to be competitive,” Kingston said, “we’re here to win if we can at all.
“I know it’s a massive challenge, not just for me but for everyone at this table. I suppose we’re starved of success and you heard what Tracey [Kennedy, county chairperson] said there, since 1990 we have won four All-Irelands and next year is 14 since we’ve won a senior.
“Everybody is focused and you can see with the appointments at board and Aidan [O’Connell, high-performance manager] that it’s about trying to create a winning culture and one that puts Cork in a position to compete at the top table at all levels.
“We know it’s not going to be easy and I’m certainly not going to sit here and give any guarantees or promises except that we’ll do everything in our power to have Cork competing into the future.”
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Kieran Kingston on Cork return - 'At the moment, based on results, we’re a mid-table team'
RETURNING CORK HURLING manager Kieran Kingston acknowledges that there is some unfinished business with regard to the role but he isn’t losing sight of the size of the task at hand.
Kingston’s appointment as success to John Meyler – whom he preceded – was confirmed at last night’s Cork county board meeting at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and he was unveiled along with U20 manager Pat Ryan, minor boss Dónal Óg Cusack, U16 manager Noel Furlong and high-performance manager Aidan O’Connell this morning.
Having led Cork to the Munster title in 2017, Kingston endured an All-Ireland semi-final loss to Waterford and he is keen to improve on that. However, Cork lost to Kilkenny at the quarter-final stage this year and Kingston is cognisant of the need to improve.
“We have to be realistic as well,” he said.
“We are where we are – if you take the top ten or 11 teams in the country, at the moment, based on results, we’re a mid-table team.
“There’s a massive challenge there and a huge amount of work to be done, I’m very aware of that, but there’s still a hunger and a passion to get that holy grail and have us competing at the top table on an ongoing basis.
“There’s a degree of that [unfinished business] but there’s a passion and a hunger for hurling and it never goes away.”
When Kingston departed at the end of 2017, work commitments were cited as a major reason. This time round, he is happy that the landscape is satisfactory for him to resume.
“At the time, when I did leave in 2017, I had very good reasons for it,” he said.
“I didn’t rule out, if the opportunity arose, coming back at some stage, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.
“Once John decided to step down and support came from the players and the people around this table, I said that if I could add something to the group then I still had the hunger and it was an itch I had to scratch again.
“Once the opportunity came, I grabbed it with both hands.”
But he is clear in his intentions that it isn’t just about taking part.
“I’m not here to be competitive,” Kingston said, “we’re here to win if we can at all.
“I know it’s a massive challenge, not just for me but for everyone at this table. I suppose we’re starved of success and you heard what Tracey [Kennedy, county chairperson] said there, since 1990 we have won four All-Irelands and next year is 14 since we’ve won a senior.
“Everybody is focused and you can see with the appointments at board and Aidan [O’Connell, high-performance manager] that it’s about trying to create a winning culture and one that puts Cork in a position to compete at the top table at all levels.
“We know it’s not going to be easy and I’m certainly not going to sit here and give any guarantees or promises except that we’ll do everything in our power to have Cork competing into the future.”
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Back in action GAA Hurling KIERAN Kingston Cork