It begins as a chat about the long-term future of the International Rules and soon turns into a debate about the immediate future of Gaelic football. Joe Kernan is now suitably qualified in both, for the former All-Ireland-winning manager with Armagh is taking over the Irish reins for the 2015-16 series with Australia.
Indeed the first thing Kernan notes about the International Rules is that Irish players should never be beaten on skill:
“If someone told me that an Australian could kick a Gaelic ball, a round ball, better than us, I wouldn’t believe them,” he says – which is effectively what happened in Perth last November, where the Australians won the series by 10 points.
With that Kernan also promises that whichever players he assembles for the one-Test series in Croke Park on November 21st (promising too that every player, from every county, will be considered) the absolute priority will be skill. There is no room for the thick woolly blanket defence in Kernan’s book.
Play with intensity
“We will go back to the traditional way, play with intensity, use the ball and see how the Australians cope with that,” says Kernan.
“All Irish teams I have seen over the last number of years, have brought that to the game. Last year after a bad start, they were magnificent the way they played. We finished strong, which isn’t the way it’s supposed to be, against professionals.
“But our catching ability shouldn’t be in doubt, and we’ll also want to kick the ball, on big, wide open spaces like Croke Park. And that’s what we’ll try to coach the boys to do, move that ball long and fast. If you can’t kick it, and have the assurance that when I kick it I know where my man is going to be, well, that’s what we’ll try and get back to.
Practise enough
“And maybe over these last few years, we’re not kicking the ball as long as I could. I can only say what I did in management myself, of my own club and county, we did kick the ball and that’s what we’ll try and get back to. It’s only a matter of refreshing it. It’s like riding a bike, you don’t forget, but sometimes you have to get up and practise it enough.
“Maybe teams aren’t practising it enough here, at the minute, but that is one thing we are going to be working on, big time. You have got to kick the ball every night you go training. It’s as important as running.”
And with that Kernan turns to the debate on the immediate future of Gaelic football – which some commentators claim is facing “death”.
“Everybody is talking about one or two games at the weekend but there were three or four other games which were excellent. Some people get caught up in that, but to me, our game isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be,” he said.
“Come the championship, and the speed of the ground, things will change. There were some unbelievable games in the championship last year and there will be this year. People are under pressure to get results at this time of year, and sometimes revert back to doing things that you thought worked for you before or think will work for you. But this is a simple game, boys, keep it simple.
“And that’s the challenge. Sometimes you’ll be caught in the middle, and be crowded. And we’ve become very technical in certain ways. But this is 15 players, 15 positions, a bit of movement and moving the ball. It’s so simple if you see it down on paper.”
Kernan also agrees that one of the recent adjustments to the International Rules – whereby all kick-outs much pass the 45-metre line – may help improve modern Gaelic football:
“I think it’s a good idea. It means the contest is not in your full-back line, it’s out the field. But I’m not in county management anymore so I can’t really talk. All I can say is that for this game here, it’s ideal. If we get it out to the middle of the field, one more kick will get you in to where you want to be.”
Kernan maintains firm in his support of the hybrid game and says critics don’t understand what it means to the players.
“You think of Leighton Glynn (Wicklow) and other boys from counties who never won anything, but starred for their country, and to me that’s amazing for them, and their club and county and province.
“These players give their life to our game, and yet very few people ever have an Irish jersey in their house. My own son Aaron played one game, he has an Irish jersey in the house, and we’re all very proud of it.
“To me there’s no greater award you can get. So anyone who runs it down should think about why the players want to play it. They want to represent their country.” l Kernan has confirmed his three selectors as Pádraic Joyce (Galway), Darragh Ó Sé (Kerry) and Dermot Earley (Kildare), who between them represented Ireland 13 times.
