DECLAN KIDNEY was yesterday named the Philips Sports Manager of the Year for a second time. The current Irish rugby coach earned the award for his success with Munster in last season's Heineken Cup, when they beat Toulouse 16-13 in the final at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Kidney last won the award two years ago, again for taking Munster to European Cup success.
"Dream year? Every time I wake up it is a dream day," he said yesterday.
The Cork coach has now become a serial winner of the monthly award, having pocketed eight since 1999. Since the event began back in 1982, Kidney is only the third rugby coach to win the yearly award following former Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan in 2004 and the late Mick Doyle back in 1985. Kidney had to fight off quality competition and afterwards said he was "humbled" by winning.
Brian Cody, who won the All-Ireland Hurling Championship with Kilkenny for the third time in succession, Aidan O'Brien, winner of 23 Group One races this season, Billy Walsh and Peter Taylor, the respective coaches of the men's Olympic Boxing Team and world champion Katie Taylor and Mickey Harte, the Tyrone Gaelic football manager, were all contenders.
"When you look at the calibre of other people inside of that room . . . Brian Cody - if he was in any sport . . . what they have set up in Kilkenny is huge," said Kidney. "Mickey Harte, what he has done, what the boxers have done, what the lads in the club games have done . . . to be picked out of that lot is extraordinary really.
"One of the tricks you learn in Munster is that you can't afford to think like that (dwell on success) because then you get deflected from what is happening. We have had to cut ourselves off from it. In an hour's time when I am away from here I will have to cut myself off again because the time for looking back is when we're finished. Right now it's the next match. When I was lucky enough to be here a couple of years ago I think we had a match 48 hours afterwards. I don't this time, that's fine. It is special but you can't afford to think like that. But if you can give that much joy to people that those other 11 have given that's brilliant."
Kidney uniquely won the monthly award three times - in January, again in April and once more after the final in May.
"I really don't know what to say," added the coach. "I do honestly believe it's about the people I represent," he said.
"I think there is a group of about 70 of us involved - 30 players, another 14 or 15 who are full-time and another 10 or 15 who are helping, and then that guy Ian Fleming - the amount of work he does is huge.
"I'm here representing them and all of the supporters too. It's certainly a special journey for want of a better way of putting it. They were special times but I really just see myself as accepting the award on their behalf."
