Eoin Kelly keen to step into manager role

By Shane Brophy

Former All-Ireland senior hurling winning captain Eoin Kelly has said a step into management would be an ambition for him.

Kelly, who was part of the Tipperary management for three years under Liam Sheedy, including the 2019 All-Ireland final success, will be tasked with plotting the downfall of his native county among others this year after joining the Waterford management, under new manager Davy Fitzgerald.

The Mullinahone clubman admitted he missed being involved in elite inter-county level for the past year and as much about bringing his playing experience to Waterford, will be gaining more management experience for himself.

“It’s about bringing my own experiences as a player and from the management side,” Kelly said, speaking at the launch of the Coop Superstores Munster Hurling League where Waterford and Tipperary clash in the first game next Tuesday night in Dungarvan.

“I am going in with another All-Ireland winning manager Davy Fitzgerald and you are seeing what he brings to the table and how he goes about things. He is a manager who has been in the game a long time, eighteen or nineteen years between all his management so you are learning all the time.”

Kelly was involved with Tipperary from 2019 to 2021 under Liam Sheedy and despite being fully focused on playing with Mullinahone for the last year, felt he would be missing a chance to learn more if he stayed away from the inter-county game for another year.

“In this game the way it is gone, if you want to be involved you kind of have to stay involved,” Kelly explained.

“If you go away from it for a couple of seasons you can get left behind.

“I am looking forward to the challenge and see what it throws up, see the experience I will bring and what I will get from it as well.

“You are back in at an elite level and that is the thing that is appealing. You are dealing with inter-county senior teams, no matter what you say they go about their business differently.

“The big thing is seeing players come through individually, and then seeing them come together as a team, doing things you have worked on the training field and bringing them to the match-day.”

Kelly is following a similar path to that of former Tipp Brendan Cummins who spent time with the Laois and Kerry hurlers before finally taking the bridge of his own ship with the Tipp Under 20’s this past year. So, would managing his own team be an ambition some day?

“It would be it,” Kelly admitted.

“When you stop playing, that frees you up. When you are still playing wanting to hurl with your club I am still hurling.

“When you are coaching it does allow you that bit of time. Obviously when you are the manager it is full time. You are dealing with everything.

“I am getting plenty of experience along the way and hopefully someday when I want to be involved and put my name forward, I’ll have my CV and experience. The day is gone now where lads are just thrown into jobs because they played or performed for Tipperary.”

Kelly laments the inability to fully engage with the Tipperary players in 2020 and 2021, which were interrupted by Covid and he admits it played a part in not being able to transition younger players into the team.

“It probably did interfere with it,” he admitted.

“We didn’t get that full value of getting stuck into the players.

“Colm Bonnar brought through a nice few of those players last year, and they are a successful bunch coming through.

“The thing is senior inter-county is a different animal to under 20 and minor. The thing is to take the next step but the only thing in Tipp’s favour is there are a couple of guys there at the right age to bring them through. The new captain and vice-captain are 31 and 27 so there is a nice blend.

“Those young fellas now when you talk about them, they are not 18, 19, 20 anymore, they are at the right age, 23, 24, and they have something to prove.

“When you win a minor All-Ireland, you are not going to win a senior the year after. It was easier up to twenty years ago for that to happen but because of the conditioning of the players now it has put that out another three of four years.

“Cork won a minor All-Ireland in 1995 and won a senior All-Ireland four years later, now it might take a year or two longer with that conditioning. You only have to look at Limerick’s conditioning, that’s not a six-month programme coming into panel. Then when you change managements there is a new S&C guy so there can be a little bit of a break down.

Still Playing

Kelly, who turned 40 this past year, still aims to hurl with Mullinahone in 2023 and while he had more time to focus on his game in the last year with not being involved with Tipperary, he found his game suffered.

“I put all my effort into hurling. It’s gas, I would say I had a poor season,” he said.

“I’m not stupid, I’m 40 as well but did I learn anything? I probably did, I probably over-trained. I made over ninety percent of senior training sessions, but I wasn’t performing in matches. Then I got an injury and got a four week break and I felt I came back fresher and hungrier for it again.

“So, I learned that this year that you have to deal with older players differently than you do with younger players. Myself, I wanted to train because that is why I took the year off for. As a player now at forty you’d think you’d know how to time your run, but I’ll put my hand up and say I got it wrong.”

The arrival of the split season allows Kelly to focus on Waterford and developing his own management experience, but he will still be able to give Mullinahone his full attention in the second half of the year.

“I would have liked it as a (Tipp) player as well,” he said “because you put so much into your county, I remember we won a South final with the club in 2009 and all the lads were going out afterwards, and I was heading home as we had an All-Ireland final two weeks after. It was a nice complaint to have but you were trying to juggle it.

“Now, the county player goes back and is really a club player, with the lads and is not stressing about going out after a game.”

Next Tuesday’s game in the Munster League is the first of at least three meetings between Tipperary and Waterford, with the sides to meet in round 4 of the National League in March, before playing in the final game of the Munster Championship in Thurles on 28th May which could determine which team progresses in the All-Ireland series.

“Limerick are the one team you can say they will get it right,” Kelly feels.

“So, you are nearly looking at four teams for two positions, it is a tough ask.”