Skipper Flynn knows Kiladangan must perform

 

By Shane Brophy

When I caught up with Kiladangan captain Paul Flynn, he was just back from the gym on a non-training night.

Some might think that is the level of an inter-county player but this is what is takes to challenge for a county senior hurling title and all in the Kiladangan club will be hoping their wait for a first county title comes to an end this Sunday.

Whereas Loughmore/Castleiney had to negotiate a county football semi-final last weekend, Kiladangan were able to fully prepare for next Sunday’s hurling final showdown which is something Paul Flynn has welcomed after a relatively hectic schedule by their standards of five games in seven weeks beforehand.

“I’m happy enough to have a weekend off to enjoy for a change,” he admitted.

“The County Board have run it off fairly well. We didn’t play anymore than two weekends in a row, so it wasn’t too bad.

“Not having the North Championship to worry about in the middle of it was a help as well.”

Kiladangan are the only side to have been unbeaten in the championship so far but are improving with each game, unlike last year where their early season form was excellent but their levels dropped in the knockout stages, ending with the final defeat to Borris-Ileigh.

“We had a bit of a poor enough start but it worked out not too bad by drawing with JK Brackens at the start,” Flynn admitted. 

“We were hoping to get a win there but with every performance since we have been getting good results. We are heading in the right direction by getting better every day. 
“Getting our workrate up to scratch is our main aim every day we go out. We have that as we made a lot of tackles against Drom so we have to be happy enough with the way we are going.”

High fitness levels are needed with the style Kiladangan play with players constantly moving into space all over the field, with all players comfortable in possession as they aim to take the right option more often than not.

“All of us are fit and well able to cover the ground at this stage,” the Kiladangan captain added. 

“The way we hurl with direct ball has been working. It takes a bit of work to play the way we do but it comes down to winning your own battle with your man and that makes it a little easier.”

While Joe Gallagher has skipped the team superbly well for a number of years, the youthful nature of the Kiladangan panel saw the management opt for a younger player to lead the way, opting for 26-year-old Flynn who is at the older end of the next group of players that came through a successful underage group in the club.

“It was nice to be asked to captain the team but there is no added pressure,” Flynn said.

“There are lots of leaders there, Joe Gallagher, and then more of the guys at my own age so there is added pressure really comes with it. It’s an honour more than anything else. 

“It would be massive for us to get over the line. I’m not thinking too much about being the first Kiladangan captain to lift Dan Breen. You try and block out everything that comes with the match. It’s grand for other people to talk about the match but it is us that have to go out and do it on Sunday. We have to focus on it as just another game and whatever comes with it after that then great.

“We didn’t do ourselves justice last year and didn’t get the performance we would have been looking for on the day and you will take learnings from that.

“It’s not a case of turning up anymore. The only thing is if you don’t perform on the day you won’t win and that is what it is going to come down to against Loughmore. We have to get ourselves right mentally and physically and hope to get the performance.”