The Kerry minor manager says ‘Absolutely, you want to win an All-Ireland every year, but if Kerry can produce players every year, isn’t that more important?’
As the Kerry minor football manager fine-tunes preparation for Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Derry at Cusack Park in Mullingar, the Tralee-based personal trainer admits that he is absolutely loving being in charge of this young group of Kingdom fledglings.
“I’m a person that if I’m going to do something, it has to be 110 per cent, whether that’s my clients at work, or the lads on a football team. Whatever it is, you have to give 110 per cent, and I expect that back as well,” he said.
“Your day is motivating, and thinking how your clients can get better, and suggestions for them, and it’s the same for a team. It’s just all-consuming, and it brings a smile to my face, because it’s exactly who I am. I’m just all-in for whoever you’re dealing with. I absolutely love this job, absolutely love it.”
With four victories on the trot over Cork (twice), Tipperary and Roscommon, Quillinan continues to emphasise the maturity in this particular Kerry squad, while also stressing that the entire management have learned a lot from last year’s experience in this competition.
“The big thing that I’ve said about this team is the maturity, and I’ve said it a lot of times, but I’ll keep repeating it, because it’s the same. That’s down to the whole group. They are so mature, they understand that we won the quarter-final, but that’s not our job done,” he added.
“We’ve a mentality within the group ‘what’s next’. After that game, the next day was recovery, the management team met, we knew we were playing Derry. We had to go planning straight away, and that was it, onto the next one.
“I can’t over-emphasise in year two that the experience we got in year one is just so beneficial for us. I was involved in club football for a long time, but it’s just a total different dynamic when you’re dealing with the inter-county scene.
“We were there last year. You can talk about Derry having the experience of a final, but that’s irrelevant for a semi-final. We’ve the same experience, with eight guys that were involved last year. It’s really though, from a management point of view, that we’re managing it a lot better than we did last year.”
Just like the Kerry under 20s this year, this is another underage Kingdom squad that is capturing the imagination of the watching footballing public in the county. Yes, their scintillating recent performances have undoubtedly helped that, but so is the camaraderie that has been building from week to week.
“The great thing about it is that the lads inside are comfortable enough to be themselves around us. That’s the first thing you need to show, as a coach to your players, is how much you actually care for them. Then they relax, and be themselves.
“The more relaxed they are, the better opportunity that goes back to them of learning more, preparing better, and then just trying to perform at their very best. It’s about a team spirit, that’s been our number one play for the team. Lose your individual identity for the sake of the team.
“We have preached that from day one with the boys, and they have lapped it up. The banter they have inside there, the fun they have inside there, it’s a part of why I love the job, the whole experience. To make the experience fun for the guys, while learning, is so, so important at this age.”
On the opposite side of the coin, Quillinan appreciates that the Kerry public also demand success, but it’s how you define that, especially in the younger age grades, that occasionally annoys the Austin Stacks man. Is lifting the All-Ireland really the be-all and end-all for 15, 16 and 17 year-olds?
“There are so many guys, and you can say the same about last year’s minor team, that I know personally, but their commitment, their drive, their actual talent, it tells me that the future of Kerry football is huge, it’s massive,” he stressed.
“Regardless of what happens on Saturday, looking at these guys, and seeing them in training day-in and day-out, I know their ability, I know their intent. That makes me hope that the Kerry public can see what I can see. I just have a huge belief and confidence in that group of players.
“This game isn’t about me at all, or the management team. I spoke about it last year, it’s something that I look at, and I think it’s not right, this kind of perception that if you don’t win an All-Ireland, it’s failure.
“Along the way, we got to a semi-final last year, developed players, we put things in place, lifestyle-wise, backed by the County Board, and six of them went on to Kerry 20s, in their first year this year. Is that a failure?
“People have to look at things, do they have the knowledge, and, second of all, there are two parts of this job. Absolutely, you want to win an All-Ireland every year, but if Kerry can produce players every year, isn’t that more important?”
