Flanagan speaks to the media for first time since appointment as Kildare manager

New Kildare senior football manager Brian Flanagan emphasised the important of patience and long-term thinking as well as the importance of developing his team’s strength and conditioning and mental resilience, when he met with the local media in Manguard Park on Wednesday night.

Flanagan unveiled a backroom team that will include the Sports Surgery Clinic’s Neil Welch as lead Strength and Conditioning coach, assisted by the highly regarded Newbridge man Dean Ryan, from Swim Ireland, while John Buckley from the IRFU will act as Performance Coach while Emer Fogarty reprises her role from Flanagan’s All Ireland winning under-20 set-up as Sports Psychologist.

Flanagan, who came across as thoughtful and articulate, believes he laid the right personal foundations for the step-up to senior inter-county management over the last eight years and acknowledged to local media tonight that it had been an ambition of his over the last twelve to eighteen months to make that step up.

The Johnstownbridge man had the self-awareness to go away and develop himself to arrive at this point at a time when he felt he could handle the job.

“I came in with Kildare in 2016 with Cian O’Neill and he gave me an unbelievable opportunity at that stage in my career. I would have sensed that ‘I may need to go back here and start again.’ I just felt for my own sake I’m not really ready for inter-county yet. So, at that point I stepped away.” And so, he did.

“I stepped away and built myself from my education, my own experience, from club football, underage and college football, back in inter-county, underage with Kildare. To the point that maybe two years ago having got momentum with the ‘20s, I began to feel credible, that this is now becoming a real thing for me again, and I can start focusing again on the Kildare seniors, whenever it was to come up. I wasn’t necessary in any great rush to do that, but I felt that when I stepped away from the ‘20s last year that whenever the opportunity came up, whether in twelves months, or three years or four years, I would go for it.” Flanagan comes across as a meticulous planner with an eye for detail and he has used his time wisely.

“In the meantime, I kept a very close eye on what was happening in the county, in the club setting, in underage, keeping an eye on players and planning for this opportunity when it came. So that once the job was there I was going to go for it.” The last few weeks have primarily been about finalising his management team and getting out watching games, although you get the sense there is no one in the county with a better knowledge of the players coming through and available, particularly when you combine Flanagan’s local knowledge with that of coach Damien Hendy, a minor coach this year, and selector Daryl Flynn, a Moorefield selector.

Flanagan confirmed he won’t be holding open trials as such, given that knowledge of the playing resources that exist in the management team.

Armagh’s Aidan O’Rourke, who coached Kildare previously under Kieran McGeeney, and who Flanagan regards as the best coach he ever worked with, will be lead coach with Hendy as assistant coach and Flynn’s role will be as a selector.

Flanagan elaborated on the “huge importance of Strength and Conditioning,” in his approach to building his management team. Flanagan highlighted the relationship Fogarty built up with the under-20’s many of whom you would expect to come through into the senior set-up under his watch and the resilience she helped to create within that group.

“The challenge in Kildare is we all know we have underage success and the challenge we’ve maybe found is the transition of talented young underage and schools footballers into senior inter-county footballers.

“I think a lot of that step up is around athletic conditioning and strength and conditioning in general. So that theme was definitely an area of huge importance for me in building out the backroom. I worked with Neil in 2016, have had a good relationship with him since. I know he’s very well regarded by the players and from that point of view I was keen to get him on board from day one, to lead that team. He was also very keen to get back involved, he’s always had an affinity for Kildare GAA and would still know a lot of these players very well.” “But, especially in year one with an extended panel, I knew it was too much for one person. Dean has huge experience from AFL to horseracing to athletics to GAA to rugby and a Kildare man who’s very keen to get involved.” Buckley will be supported on Performance Analysis by Kate Timmons with Stephen Sheeran continuing on video analysis.

Laura Kealy remains as Nutritionist with Breffni O’Donnell as physio and Owen Gallagher as doctor.

Asked about his goals, Flanagan emphasised the importance of the four-year element to his appointment and the need to build something sustainable over that time.

“The most fundamental thing in year, is we want to make sure we have the best footballers in Kildare available to us, and fit and ready to play when match day comes, and I think that’s the number one priority. Get the best players, make sure they’re interested and willing to play and everything else and trying to create a culture and a connection within that group that will serve us in year two, three and four.” When asked about any specific short-term targets, such as getting out of Division 3 next year, Flanagan called for patience.

“You have to be competitive in everything you play, no matter what the competition. We won’t be prioritising any one over the other. At this stage there may be a little bit of movement (in timing) in championship and things. Every competition we want to be very prepared for, whether that’s Tailteann or Sam or the League. I know everybody will look at Division 3 as a very tangible and realistic goal, that you want to be promoted and win.

“But we also want to be patient with this team. We are going to be transitioning players in. We are going to have a new group, new faces and debutants. That doesn’t come without risk and if we hit one or two few wobbles along the way, while trying to do the right things, then I’m okay with that. I think it will serve us well over the long-term. In year one, as long as we make inroads in terms of the team and the connection and everything else, then we’ll be happy.” 

Full Kildare Senior Football Management Team 

Brian Flanagan – Manager 

Aidan O’Rourke – Lead Coach 

Damien Hendy – Assistant Coach 

Daryl Flynn – Selector 

Neil Welch – Strength and Conditioning Lead 

Dean Ryan – Strength and Conditioning 

John Buckley – Performance Analysis Lead 

Kate Timmons – Performance Analysis 

Stephen Sheeran – Video Analysis 

Laura Kealy – Nutritionist 

Breffni O’Donnell – Physio 

Eoin Gallagher – Doctor 

Emer Fogarty – Sports Psychologist