Difficult choice looming for Kearney with two huge fixtures set to clash 

Newbridge is a town that loves its sport, especially when its own teams are involved.

But even by the town’s lofty standards, Sunday, October 4 promises to be a cracker, with Newbridge sides involved in two of the most high-profile local sporting games of the year.

Matches between Sarsfields and Moorefield need no introduction. Simply put, it is the biggest club game in Kildare GAA. Even more so when it comes in knockout football, as is the case with their upcoming Joe Mallon Motors Senior Football Championship quarter-final.

That game throws in at 4pm. Two hours earlier, in Doctors Road, Clane, the KDFL Lumsden Cup final between Newbridge United and Kildare Town gets under way.

Kildare Town are seasoned campaigners in the competition and are appearing in their fifth final, but it is a huge occasion for United. It is their first appearance in Kildare soccer's showpiece event and they become the first Newbridge club to reach a Lumsden Cup final since Liffey Celtic lost to Castle Villa in 2016.

Caught in a tug-of-war between the two fixtures is Ryan Kearney.

Kearney is not just any player. He is a key figure for both Sarsfields and Newbridge United.

Much of Sarsfields’ attacking play flows through the centre half-forward, who is as much a creator as he is a scorer.

If anything, he is even more influential for Newbridge United. One of the standout performers in the KDFL this season, he underlined his importance by scoring both goals in their 2-0 Lumsden Cup semi-final victory over St Anthony’s.

Unfortunately, the chances of either game being moved at this stage appear remote, leaving Kearney facing a hugely difficult decision.

Fixtures of this magnitude are planned long in advance and, now that they are confirmed, the needs of the respective opponents also have to be considered.

One of the most difficult jobs in local sports administration is fixture scheduling. There are a myriad of factors for organisations to weigh up within their own competitions without worrying about what may be happening in other codes.

That is what makes Kearney’s predicament so unique.

Such clashes were far more common before the KDFL switched to a calendar-year season in 2008. Back then, top GAA players were happy to spend their winters playing soccer, while soccer players regularly lined out for their local GAA clubs during the summer. Players making the kind of decisions that Kearney is faced with were far more prevalent then. 

There have, of course, been other dual players in recent years, but how many have done so at Kearney’s level? How many are simultaneously a key player for one of the county’s leading GAA teams and the most influential performer for a Lumsden Cup finalist? Very few.

That leaves Kearney stuck in the middle and facing a near-impossible choice. He is simply a hugely talented young sportsman who would dearly love to play his part in both games and do his best for both clubs.

Without a perfect solution in sight, that appears impossible.

Whichever game he misses will be all the poorer for his absence.