Leixlip's Brian Fahy Very much a part of the new Kildare For a change let's start at the finish and an incident which shows the type of man Brian Fahy, the flying Kildare half forward is, says GERRY HAND At the end of this interview Fahy turns around and says "Thanks very much for taking the trouble to talk to me." This comment is a rare one in dealings with many of today's sports stars of all codes. So we we have established Fahy as a nice guy, but nice gut's don't always cut it at the highest level in Gaelic football, the feeling, however, is that this one will. A feeling backed up by Fahy's revelation of the extent of his dedication to the game - a dedication so fierce that it saw him out kicking football everyday over the recent Christmas holiday. Yes, every day including Christmas day itself, though Fahy is fair enough to admit that but for a chance encounter in the street of his native Leixlip he mighn't have bothered at all. "I bumped into Arthur French, a former Kildare player and Leixlip club manager, and he asked me would I go up for a kick around, and sure, who know's me will tell you I'd do anything for a game of ball." There's more to the 5'11" and growing Fahy, much more than someone who loves going for a kick of the ball, anyone could do that - not everyone has the talent to make it at county level. A talent which saw Fahy endure the heartbreak of a Leinster Minor final hammering by Meath in 1990, a defeat that was harder to take because there was so much more expected of the Lilywhites Under 18 side that year. "We were hotly fancied inside the county anyway, to go all the way that year as a lot of them would have been in their second year at minor level, but Meath destroyed us in the final. I remember one chap called "Scobie" who was deadly from frees that day - everything he kicked went over." The St. Marys man must have done something right that day as he was among those called into trials when Mick O'Dwyer took over as team boss in the Shortgrass county and even now, nearly two years on, Brian still recalls the spectacle he witnessed when he arrived at Newbridge the day of the trial games. "I'll tell you I was hit harder in those games than I have ever been at county level - everyone wanted a place on the panel and that was without O'Dwyer even saying a word to any player at all." A dedicated 'keeper of a scrapbook listing all his football efforts to date, Brian heads off to check the book to see exactly to see who he made his inter-county Senior debut against, but fails to locate it. A guess, however, comes up with "I came on as a sub against either Antrim or Cavan in last years league, but I couldn't swear which one it was." Ah yes! Last years League, Kildare's re-emergence in the big time and a defeat in the final by Dublin. So what went wrong? I mean, after all the script should have read that O'Dwyer swept gloriously to a trophy in his first year in charge, so who rewrote the plot? Fahy looks back on one particular on one particular incident in the final as the turning point of everything - an effort by Darragh McKevitt which didn't quite come off. "That is one incident I can still see clearly. Darragh's shot hit the top of the post and came back down. That turned the whole game. Mind you, if you remember John O'Leary had a super game in goals for them, so we had our chances to win, perhaps, looking back, lack of experience cost us." Perhaps, indeed, but there is no way that excuse holds good for the Drogheda debacle against Louth which saw Kildare bow out of the Leinster Championship campaign at the very first hurdle. Even now Fahy can only offer some lame excuses for that defeat by Louth and is honest enough to admit it. "the loss of John Crofton at full back hit us badly but even allowing for that when Jarlath Gilroy scored his goal, I thought we were home and dry but they still came back." the voice trails off then continues "what can I say - thats football." Defeat still rankles with Fahy even a year on - a sure sign of the fierce competitor that he is and he owns up "I hate losing - hate with a passion." So has O'Dwyer mentioned this years Championship yet or is the League still the focus of attention, even in his short space of time in the Senior squad, Fahy has shed a lot of his naiveity and while he'll answer any question and talk forever he doesn't even reveal much at all. "Yeah, he's mentioned the Championship alright, what is it now? 26 weeks away or something - the training has been geared towards that but after last year, I don't want to build up my hopes to high - none of us do." Playing as he does with St. Marys, Leixlip, Fahy is ideally placed to assess the comparisons between O'Dwyer and his former Kerry sidekick Jack O'Shea, who takes the training at the club sessions and he confirms that the Kerrymen operate in quite a similar vein. "Jacko would do a lot of things at club level that we would be doing at county level with O'Dwyer, so I'd think it is fair to say he picked up things over the years." A couple of other Fahy observations are interesting, especially one comment he makes about Mick O'Dwyer. "I'd say he is really a frustrated player - he loves football, eats and sleeps the game. People people who say he is in it for the money don't know the man and certainly would never have involved in football with him at any level. Also, don't forget he is a very successful hotelier, so he wouldn't need the money, he's a great man to build confidence in a team." And would Jacko get his place on the current Kildare side? - a tricky poser for young Fahy who comes up with a frank answer. "In club games Jack might be operating at say 40% at times and then when it's needed he steps up not just one gear but four or five and he's in a class of his own. At that, he still has plenty to offer at county level, no matter who it's with." It is at club level Fahy now finds himself under pressure as being one of the county side, and a regular this League campaign, he is becoming a marked man. "You'd get a lot more attention at a club now than you'd be used to, but I find the pressure is more self inflicted. You always seem to feel you have to produce to sort of justify your place on the county team." And even if Jacko doesn't declare for Kildare, then Brian is likely to be joined by a clubmate on the county team. "Ronan Quinn was called onto the panel at the same time as I was and is now making the breakthrough to the team - he is very useful and has great pace." Fahy, in fact, is full of admiration for many of his teamates and is somewhat annoyed that Kildare didn't figure more noticeably in the recent all star awards. "Martin Lynch won his award on merit but Davy Dalton should have got one - his League campaign was just unreal, he was outstanding." Although he is no relation of one of Kildare's footballing experts, Shay Fahy, the Leixlip lad believes that had Tompkins and the other Fahy stuck with Kildare, then it wouldn't have done them any harm at all. "They're good players and would of have emerged as such no matter who they were playing. Tompkins would have been a great leader of any attack anywhere." Rumour has it that there was a note of financial discord in the row that led to Tompkins' departure to Cork and while Fahy claims to know nothing of that he is full of praise for the financial backing the Kildare Supporters Club has given the County teams. "Well, after training now we eat in the Talk of the Town restaurant in Newbridge, and according to lads like Paddy O'Donoghue, who played in the dark ages, you'd be lucky then to get a ham sandwich, and there was a train laid on for a friendly down in Kerry the other week - the players appreciate that sort of thing." It was in that Kerry challenge game and a League encounter, as well, that Fahy feels he has encountered his toughest opponent to date. "A chap called Liam Flaherty of Kerry is the best I've met yet. He is tough and that is an understatement but he's also as clean as a whistle. In general, opponents would see me coming onto them and know I'm a young fellow, they'd try to suss you out physically. But sure, I can handle that sort of thing." A former Leinster Senior League Youth player at soccer, Fahy is one of these who feels that the G.A.A. top brass erred over the R.D.S. affair but for different reasons than many. "It would have shown up soccer for what it really is - slow and boring at times. Gaelic Football is so much faster - scores are coming more often. In Gaelic, look away for a minute or two and you miss some sort of the action. The G.A.A. would have benefited so much out of the double header. It was a great opportunity lost to promote the game." There is an interesting little tester coming up for Kildare in the shape of an away League encounter against Meath - a game Fahy looks forward to with some relish. "Okay! so it is only a League clash, but they have been the best side around for some time now and it is, or at least it should be, every players' ambition to test themselves against the best." And the prospect of putting one over on the Minors of 1990, who have graduated onto the Meath senior side doesn't come into it - you must be joking! "Yes, of course I'd like to put it over them. Revenge is sweet, though, obviously it wouldn't be as sweet as, say, beating them come Championship time." One thing is for sure, win, lose or draw Fahy and his opponents won't be having a post-match pint together. The Kildare men have recently sworn off drink. "I've knocked it on the head recently. Late nights and drinks don't go to well with training. I might go down to my local at the weekend, but no drink at the moment. Anyway, there's time enough for that." An old head on young shoulders or a legacy of time spent training with O'Dwyer, it is hard to tell, but what is assured, or so it seems, is the long term future of Kildare football. "The number of good young players coming through is amazing, and even if O'Dwyer left, say at the end of this season, the legacy of his work will in the youngsters who have switched onto KIldare football since he has arrived." And, of course, there is the newest Kerryman of all on the Kildare scene, current Goalkeeper Kieran Moran. "Actually we have quite a few goalies in the county, though it might be a few years yet before they come through. Kieran's a fine 'keeper with a good kickout." Not it transpires as good a kick out as one Fahy came up against recently. "We were playing Dublin in a challenge and this new lad Pender was kicking the ball into our half against the wind. Afterwards, nobody was talking about anything only his phenomenal kickouts." Citing Tommy Howard as possible the best referee around, although he got him mixed up with the Kildare Minor Coach, Christy Howard at first, Brian goes on to offer an interesting view on the whole subject of men in the middle. "There should be far more communication between players and refs and by that I mean in the shape of meetings and discussions on a regular basis , refs should be allowed to explain decisions in the media after a game just to get things clear." The parting comment is significant. "I said Tommy Howards the best referee around, but I still hope he doesn't get either the Leinster or All Ireland final this coming year. I hope he's up there roaring us on!" Lest anyone forget Tommy Howard is from Kildare. Brian Fahy - a man with a mission. Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 14th February 1992 Tweet

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