The Friday Interview: Martin Fogarty
April 19, 2013
Kilkenny's Martin Fogarty
There has been plenty of reaction to the news that Brian Cody will be away from the sidelines until June 9 when the Cats face Offaly in their Leinster SHC quarter-final, with Galway manager Anthony Cunningham suggesting that it will have a galvanising effect on the team, but trusted lieutenant Fogarty believes too much is being read into the nine-time All-Ireland winning manager's absence.
"It's no big deal," he says of taking over the reins from hurling's most successful manager.
"Michael and I were over the U21s when we won All-Irelands in 2003 and 2004, so managing a team is nothing new to us. There is no doubt that we have big boots to fill, but it's all about the players at the end of the day. We have very little influence once they cross that white line."
Weakened by injuries to many of their established stars, qualification for the knockout stages of the Allianz Hurling League appeared a long shot for Kilkenny after they lost their first two Division 1A games to Galway and Tipperary. But a one-point victory over Clare in Cusack Park got them back on track, and further wins over Waterford and Cork means they remain firmly on course to retain their league title.
"It was looking bad after the first two rounds," Martin admits.
"But even though Galway and Tipp beat us, we were happy enough with the performances. We competed decently and only lost by narrow margins in both games. There was no need for panic. Those defeats made our third game against Clare very important. We managed to come out of Ennis with a win and were lucky enough in the wind-up to get through to the semi-finals.
"There was a very fine line between success and failure in Division 1A this year. It could have been us, and not Clare and Cork, in the relegation playoff. There was only a puck of a ball between any of the teams."
The Castlecomer-based primary schoolteacher can understand why some counties are unhappy with the current league structure which sees just six teams compete in the top flight.
"I haven't given much thought to the structure, but what I will say is that it's tough on the team (Cork) which was relegated this year, and on a handful of teams in the division below us like Limerick, Wexford and Offaly, who would give us a good game any day of the week. The higher the level of hurling a team is exposed to, the better they will get, and I would certainly have sympathy for those teams who are good enough to be in Division 1A, but aren't.
"It was a very competitive Division 1A this year but, having said that, you would have to feel for the teams that lost out."
Fogarty explains that the All-Ireland champions are exactly where they wanted to be at the start of 2013.
"We always take the league seriously and this year has been no different," he stresses.
"To be in a league semi-final is great preparation for the championship. When you are in the shake-up for the league, you have to be happy. We'd be twice as happy if we could reach the final and win it. That would be the icing on the cake.
"One of our aims at the start of the year was to reach the knockout stages of the league and we've achieved that. We're in bonus territory now. We're also coming into championship territory and there is no better preparation for that than playing in a league semi-final or final."
Kilkenny's rivalry with Galway is arguably the keenest in hurling right now. On Sunday, they will meet for the sixth time in 13 months with two wins each and a draw in last year's first All-Ireland final leaving things delicately poised.
"Galway are an outstanding team," Martin asserts.
"They've become a force to be reckoned under Anthony Cunningham. They've huge talent and will have been boosted by St. Thomas' All-Ireland club success
"We've always had huge respect for them. They destroyed us in last year's Leinster final and put us to the pin of our collar in the drawn All-Ireland final. We were lucky to beat them in the replay. We will have to be at the top of our game just to compete with them. They could beat us badly like they did in last year's Leinster final if we're not careful," he warns.
Three first half goals from Davy Glennon, Niall Healy and Damien Hayes propelled the Tribesmen to a 3-11 to 0-17 victory in the most recent meeting of the sides at Salthill on February 24 last. However, the Kilkenny caretaker manager doesn't think that result will count for much this weekend.
"It won't have any bearing. Things have moved on a good bit since then. It's irrelevant at this stage. It's all about the next game," he maintains.
The Erin's Own clubman admits Kilkenny have one eye on their Leinster SHC opener against Offaly in Tullamore in six weeks' time.
"We have Offaly coming down the track and the game on Sunday is preparation for that. Offaly are well able to hurl; they have character and a tradition that they don't lie down. They'll be out to prove a point after the criticism they took for not getting promoted in the league, and I'm sure they'll have a few little traps set for us up in O'Connor Park!"
It speaks volumes for the strength of Kilkenny's squad that they have reached this juncture without star forwards Henry Shefflin and TJ Reid, while the likes of Michael Fennelly, Michael Rice and JJ Delaney have also had their injury problems this spring.
Fogarty says it's too early to say if Shefflin will be back for the Offaly game after he underwent further surgery on the foot injury he sustained whilst playing for Ballyhale Shamrocks against Oulart-the-Ballagh in last November's Leinster club championship. The injury is threatening to bring an end to the nine-time All-Ireland winner's remarkable record of having started every championship game the Cats have played in since Brian Cody's reign began in 1999.
"We hope to have Henry back to face Offaly, but it's the medical team who will rule on that closer to the time," he points out.
"We've had a good few injuries this year, but at least the situation is improving. It's hard on players when they are injured - they can get impatient. All that they can do is follow the medical programmes they've been given and try not to rush things."
Fogarty and former Laois footballer Dempsey have been with Brian Cody for the past seven years, during which time the team has won six Liam MacCarthy Cups, including four-in-a-row between 2006 and '09. Brian Cody is now in his 15th season as manager, and is aiming to guide the Cats to All-Ireland title number 10 in the coming months.
Fogarty represented Castlecomer outfit Erin's Own for many years before going on to establish himself as one of the most respected coaches in hurling. Tweet
