Kilkenny man takes the reins as manager of Kildare camogie team

Kilkenny-man Mike Wall has taken the reins of the Kildare Camogie side for the coming season.

Wall is a former Offaly Camogie manager and a two-time Minor All-Ireland winner with his native county.

Kildare Camogie has endured a turbulent 12 months following their withdrawal from Leinster and All Ireland Championship action in 2023 by the County Board in May of this year.

The side’s initial withdrawal received nationwide attention and criticism following a statement by the Kildare panel, via the GPA, regarding player welfare and facilities issues.

An independent review was carried out following full confirmation of the side’s withdrawal from the provincial and All-Ireland Championships.

New manager Mike Wall said that Kildare are now in a much better place; adding that he has full confidence, based on conversations he has had, that the Lilywhite players that left in 2023 will return ahead of next year’s Division 3A campaign.

“The reception and feedback has been quite good and to be honest it doesn’t really surprise me. What went on last year was very disappointing. I don’t want to comment too much because I wasn’t involved, but from what I have been led to believe and what I see, there were mistakes made and those mistakes look to be heavily rectified now,” Wall said.

“I won’t be using what happened as an excuse, no matter what happens this year. I’ve been to an awful lot of club matches (in Kildare) over the summer and particularly in the last couple of weeks as the Championships wrap up, and the passion for camogie out there seems to be fantastic and better than ever. So it's really up to us as a management team, along with the clubs, County board, players to all buy into this to make the best possible set up we possibly can.”

Wall is no stranger to Kildare Camogie and spent a year and a half at club level in the county with Athy, as well as being approached for the job in 2020, when he was unable to accept due to other commitments.

“I wouldn’t have had the time to give the Kildare job what it deserved (in 2020). I did spend about four weeks coaching the team until they got a manager. After seeing the dedication that was shown in that short space of time, the drive and the will for camogie in the county, I always said if things worked out in the future I’d like to return. I coached Athy Camogie so I wouldn’t be completely alien to what is going on in Kildare,” Wall explained.

Shrewd Move
The decision to bring in someone like Wall who has had previous experience with the Kildare panel and knowledge of Camogie in the county certainly looks like a shrewd one on paper following a tumultuous 2023.

Even considering the unique circumstances, Wall’s first days as Kildare boss have been similar to any other inter-county manager as he has rarely been off the phone to players and staff regarding preparations for the forthcoming season.
A particularly crucial aspect of his new role after somewhat of a squad exodus last year.

Wall said, “The hope would be that you would get as many players wanting to play for Kildare as possible and especially that we get the best, strongest and most experienced players in the county. That’s hard to do in any county, not just Kildare. A lot of them have been contacted by now, there are still some I haven’t been able to make contact with but anyone that has been in and around the panel will be getting a phone call if they haven’t already.

“Our goal is not to just put 15 players on the field, our goal is to put the best 35-player panel together for Kildare Camogie to help drive them on to the next step” adding “the appetite that is shown at club level is fantastic, by players, clubs, everyone. Even with the way the Championships are run, I have seen nothing but positives from my time in Kildare. We have to look at keeping getting stronger all the time and fingers crossed we can do that.”

All the discussion of 2023 can now be put behind the Kildare Camogie set up and that of course will be a relief to their new manager, but in particular to his squad of players.

“My hopes for 2024 is to put pride back in the team first and foremost and we have a league campaign in Division 3A first up. We haven’t met in full yet so we haven’t set any goals as a complete panel, but to compete at the highest possible level that is available to Kildare at the moment is what we would be saying,” Wall said.

“If a trophy or two comes our way or we are competing for one, we would be very hopeful of that too. What is important now and what we are thinking of in the next three or four weeks is getting the panel in place, getting the procedures in place and doing the very best job we possibly can for the county.”

The construction of the Kildare panel is next on the agenda for the Kilkenny man, but a lot of the background work has been done as Wall confirmed most of his management team as well as Manguard Park, which has been nailed down as the Camogie team’s home base for the coming year.

The two-time Minor All-Ireland winners staff include two fellow Kilkenny men in Damien Donoghue and Ger Walsh as coaches and selectors, alongside Johnstownbridge’s Tanya Johnston.

Sallins man Niall Herbert has been confirmed as the sides strength and conditioning coach, with another number of staff being added, such as performance coaches, dieticians and sports statisticians that have also come on board.

Wall concluded, “We are all aware that once my time comes to an end, Kildare camogie will go on and will hopefully be in a stronger position.

“But it is up to us to put the procedures in place that whoever comes in after us will have to stick to those high standards and keep bringing players through and have them see the value in playing the game of camogie for Kildare.”