Gavin White has hailed the impact of Tony Griffin in the aftermath of Kerry’s defeat to Mayo last month.
The 1-19 to 0-17 reverse was Kerry’s first in Championship football in Killarney for 28 years but they have recovered since by beating Cork and Louth to top their group, with an All-Ireland quarter-final against Tyrone next up on Saturday.
Manager Jack O’Connor recruited Griffin as a performance coach having used him in that capacity during his time with Kildare.
Ahead of last year’s All-Ireland final, O’Connor was gushing in his praise of the impact that the former Clare hurler was having.
“He has a unique way of doing his work, he gets fellas bonding as a group and opening up to each other and really getting tight as a group,” the Kerry boss explained.
And he was central to managing the fallout from the Mayo defeat, according to White.
“Tony has been unbelievable, in fairness to him,” said the wing-back. “He did a lot of work with us before the game and after the game in particular.
“We didn’t feel like we were undercooked going into the game, but he really settled fellas back down after the game.
“He did help an awful lot of fellas and the team as a whole. He was a huge addition last year and this year he has been really good as well.”
Still, for all Griffin’s qualities, he couldn’t completely wash away the stigma of being part of the side that relinquished a 39-game unbeaten home run, dating back to the 1995 Munster final defeat to Cork.
“Obviously you don’t want your name recognised with that unfortunately but that’s just the way it goes, we haven’t really focussed on that much really,” White explained.
“There was huge disappointment in the dressing room after the game but we knew there was plenty left to go in the season, it wasn’t as if we were out of the Championship or anything like that.
“We obviously knew we made an uphill battle of it and were probably going to have to play three games in three weeks. But you can’t change it now, no point thinking back on it and sulking over it.”
He added: “We didn’t feel we were undercooked going in, nobody feels like that. Maybe looking back on it, obviously the result speaks volumes for itself, we probably were a small bit undercooked and a small bit off on the day.
“Does that come down to not playing Division One opposition? Possibly. Another factor was Mayo had five or six weeks before that to prep.”
White can streamline his own preparation that bit more at present given that, as a PE and maths teacher at St Brendan’s, Killarney, he has the rest of the summer off.
Football was “definitely a big factor” in his decision to pursue a career in teaching.
“I enjoyed doing the Cul Camps growing up and obviously PE with the sporting background I have was kind of natural enough.
“Maths, funnily enough, wasn’t my first line of options. I didn’t get my points the first year, so I repeated. That repeat year I really zoned in on the maths.”
The 26-year-old expects to be fully fit for Saturday’s quarter-final against Tyrone after a calf injury ruled him out of the win over Louth, and the down time is very useful to that end.
“It certainly helps from a recovery point of view. Now, there are pros and cons to it, when you are in school you are in a routine – you are not staying in bed until 10 or 11 o’clock. There is definitely that side if it.
“From a recovery point if view, last year before the final obviously I had two weeks and I absolutely zoned in on getting the knee right first and foremost, get my body right for the game, which I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was in school.”
