Bryan Sheehan optimistic about Kerry's emerging talent
Pictured is former Kerry Minor footballer, Bryan Sheehan at the launch of the 2024 Electric Ireland GAA Minor Championships. This summer, Electric Ireland will use their social channels to spotlight players from across the Championships, in recognition of the major impact that playing Minor can have on young people’s future successes, on and off the field. You can follow the campaign on social media @ElectricIreland and via the hashtag #ThisIsMajor. Photo by Dan Sheridan/Inpho
By Cian O’Connell
When the Kerry call came from his pal Tomás Ó Sé, Bryan Sheehan wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity. As a selector with Kerry U20s for the past couple of years, Sheehan has learned many valuable lessons.
Was the coaching route something that captured Sheehan’s imagination during the closing chapter of his inter-county playing days? “When you do get to a later stage in your career, you do start thinking about the game a lot more from that perspective,” Sheehan says.
“You've all of that experience behind you, especially when you're involved in a county set-up, the amount of detail that goes into games is frightening, the video work, you've analysis on your man, is he right legged or left legged, where he moves from kickouts, where he runs from. All that information is available.
“Once that became more and more into the game in the latter stage of my career, I got the tingle for it in the sense that I'd like to go down this route, and in the future, I'll start doing a bit of coaching.”
Ó Sé had already established an interesting coaching CV so Sheehan was ready, willing, and able to provide assistance. “When Tomás gave me the call, I was still playing club football, and I've a young family,” Sheehan adds.
“It was an opportunity. Having known Tomás from playing with him with the seniors and travelling from Cork with Tomás for a couple of years. It was an opportunity I just couldn't say no to.
“I thought it would be a massive experience, just to learn from Tomas because he had been involved with UCC and Offaly, just to get my foot in the door in a county set-up, from that perspective it would be nice, dealing with top players.
“It is definitely something that has whetted the appetite for management, I just need to be conscious that I've a young family with three kids under the age of six.
Kerry U20 football selector Bryan Sheehan. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
“They are six, three, and 15 months so timing is going to be a big factor when I go at it, but it is definitely something I will do in the future. I can't say when or at what level.”
A gritty Kerry outfit, liberally sprinkled with players eligible for the grade again in 2025, reached the All-Ireland final, but were defeated by an accomplished Tyrone outfit. There was joy in the journey for Sheehan. “I know we lost the All-Ireland final, but other than that, it was an enjoyable campaign, to be very fair,” Sheehan says.
“We had an exceptionally hard working group of players. Last year we had a lot of individual talents, a good few of them have gone into the seniors in the last year. This year we had a great team dynamic, a group of hard working footballers, they gave it absolutely everything to get where we were.
“We probably didn't have the high calibre footballer that we had, the likes of Cillian Burke and William Shine. We still had very good footballers, their attitude all year was just fantastic.”
Sheehan acknowledges Tyrone’s durability and class. “You just have to take your hat off to an exceptionally good Tyrone side,” he says.
“If I'm being honest, I haven't come across a team that was as balanced from the point of view of athleticism, pace, power, footballing ability. They could kick with both feet, they had corner backs, who were as comfortable on the ball as the corner forwards.
“I do think there is a nice group of players there, we have nine of the starting XV underage again next year, and a few of them are underage the year after that.
“So, we had an exceptionally young team, hopefully they will learn from the hurt of an All-Ireland defeat, and bring that with them going forward next year.”
