Pa Kelly Interview with The Echo
October 17, 2014
Red-hot Kelly is eager to make up for lost time
PA KELLY is producing some of the best football of his career right now, and Ballincollig have benefited enormously from his rejuvenation following a frustrating spell blighted by injury.
Kelly has recovered from a troublesome hip issue that curtailed him with both club and county in the last number of seasons. And right now there are fewer players on Leeside in hotter form than the schoolteacher.
Kelly has contributed 2-6 (0-1 free) to Ballincollig’s scoring cause in four championship ties thus far this term including 2-2 of their tally of 3-15 against Carbery in round four.
There is a theory on Leeside that he is performing as exceptionally as the playmaker is currently because of being motivated by the fact he did not feature as prominently as Kelly would have liked for Cork in the summer.
Kelly has always been a class act however, a clean bill of health was vital in order to truly show his worth again.
Now 29 and due to be married in December to long-term girlfriend Sarah, Kelly’s preparing himself to perform for Ballincollig on Sunday and not worry about how his 2015 inter-county season may shape up later on.
And the attacker is enjoying his campaign with Michael O’Brien’s charges.
“Everybody is very happy with how well the team is motoring this season,†Kelly said. “Personally, the body feels good and I am contributing to our wins so I am very happy myself, too."
“Training full-time now has really made a difference to me as well. In 2012 the hip started to come at me, as people would be aware of, I had a broken season because of that with injections.
“Last year then things were very disjointed after the first operation whereas this year, training has been going decently after things with Cork finished up especially.
“I missed one week alright with the hip but, by and large, I have trained fully which is cool, really.
“And with that then probably comes improvement in my own play. Fingers crossed that will last another few days at least.â€
When it came around to the first championship hurdle for Ballincollig this season, St Finbarr’s represented the obstacle to round four.
However, Jason Sexton’s in-house suspension robbed the Barrs of their most potent offensive operator for that particular encounter and O’Brien’s men, despite being outsiders as they have also been for the three subsequent rounds since, prevailed winning 1-9 to 1-8.
Has there been a moment, though, of clarity for Kelly and co whereby they realised thereafter that things might finally fall into place for them?
“I suppose, that was hard to tell, especially with being down in Division Two of the league system.
“We had a good league at times, winning games for the most part, but games against premier intermediate sides generally rather than senior sides and so it is difficult to judge performances then.
“Still, though, the way things fell for us with the Cork footballers losing relatively early and our own hurlers the week after, things opened up a bit around the time we beat Carbery.
“We said to ourselves, ‘We have an opportunity here’ which we really need to focus on. Since then, particularly, training has been absolutely excellent.
“So, there was no one specific moment more a case of the situation falling right for us,†he explained.
Even though Ballincollig have not tasted success in the primary competition as of yet, Kelly still has many of those that soldiered before his time that he sees as iconic members of the Muskerry club.
“Even in 1993 my own father, John, was involved playing and was a sub the following year when they won the intermediate county.
“I can remember being out watching Dave Bourke, Podsie (O’Mahony) and then in ‘99 you had the likes of Johnny (Miskella), Liam O’Toole, Fergal Keohane, John Kelleher, all huge characters in our dressingrooms."
“Unfortunately, those guys, and many more, probably didn’t get the success their work for the club deserved but hopefully, on Sunday, we can give everybody a massive boost. We have had many barren years, though.
“This is our first year in the final, obviously, but this is only one year, there is no guarantee this will happen every year.
“You do take inspiration from lads that have finished playing though and even the minor hurlers winning a few years ago, that is what our club is all about,†Kelly mused.
He began his senior career with the club in 2004 but has had “too many unsuccessful years which they hope to make up for this time†but Kelly understands that Carbery Rangers’ form is equally as eye-catching as Ballincollig’s.
If not more so if you take into account their overall recent performances, having made four of the past five semi-finals while also beating Collig three times.
“Jees, Rosscarbery are a serious outfit,†he stated.
“I think people would have said Castlehaven and Nemo were the favourites at the start and, after that, you could genuinely have looked at Ross as being the next side in the list.
“They have had a couple of years of falling short in big matches, most notably against the Haven in semi-finals but they beat us in 2011 and 2012, fairly comfortably at that.
“When we lost to Ross in the Tadhg Crowley Cup earlier on in the season I remember thinking, ‘We’re miles off this pace’. They blew us away.
“Thinking back, in terms of how strong both teams were, neither was far off their best, actually. With all of that in mind, we are under no illusions.
“Nevertheless, this is a wonderful opportunity for our club and one we very much intend to take,†he added.
PA KELLY is producing some of the best football of his career right now, and Ballincollig have benefited enormously from his rejuvenation following a frustrating spell blighted by injury.
Kelly has recovered from a troublesome hip issue that curtailed him with both club and county in the last number of seasons. And right now there are fewer players on Leeside in hotter form than the schoolteacher.
Kelly has contributed 2-6 (0-1 free) to Ballincollig’s scoring cause in four championship ties thus far this term including 2-2 of their tally of 3-15 against Carbery in round four.
There is a theory on Leeside that he is performing as exceptionally as the playmaker is currently because of being motivated by the fact he did not feature as prominently as Kelly would have liked for Cork in the summer.
Kelly has always been a class act however, a clean bill of health was vital in order to truly show his worth again.
Now 29 and due to be married in December to long-term girlfriend Sarah, Kelly’s preparing himself to perform for Ballincollig on Sunday and not worry about how his 2015 inter-county season may shape up later on.
And the attacker is enjoying his campaign with Michael O’Brien’s charges.
“Everybody is very happy with how well the team is motoring this season,†Kelly said. “Personally, the body feels good and I am contributing to our wins so I am very happy myself, too."
“Training full-time now has really made a difference to me as well. In 2012 the hip started to come at me, as people would be aware of, I had a broken season because of that with injections.
“Last year then things were very disjointed after the first operation whereas this year, training has been going decently after things with Cork finished up especially.
“I missed one week alright with the hip but, by and large, I have trained fully which is cool, really.
“And with that then probably comes improvement in my own play. Fingers crossed that will last another few days at least.â€
When it came around to the first championship hurdle for Ballincollig this season, St Finbarr’s represented the obstacle to round four.
However, Jason Sexton’s in-house suspension robbed the Barrs of their most potent offensive operator for that particular encounter and O’Brien’s men, despite being outsiders as they have also been for the three subsequent rounds since, prevailed winning 1-9 to 1-8.
Has there been a moment, though, of clarity for Kelly and co whereby they realised thereafter that things might finally fall into place for them?
“I suppose, that was hard to tell, especially with being down in Division Two of the league system.
“We had a good league at times, winning games for the most part, but games against premier intermediate sides generally rather than senior sides and so it is difficult to judge performances then.
“Still, though, the way things fell for us with the Cork footballers losing relatively early and our own hurlers the week after, things opened up a bit around the time we beat Carbery.
“We said to ourselves, ‘We have an opportunity here’ which we really need to focus on. Since then, particularly, training has been absolutely excellent.
“So, there was no one specific moment more a case of the situation falling right for us,†he explained.
Even though Ballincollig have not tasted success in the primary competition as of yet, Kelly still has many of those that soldiered before his time that he sees as iconic members of the Muskerry club.
“Even in 1993 my own father, John, was involved playing and was a sub the following year when they won the intermediate county.
“I can remember being out watching Dave Bourke, Podsie (O’Mahony) and then in ‘99 you had the likes of Johnny (Miskella), Liam O’Toole, Fergal Keohane, John Kelleher, all huge characters in our dressingrooms."
“Unfortunately, those guys, and many more, probably didn’t get the success their work for the club deserved but hopefully, on Sunday, we can give everybody a massive boost. We have had many barren years, though.
“This is our first year in the final, obviously, but this is only one year, there is no guarantee this will happen every year.
“You do take inspiration from lads that have finished playing though and even the minor hurlers winning a few years ago, that is what our club is all about,†Kelly mused.
He began his senior career with the club in 2004 but has had “too many unsuccessful years which they hope to make up for this time†but Kelly understands that Carbery Rangers’ form is equally as eye-catching as Ballincollig’s.
If not more so if you take into account their overall recent performances, having made four of the past five semi-finals while also beating Collig three times.
“Jees, Rosscarbery are a serious outfit,†he stated.
“I think people would have said Castlehaven and Nemo were the favourites at the start and, after that, you could genuinely have looked at Ross as being the next side in the list.
“They have had a couple of years of falling short in big matches, most notably against the Haven in semi-finals but they beat us in 2011 and 2012, fairly comfortably at that.
“When we lost to Ross in the Tadhg Crowley Cup earlier on in the season I remember thinking, ‘We’re miles off this pace’. They blew us away.
“Thinking back, in terms of how strong both teams were, neither was far off their best, actually. With all of that in mind, we are under no illusions.
“Nevertheless, this is a wonderful opportunity for our club and one we very much intend to take,†he added.