Shane Kingston: The commitment is getting absolutely fierce but if you want to win an All - Ireland that's the levels you have to reach

What a busy few years it has been for the Kingston household in Cork. Shane was in good spirits on Monday morning, when he joined the media for a call, having recently picked up his second consecutive Fitzgibbon Cup medal with UCC.

Like all sports people around the country, Shane is making the most of what he has in the last number of months as he does his best to keep fit and healthy in anticipation of the return of his beloved hurling training.

"I've some gym equipment in the house and some local fields, I've been tipping away with my brother so it's not too bad really with regards to training,” explained Kingston when quizzed on how his training in isolation was going.

"It looks like we'll have something back soon enough which is great to have to look forward to and work towards."

The GAA this week announced their roadmap for a long awaited return to play in the next number of weeks with the much loved club championship coming back first in the fixtures calendar with a return date of July 31st.

Kingston plays his club football with Douglas in Cork. With household names among their ranks such as Eoin and Alan Cadogan, Sean Powter, and Kingston himself, Douglas have held the favourites tag within Cork quite a bit in recent years or at least been in the mix with the major powerhouses within the county.

Despite boasting such a talented group, Kingston is honest in his admission that he feels himself and his clubmates have left a bit behind them in recent years especially with such talent and potential among their ranks.

Despite the unfamiliar look to this year's fixture calendar, Kingston is happy to take it all in his stride and with more time being dedicated to the club scene this year the talented young hurler is excited about prospects that lie ahead for himself and his clubmates.

"It's a nice opportunity for the clubs really. It's normally only a few weeks if even with the club and this year we will get a good crack off it so it will be a nice change.

"It's nice for all players both club and county that we can all get some sort of training and routine back into our days and weeks soon enough. We are all delighted that there will be games played at some stage this year albeit later than usual, it would have been a disaster if we had nothing.

“You'd be hoping you'll avoid picking up an injury as well especially when there will be nothing really between the club and inter county championships.

“We probably been favourites or second favourites within the county over the last few years and not shown that as we've been gone fairly quickly except for last season against Sarsfields.

"We've a very strong panel and really we've underachieved over the last few years so it will be nice to get everyone back together for a good length and have a good crack at it. It's something I'm really looking forward to.”

Kingston has been on a phenomenal journey in the past number of years around the grounds of UCC. The 22-year-old has steadily grown to become an indispensable part of the UCC Fitzbibbon Cup panel in recent times contributing hugely to the back to back Fitzgibbon Cup wins in 2019 and 2020.

Kingston, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Mark Coleman and Robert Downey were among six UCC players to make the Fitzgibbon Cup Team of the Year with Kingston himself also winning the Rising Star Hurling Player of the Year award for 2020.

"That's one thing about the college hurling, it is such a high standard. We’ve so many inter county Cork players and then you've players from outside Cork but who are also playing inter county with their own respective counties too, it's a huge competition for inter county players, and really it's as close to inter county championship as you will get with the intensity and high standard you come across in it in every game.

“For me personally, I thoroughly enjoy the Fitzgibbon. When you are going back inter county training in January or February, it's all hard slog and typical pre season so it's nice to get a break with the Fitz games and enjoy every minute of it.”

Hurling runs through the home of Darragh and his family with his father Kieran recently taking the reins of the Cork Senior Hurling panel, his second go at it having managed the side previously from 2015 - 2017.

Does it bother you having your father as your manager or does change your outlook on things? A question that Shane gets asked so often among the various hurling circles he mixes with. Having never known any different, it is something he is well used to at this stage.

“With the Fitzgibbon it's not too bad but with Cork you can go away training and come home after and the manager is still here but it's grand, I had in 2016 and 2017 and I had it underage so I'm used to it now to be honest. I know if I'm not good enough I won't be played or I'll be whipped off fairly quick, I'm no different than anyone else in his eyes.

“He is so passionate about hurling, he is always chatting to people about it, always in the loop and always involved no matter what level it might be so I wasn't too surprised when he decided to go back. In 2017 he always left the door open, he never said that he wouldn't go back so I wasn't surprised.”

An interesting take from Shane when asked about the new fixture format in the coming months is the strict blanket ban on any inter county training or interactions until at least the 14th of September. The Douglas clubman reckons that if and when different club teams are knocked out at the various stages of the competition that this is the earliest each player should be allowed to return to their inter county preparations.

“I personally think that should be the case but that's not our decision. I suppose if you are knocked out early with your club it's your own responsibility to keep yourself fit and do everything you can. It does seem strange though that there will be a pick of inter county players whose club interests will end early on and despite having a number of weeks with free time they still have to wait until the 14th of September to return.”

Another major change to this year’s games and one which is a look back to former years is the confirmation that this year's Championship is likely to be played off in an exciting straight knockout format.

With such huge upheaval and disruption to training, fitness and routine for all teams, it would be easy to still dismiss this year’s Championship as a write off and to say that the Championship will resume properly again from 2021. Not for Kingston who reckons it will still hold as much significance as ever and maybe even more so.

“The round robin is very good but given the circumstances straight knockout is the safest and most realistic option. It's a brilliant and exciting format but with it brings added pressure because you have to be at your very best for every single game or else you are gone, no second chances.

“If we win an All Ireland I won't mind what way we do it! Anyone who wins it this year in my eyes, it's probably even more of an achievement in some ways given what's going on. The lack of training, the disruption, the uncertainty, whoever comes out on top it's a credit to them.

“The commitment is getting absolutely fierce but if you want to win an All - Ireland that's the levels you have to reach at this stage and you are constantly trying to make sure you are doing more than the opposition. Realistically that means the standard and intensity is just going to keep going up and up every year if that's the heights people want to reach.

“I love it, it's my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.”

Shane Kingston was speaking as he received his Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Rising Star Hurling Player of the Year trophy. The exciting Douglas clubman and Cork hurler was a consistent threat to opposition teams and scored four fantastic points in the final to help UCC retain the Fitzgibbon Cup.