INTERVIEW: 'Rooney is a good comparison' - Kevin Kilbane on one Mayo star ahead of final
The Irish star, who played for Sunderland and Everton, spoke ahead of this weekend’s All-Ireland final
FORMER Ireland footballer, Kevin Kilbane has not looked back since he set up a new life for himself in Canada in 2020 after meeting professional figure skater Brianne Delcourt, his dance partner on the ITV show Dancing on Ice.
Living in a sleepy town east of Toronto, the Preston native is now married to Brianne and the father of Olivia and Keavy and has been covering the FIFA World Cup as a pundit on Canadian television channel TSN.
Life is good for Kilbane but there is one thing he misses about not living on this side of the pond and that is going on the road and following the Mayo footballers.
“I really miss the games,” he told The Mayo News from his home in Canada. “When I was living in Dublin for seven or eight years I would get to as many games as I could including National League games.
“Myself and my cousin Martina would leave Dublin for whatever part of the country Mayo were playing.
“I have some great memories of games in Castlebar and witnessed some great days in Croke Park...so yes I really do miss the games.”
TWO HEADS
Kilbane’s love for Mayo GAA started as a young boy in Preston where he would accompany his Achill-born father Farrell to watch big championship games in the Irish Centre in Manchester.
“Kilbane’s retirement from professional football in 2012 just happened to coincide with Mayo’s latest quest of All-Ireland glory and he very quickly became a signed up member of the Mayo 4 Sam fanclub.
Moving to Canada has not dampened his interest in the Mayo team but these days he often has to rely on the dulcet tones of Stephen Grealis and Martin Carney on Mid-West Radio to follow the games.
“I had an issue trying to get GAA Plus and I couldn’t get it sorted and listened to the [Louth] game on Mid West which was a great listen,” he said adding his colleagues in TNS were not sure what was going on.
“People who saw me listening to Mid West over the weekend were looking at me like I had two heads because they didn’t understand the commentary itself.
“When I’ve showed them footage they still think I have two heads because they think the game is too physical, but I have managed to convert one or two for Mayo so that is satisfying,” he laughed.
YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE
Like many Mayo supporters, Kilbane was surprised by how Andy Moran’s young side have navigated their way to the All-Ireland final, but delighted by the way they have been able to express themselves and prove the doubters wrong.
“The talent has always been there in Mayo and something you can never take away from the county itself.
“But you never know when the big games come around are they able to cope with the pressure and expectations and to be honest I was slightly surprised by their progress.
“When you get to the All-Ireland quarter-final and semi-final stage the pressure starts to ramp up and anyone would feel it. But the young lads and the other lads like Enda Hession don’t seem to feel it and you can see it looks like they are having fun.
“They are able to go out and express themselves and play their own game and that is the great thing watching them this season.”
The performances of the teenage stars Kobe McDonald and Darragh Beirne have been the story of the summer so far and Kilbane says the way they go out and play reminds him of his former Everton teammate Wayne Rooney.
“Watching Kobe would remind you of any young player in any sport that goes out and is able to express themselves. I remember watching David Clifford in the Minor All-Ireland Final in 2017 and seeing him go out and express himself and take what he was producing at minor level into senior level.
“You are seeing young players just go out and express themselves and play their natural game.
“Wayne Rooney is a good comparison as is Michael Owen when I played against him as a youngster or Robbie Keane who was another one who went out and expressed himself at 17 and 18.”
FIGHTERS’ CHANCE
With the distraction of the World Cup now behind him, Kilbane is working on being able to be in Croke Park on July 26 and is hopeful that Mayo will come out on top this time around.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how this young team progresses in the final. Obviously Kerry are favourites but Mayo absolutely have a chance.
“Mayo are underdogs and I will take being underdogs but Mayo absolutely do have a fighters chance of winning.
“After the Roscommon game that was it and people thought they had no chance of progressing. I have seen Mayo going back 20 years when nobody has given them a chance in hell and have managed to go against the doubters and really go and find themselves. I hope next Sunday is one of those days.”