ONE OF the most remarkable things about Kasai Hinds is the way he led Tivoli's defensive line without the services of national players Ian "Pepe" Goodison, Marco McDonald and the combative Craig White, who was transferred to Waterhouse. Despite this achievement, however, the versatile Hinds, who can operate almost anywhere on the field, but has been seen mostly as a midfielder or a sweeper, has not been given his due for his contribution to the team's capture of the 2003/2004 Wray and Nephew National Premier League.
Whether or not he gets that due will depend in part on how he shapes up in the contest for the Wray and Nephew 'Player Personality' of the Season for which he has been short-listed.
In contention with him are clubmate Fabian Davis, Fabian Taylor and Jermaine Hue (Harbour View) Desmond Breakenridge and Baris Johnson of Waterhouse.
Copping the accolade would definitely be a booster, but even if he doesn't get it Hinds, who got a great deal of satisfaction from captaining the team, will remain a happy man.
"It is a good feeling especially knowing that I was the captain," said Hinds, adding that while he'd be proud to be named Personality of the Season, his real interest was in being called to the national team.
True, he has been invited before but is not to his knowledge a part of the pool of players being considered. This, he finds slightly disappointing.
"I am a bit disappointed but it is up to the coach so I am not very disappointed. The coaches make the decision and I just have to wait on them.
"Once I am playing I have a chance. I am playing well and as long as I keep doing that my chance will come so I will wait until my chance comes. When my chance comes I will have to make the best of it," said Hinds.
NATIONAL COLOURS
Hinds, 26, last wore the national colours in February as part of a transitional team which toured China.
According to Hinds, that trip to China was a success for him and showed that he would not be out of place in the current national squad.
"I think I could fit in because it is not really hard. It is really your brain that you use to play football you know. For my body and height I know I can use my head and do all the smart things," said Hinds in reference to what some people consider to be his shortcoming his height. Those who do not see the 5' 6" Hinds as a candidate for the position of sweeper in the national team say that he is too short. That, of course, does not sit well with him.
"Durrent 'Tatty' Brown was about the same size (as me). Lothar Matthaeus was not too tall either so it is not the height of the person. It is the mind and the heart of the person and what you can go out there to do.
"As you can see with players such as Maradona and Pele - they were not the tallest and look what they were able to achieve in the game. They are the greatest," said Hinds in defence of his height.
Hinds first travelled with a Jamaica senior squad in 1999 under then Technical Director Rene Simoes. However, Hinds did not get a chance to play.
This trend followed him on subsequent invitations to the squad and on the occasions when he did, he found that the positions he was given to play were constantly rotated.
"One of the things that has happened when I have been invited to the squad is that I have no stable position. I am sometimes playing in the sweeper position, midfield, right back and even one time I played as a winger in Barbados.
"They do not really put me in a stable position so that I could concentrate on that position to make it my own," he explained.
In the meantime Hinds continues to train in order to keep in shape.
"I keep training to get myself in shape and play a game now and then to be in position so when the call comes I will be ready," he said.
- Nodley Wright
