Jack O'Connor hints at 'last hurrah' as win over Donegal ends 'tough year' for Kerry

If indeed it proves to be his last hurrah as the Kerry manager, this one might have tasted the sweetest for Jack O’Connor.

After guiding Kerry to their 39th All-Ireland and his own fifth success as manager, O’Connor indicated that this is likely to be his last act.

O’Connor was brought back for a third stint in the Kerry hot seat - a throne considerably warmer than most others - in 2021.

Initially appointed on a three-year term, O’Connor stayed on for 2025 with a new management team in tow and Sam Maguire is back in the Kingdom after a 1-26 to 0-19 win over Donegal.

“I was going out the door Thursday evening with the bag, and my missus took a picture of me going out the gates – and I’ve a fair idea now that will be up on the wall as my last hurrah,” O’Connor said in his post-match media briefing. 

“I’d say she’ll be framing that one.”

It’s 21 years since O’Connor first guided Kerry to an All-Ireland title in 2004. He added further glory in 2006, 2009 and 2022 and lost finals in 2005, 2011 and 2023.

Last year, O’Connor tweaked his backroom team by adding coach Cian O’Neill, previously involved in 2014 when Kerry, then under the watch of Eamon Fitzmaurice, beat Donegal in the final. In 2024, O’Neill was coaching at Galway, who were the runners-up after losing to Armagh in the decider. 

O’Connor said: “I think I went on record earlier in the year that it would probably be my last hurrah.

“We’ll do that in due course; there’s no hurry.”

With the weight of history behind them, Kerry stormed from their traps. A capacity audience had barely taken seat for the throw-in when Dylan Geaney opened the scoring. It was a moment that set the tone in more ways than one.

Before they left their pre-match base on Sunday morning, O’Connor gathered his troops. The 64-year-old urged his men to go for Donegal early.

He said: “We were very determined leaving the hotel this morning. I had a few words with them just before they got on the bus; that we were going to take the game to Donegal. We weren’t going to sit back and see what they had to offer. We were really going after them. We were going after Patton’s kick-outs.

“I thought that we worked the Donegal defenders and that, in turn, takes a bit of their legs from going the other way. I don’t think that the likes of Roarty and McHugh had a big influence on that game, attacking wise, and that was down to the patience we showed in keeping them occupied.”

With the last kick of the first half, David Clifford booted over to put Kerry 0-17 to 0-10 in front. A ravenous opening ensured that Kerry stayed well enough ahead any time Donegal threatened to reel them in.

O’Connor said of his dressing room at the break: “We weren’t going to collapse. We were going out to try to win the second half. Donegal didn’t wave any white flag out there. They were still highly dangerous. We had big contributions from an awful lot of players. I’m thrilled for them because we had a rough old year.”

On Clifford, who ended with nine points to his name, O’Connor said: “How he deals with the weight of expectation, I have no idea. He has a unique temperament.”

It’s only six weeks ago since Kerry were crushed by Meath 1-22 to 0-16 in Tullamore. O’Connor’s side were asked plenty of difficult questions in the aftermath.

O’Connor let fly after subsequently taking out All-Ireland champions Armagh in a quarter-final.

The Kerry manager said: “I was inside here a month ago and there was a lot of steam coming out of my ears. That was authentic because I felt as if we were getting a lot of stick. We were trying our butts off and have been since the start of the year. For us to finally get the reward is great.

Read next: Donegal boss Jim McGuinness: ‘We just didn’t perform - that’s the bottom line’

“We were down a pile of men going to Tullamore. Sean O’Shea was missing that day and he is a massive part of that unit out there. He knits everything together. He does a bit of everything: He wins kick-outs; wins tackles’; he links the play; he sets up scores; he kicks scores; he organises fellas. He is the conductor of the orchestra on the field.

"I was down the week before that game because he was missing. There was a lot of fall-out after that game and life wasn’t pleasant for me. 

O’Connor admitted that it was a “tough year” in which Kerry suffered a “world of set-backs”, but they came back into orbit at just the right time.

All-Ireland number 39, then, for Kerry.

For O’Connor, it wasn’t the time to compare his triumphs: “When we’re looking back at the All-Irelands, there won’t be an asterisk beside any of them. They all have the same value in my eyes.”