'Donegal were a bit ahead of us ... they looked sharper' - Jack O'Connor

Kerry manager Jack O’Connor stated that while he was disappointed not to get the win at home against Donegal on Saturday, he points to the fact that the Ulster champions, on the day, looked a bit further down the line than his side. 

It was an historic day for Jim McGuinness’s side who landed their first win in Kerry since 1988, following their commanding 0-23 to 1-18 point win over the Kingdom on Killarney. 

On a day that saw 38 different scores, it was Donegal who benefitted most from the new rules, with three two-point kicks from Ryan McHugh, Oisin Gallen, and substitute Patrick McBrearty proving the difference as Donegal edged out the Kingdom in the end. 

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Around the hour mark, just after Diarmuid O’Connor found the net, there was a period when it seemed like the Kingdom could claw their way back into the contest—perhaps even snatch a victory. 

Whether they truly merited it was another question. Still, donning their striking Munster blue jerseys for the occasion, they displayed real resilience, making the most of the modern game’s unpredictability, where even a six-point deficit is no longer a definitive advantage for the opposition. 

But O’Connor conceded that Donegal had the edge on the day and were deserving of their win. 

“It was obvious that Donegal were a fair bit ahead of us, sharpness-wise and maybe fitness-wise and, you know, there were times when it looked like they had a run on us, but in fairness to our fellas, we battled well in the game. Possibly could have got something out of it,” O’Connor said. 

“I would say in many ways we played better than we did last Sunday, without getting anything out of the game.” 

The Kerry boss won’t be too disheartened knowing that there is a lot of football still to play in 2025 and that his side will soon be boosted by the return of David Clifford. 

He also focuses on looking at the positives of the game from a Kerry point of view, highlighting that there were some key standout performances from his side. 

“There were a lot of positives today, we fought back well and had some great individual performances, the likes of Jason Foley, Diarmuid O’Connor, Mike Breen when he came in was really good, Seánie O’Shea obviously covered a huge amount of ground, Graham O’Sullivan, those fellas, had massive games,” he said. 

“We just need to get more fellas playing well. Sometimes, it’s as simple as that.”