Music to the ears of Kerry fans!
The speculation over the future of Jack O’Connor looks to be coming to an end.
The Kerry boss, in his third tenure with the county, led the Kingdom to their 39th All-Ireland SFC this summer, their fifth under his command.
However, he had previously suggested that it could be his last season in charge, and reiterated this following the defeat of Donegal.
He said: “It isn’t like I’m playing hard to get at all. I’m a long old time at this thing now. I found last year particularly tough, I have to say, and I’m not sure I can put myself through that stuff again because when you reach a certain age, your priorities change a bit. There’s a lot of other things I like doing. I like playing a bit of golf.
“I like spending time with my grandson, Jack, who’s mad for golf as well. He’d be around the lawn below at the golf club, learning to swing it. I live in a nice part of the country and I enjoy being out in nature and going out at my old homestead in Dromid, stuff like that.
“We’ll see. I’ll leave it settle for a couple of weeks. I won’t hang people out to dry or keep people hanging on. I’ll have a think about it. I had only one or two hours’ sleep last night, so now isn’t a great time to be making a decision.”
Naturally, fans have players would love to see him stay on, with David Clifford saying: “It would be great if we could keep it the same way it was for last year,” he told RTÉ Sport as he picked up his latest PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Month award following his superb performances in July.
“I thought we had a brilliant set-up so hopefully they’ll figure things out.”
The latest update on the situation is positive news for the Kingdom, with the Examiner reporting that ‘Kerry chiefs’ believe he will continue in the role.
A county board meeting is to take place on Tuesday, and O’Connor is expected to be ratified for another two years.
