Some interesting potential choices!
While Kerry are the recently-crowned All-Ireland SFC champions, with a relatively young side, there is a slight hitch in their plans, in the form of their manager Jack O’Connor.
The five-time All-Ireland winning boss has hinted that might be stepping down from his post after taking over for a third term with his county in 2021.
After Sunday’s final, he said: “I’m a long time at it, and we might be passing the baton on to somebody else.”
However, if he does end up leaving, there are some fine options available to step up.
One man whose name will be in he conversation should the vacancy arise is Kieran Donaghy.
The 2006 GAA Player of the Year is a four-time All-Ireland winner with Kerry, and has impressed as part of Kieran McGeeney’s backroom team with 2024 All-Ireland champions Armagh.
But he does seem settled up north and happy with his current situation.
He recently said: “We have a second home up here, we stay in Tassagh with the Fagans. They have a lovely farmhouse there with pigs and goats and sheep. And we are townies from Tralee and they [his daughters] love going to ‘the farm’ as they call it now and being out with the Shetland ponies and the donkeys and the cows.
“It’s a lovely place to be a very calm environment.”
A man who has already been there and done that as a manager of Kerry is Eamonn Fitzmaurice, who was also a selector under Jack O’Connor for Kerry’s 2009 All-Ireland title win.
He took over as gaffer in 2012, winning the 2014 title, before stepping down in 2018.
Recently he has worked with the FRC in bringing in the new rules to the game.
However, back in 2022 he ruled out a return to inter-county management with the Kingdom.
He said: “You never say never but at the moment it would be a definite no because a thing that Jack (O’Connor) has, and I think he’s mentioned it himself, is the fact that he’s retired from teaching.
“He has the time to put absolutely everything into it and I think if you’re doing it, that’s the way it has to be. You have to be able to put your whole time into it to do it to the level it needs to be done now. In the short-term it’s not something I could see happening.”
“I feel that between playing and being involved as a selector and being involved as a manager, in management alone I was involved for nine years between, I was six years the manager and I was two years a selector with Jack.
“I was in charge of the under-21s so I feel almost like I’ve done my bit and I really enjoyed it and there’s loads of other lads within the county that are chomping at the bit to get a cut at it as well so I’ll be happy out to support them from the sidelines rather than putting myself in the firing line again.”
Lastly, Tomás Ó Sé could throw his hat into the ring.
From a family engrained in Kerry GAA history, he is a three-time All-Star and five-time All-Ireland winner with his county.
He has been Kerry U-20 manager for the last three years and stepped down after their semi-final loss to Tyrone this season.
When asked on the Sunday Game last weekend about the possibility of taking the job, he said: “I’ve enough to look after myself.
“Jack writes the script now. He’s in there with a fresh group, they’ve done a fantastic job, the players have fully bought in, they’ve won an All-Ireland.
“As far as I know there’s no vacancy in Kerry to even be discussing.”
