A REPEAT OF last summer’s thrilling All-Ireland semi-final and the presence of Mickey Harte in the Derry dugout.
It adds up to an interesting seasonal opener for the Kerry footballers tomorrow evening in Austin Stack Park.
It’s the third season of the third coming of Jack O’Connor.
And what are the key issues this spring facing the 2022 champions and 2023 beaten finalists?
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1. League Form
This will mark the 10th league campaign where Kerry are under the supervision of Jack O’Connor, a run spanning three different eras. If it began on a low note with that 2004 opening loss away to Longford, it has since been often a source of reward for O’Connor. He has won the title four times with Kerry teams, contested another semi-final, and finished third in the table twice.
Last season provided discomfort though. Three home wins mixed with four away defeats, generated springtime concerns Kerry could have done without. As Jack O’Connor mentioned earlier this week, he hopes to avoid scenarios this time where every game is ‘do or die’ and he can road-test some options. A bright start will help.
2. Midfield Matters
Eighteen months ago, Kerry were toasting Sam Maguire success in Croke Park. David Moran and Jack Barry were the Tralee combo patrolling midfield that day, but now both have departed the scene. Moran retired twelve months ago, Jack Barry stepped aside in this off-season as he goes travelling in 2024.
Will it be a new Tralee pairing to take charge of midfield for Kerry now? Na Gaeil’s Diarmuid O’Connor now become the senior general in that sector. Will it be his club-mate Stefan Okunbor steps forward, ridding himself of the injury woes that have stalled his post-AFL developement? Or Austin Stacks player Joe O’Connor, sidelined with a cruciate last season and aiming now to realise his potential? Barry Dan O’Sullivan had a prominent club campaign with Dingle, Ronan Buckley and Seán O’Brien were midfielders in opposition in last November’s all-divisional county final.
O’Connor must settle on a partnership to aid his team’s prospects.
3. Playing Options
Jack O’Connor pointed out this week there was little change in the make-up of his 2023 selection versus his 2022 selection. The latter saw them squeezed out in a tight All-Ireland final, the former saw them over the line with silverware in hand as they headed to the south-west. Will the starting pack be shaken up in 2024?
Players need to put their hand up during the league. Kerry’s starting team for last Saturday’s contained young newcomers like Armin Heinrich, Sean O’Brien and Cillian Burke, the latter heavily touted in the off season. Dylan Casey, Dylan Geaney and Ronan Buckley will all aim to push on after time spent on the fringes of the squad. Seven games for Kerry to trawl for fresh options.
4. Club Calls
There has been a defined pattern in recent times of marquee Kerry names undergoing marathon seasons in recent times, winding up club matters in January and ploughing into county activities soon after. 2023 had the Clifford brothers, Shane Ryan and Paul Murphy in the thick of it, while Kerins O’Rahillys had a senior semi-final.
2022 saw Austin Stacks players involved in a delayed Munster senior championship, Na Gaeil’s county midfielders were in an All-Ireland intermediate campaign. Go back to before Covid and early 2020 saw the Na Gaeil crew winning a national junior title, while Templenoe’s Kerry contingent launched an intermediate assault.
It is striking then that no frontline Kerry players were tied up with All-Ireland commitments this month. Dingle lost a Munster final penalty shootout in a December storm, Milltown-Castlemaine made an early Munster intermediate exit, while Listowel’s junior run did not feature any main Kerry squad members. It must be some relief for the Kerry management that they could look ahead to a new season and start planning early.
