Crucially, the Finuge man, who managed Kerry for six seasons between 2013 and 2018, believes a mood for change exists, with Monday’s county board meeting expected to vote on the issue.

It makes for an early birthday present for the Fossa clubman, who turns 21 on Wednesday.

It was far from pretty this time but the effectiveness of this Corofin team is now beyond question.

Kilcoo trained on New Year’s Eve night and would have trained on Christmas Day too if their management team hadn’t called a halt.

In all competitions, including provincial and All-Ireland series games, their actual unbeaten number is 34; 32 wins and two draws.

They also made 2019 a year to forget for rivals Dr Crokes who were losing their fourth major final of the year.

It is unusual to find a team heading into a provincial club fixture having not played championship in seven weeks. Then again, it is an unusual position Austin Stacks find themselves in.

Watched by an impressive 8,258 crowd in Austin Stack Park, Dr Crokes were a distant second best and so it will be club championship winners Austin Stacks that represent the county against Nemo Rangers in next Sunday’s provincial semi-final.

Kerry GAA officials decided not to allow TV coverage of their County SFC final over concerns about the impact on the attendance.

A strong finish to the first half and another burst midway through the second has moved Dr. Crokes within one hour of an eighth Kerry SFC crown this decade.

Dr Crokes will play East Kerry in next Sunday’s Kerry SFC final after getting the better of South Kerry in today’s semi-final replay.

Your guide to all the weekend's main GAA fixtures

Rathmore lost their 20-year senior club championship status after a surprising no show in the second half against neighbours Kilcummin.

Dr Crokes and South Kerry will have to face off again next weekend after a Michael Potts’ goal in the second half of extra-time saved the defending champions’ blushes.

It is down to the last four in the Kerry football championship this weekend.

When I travelled to last year’s Cork county final, I felt right at home when I saw the black and white flags and the huge swell of Midleton support.

Champions Dr Crokes issued a statement of intent when cruising past St Kieran’s outfit in this Kerry SFC R2 clash at a rain-lashed Austin Stack Park on Saturday.

Dr Crokes were in devastating form as they consigned their Croke Park nightmare of last March to the dustbin with a crushing victory over local East Kerry rivals, Rathmore, at Fitzgerald Stadium yesterday evening.

NA PIARSAIGH overcame the second-half sending off of Ronan Lynch to see off Kilmallock

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Players from 16 counties are included on the Underdogs panel.

Former Kerry defender Marc Ó Sé has suggested that the appointment of Cork’s Conor Lane for the All-Ireland final replay could play into Dublin’s hands.

A week on from the spectre and inspiration of Colm Cooper hovering over Cillian O’Connor in Gooch’s own backyard of Killarney, Mayo and Kerry return to another beloved playground of the Dr Crokes genius — Croke Park.

The GAA Ard Chomhairle today confirmed that the 2020 All-Ireland club finals will take place on Sunday January 19.

Cork have been forced into three late changes to their starting fifteen ahead of tomorrow’s Munster football final against champions Kerry (7pm).

When April was unveiled as the ‘month of the club’ with positive intentions a couple of years ago, it was always likely to turn into something of an uncomfortable union; like a sort of arranged GAA marriage between the club groom and his inter-county bride, given the proximity of so many provincial championship games in early May to their shotgun wedding.

Austin Stacks and Dr Crokes will meet in the Kerry Club SFC final on Sunday next after topping their groups.

All-Ireland finalists Dr Crokes lost to their bogey team, Rathmore, in the second round of the Kerry Club Championship on Saturday evening (1-9 to 1-7).

There was no lack of drama — or county stars — on show over an exciting opening weekend of club championship action in Kerry.

Earlier this week, a graphic posted on Twitter by Mayo GAA blog Ah Ref! revealed that players from the west of the county had seen the most action in this year’s Allianz League campaign to-date with 45%.

Before they all gathered for lunch in the Dromhall Hotel yesterday to move on from the All-Ireland final evisceration by Corofin in Croke Park, a handful of Dr Crokes players and stalwarts happened upon company in the clubhouse on Lewis Road.

We live in interesting times. Usually, we are bombarded by the noise and criticisms around the state of Gaelic football, but such assaults seem to have been silenced in recent weeks.

Anthony Daly, John Fogarty and Brendan O’Brien review the Allianz League weekend with Colm O'Connor.

Corofin coasted to a third All-Ireland crown in five years, the current kingpins of club football totally outclassing a frustrated Dr Crokes side.

It isn’t the game itself that Brian Looney remembers most from St Patrick’s weekend two years ago, or the three points from play he kicked, or the medal pocketed.

It had been so long since their last competitive victory — 280 days in all — with so many demoralising blows in between, the win over Tipperary can only fuel the Cork footballers with confidence for the coming fortnight.

Dr Crokes midfield Johnny Buckley was last night cleared to play in the All-Ireland club SFC final after successfully contesting his one-match suspension.

Two members of the Dr Crokes football management, along with half-forward Brian Looney, would prefer if the All-Ireland club championship was wrapped up within the calendar year, describing the 12-week gap between their Munster decider and All-Ireland semi-final as “crazy”.

The result rather than the performance is all that mattered for these two at Pearse Stadium yesterday and the value of this win will not be lost on Galway manager Kevin Walsh as he now prepares for away games in Dublin and Monaghan.

One final piece of silverware from 2018 for Dr Crokes and in convincing fashion at that, as they won the battle of the Munster Club Champions with Intermediate winners Kilcummin to win their 30th East Kerry SFC title in total and a first since 2013 for the club, at the Fitzgerald Stadium Killarney on Saturday afternoon.

The 2017 Galway U21 hurling final takes place on Saturday, as poor fixture-planning and a condensed calendar has resulted in the competition running 12 months behind schedule.

A few moments before Patrick Fox spoke to TG4 after Sunday’s AIB Leinster club final win, he learned who Mullinalaghta would be playing next.

Dr Crokes eased to an eighth Munster club SFC crown this afternoon, the destination of the O’Connor Cup never in doubt after a powerful opening burst from the Kerry champions.

A massacre at Lewis Road. 5-20 from Crokes, each one of their 25 scores arriving from play.

Given next Sunday’s Munster Club semi-final against St Finbarr’s will be their third game in 14 days, Dr Crokes were quietly thankful for the straightforward nature of this trip to Tipp.