Kerry rumour mill busy on replacement after Mike Quirke steps down as selector

STEPPING AWAY: Kerry selector Micheál Quirke. Picture: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Kerry chairman Patrick O’Sullivan confirmed that he only learned of Mike Quirke’s departure from Jack O’Connor’s management team on Wednesday morning by text so it appears that even Kerry officialdom were taken by surprise. 

While the Kerry rumour mill is always busy in the wake of a Kerry All-Ireland semi-final defeat, there has been talk of Diarmuid Murphy stepping away for personal reasons and this might still be the case. The speculation is that Paddy Tally has agreed to stay one more year but there appears to be no stand out replacement putting their hand up to replace the Kerins O’Rahilly’s clubman Quirke.

So the guessing game has already begun as to who will replace Quirke and possibly Diarmuid Murphy if he decides to step away. Top of the list is Kieran Donaghy, who was part of Armagh’s back room team that beat Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final and helped the Orchard county collect Sam Maguire for the first time since 2002. But it is felt that Donaghy will not leave Armagh right now and though a future Kerry boss in the making, his time is not now.

Kerry selector Micheál Quirke and goalkeeper Shane Murphy after their side's victory in the 2022 All-Ireland SFC final against Galway. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

There is a feeling whether fact or fiction that Kerry needs a forwards coach so one name jumps of the page and that his Colm Cooper of Dr Crokes, one of the all time greats in Gaelic football. He has coached underage and at senior level for Crokes and would be seen ideal in the era of the Cliffords and Sean O'Shea. But whether his job as a bank manager and having a young family would preclude him or even whether he would be interested is not known.

Jack O’Connor likes to work with people he worked with in the past and trusts. That brings Éamonn Fitzmaurice into the equation but he is a school principal and busy with media work, so is unlikely to be interested at this stage. Tomás Ó Sé is another name that has been mentioned as a possible future Kerry senior manager and has enjoyed a two-year stint with the Kerry U-20s. But he may want to give the U-20 job another year and see if O’Connor steps away at the end of 2025.

Two other former players are being mentioned, Aidan O’Mahony and Declan O’Sullivan. O’Mahony is currently managing Macroom and has managed a number of the current squad such as Tony Brosnan and Dara Moynihan. He also managed a number of fringe players when managing MTU Kerry when they reached the Sigerson Cup semi-final only to lose to NUIG after extra time. 

He also has S&C expertise on his CV so is a credible candidate. Work commitments saw Declan O’Sullivan step away from the Kerry U-20s but if he was back working in Killarney again, he would fit the bill as a Dromid Pearses clubmate and close friend of the Kerry boss.

But nothing will be decided for a few weeks and there is unlikely to be any name for ratification at this month's County Board meeting on August 27.