Play it again, Sam: the Kingdom make it 33

KERRY selector Ger O’Keeffe today offers a rare insight into the planning and precision behind one of the most devastating All-Ireland final displays in modern times at Croke Park yesterday.

In the first extract from a special diary commissioned for the Irish Examiner, O’Keeffe speaks of the players’ sense of “mission and focus” ahead of yesterday’s 1-20 to 2-9 All-Ireland final victory over Mayo - and the criticism that drove the Kingdom to their 33rd title.

“There is a sense of unity and focus that I have never seen,” he says. “Fellas are relaxed and smiling, because they know they are ready. They know they will produce. I hope they do. This team deserves to show people what they are made of.”