O'Connor quits Kerry job

Kerry football is in shock today after the confirmation of Jack O'Connor's resignation as manager of the Kingdom's senior footballers.

The Dromid Pearses clubman has walked away from one of the most coveted positions in inter-county football - he brought the curtain down on a very successful three-year reign last night, declaring: "This particular chapter is closed."

O'Connor, along with his chief backroom staff of Ger O'Keeffe and Johnny Culloty, made their collective decision to quit based on "personal reasons".

The trio met last weekend to confirm their decision to step down and County Board chairman Sean Walsh was made known of their departure last night. Trainer Pat Flanagan has also left his post.

Having guided Kerry to their 34th All-Ireland SFC title and their second in three seasons - they also triumphed in 2004 - O'Connor would have spent a good part of the past few weeks mulling over his decision with his family.

He admitted that he wants to focus on his family life for the foreseeable future with his two young sons doing their Junior and Leaving Cert exams next summer.

O'Connor, who took the senior job from Paidí O Sé, has been managing Kerry county teams, in some shape or form, since 1992 and felt it was finally time to take a break - although he will certainly return to football management at some stage.

Sean Walsh praised the outgoing management team for their contribution to Kerry football over the past three years.

"The two All-Irelands, two Munster finals and two National League successes in that period were a testament to their vast knowledge of football, their dedication and the huge sacrifices they made to achieve that success," Walsh stated.