Jack O'Connor: Kerry got burned once before. That left a bit of scar tissue

When we left him in the bowels of Croke Park over a week ago, the Kerry boss said folk were living on the outer realms of sanity if they thought success was possible by consistently putting the ball at risk. 

PENSIVE: Kerry manager Jack O'Connor during the SFC quarter-final against Derry at Croke Park. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

JACK O’Connor and Kerry were never going to move unimpeded onto an All-Ireland SFC final four without poking through the entrails of that damned Derry quarter-final. With Gaelic football in the dock, O’Connor’s good manners in meeting media on Monday presented the forum for further discussion on the state of the game.

When we left him in the media room in the bowels of Croke Park over a week ago, he said folk were living on the outer realms of sanity if they thought success went hand-in-hand with a pick-up sort of game, free-wheeling and fancy. Having watched their 0-15 to 0-10 victory back, he wasn’t minded to change in that respect, but conceded Kerry weren't exactly at full throttle themselves.