Cian O'Neill optimistic of Kerry's next generation
NEXT GENERATION: Kerry's Liam Smith in action against Kildare's Callum Bolton during the Gaelic Football Challenge Match. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Cian O'Neill is optimistic about some of Kerry's promising development squad members being retained throughout January and on into the National League campaign.
A largely second string Kerry group wrapped up their pre-Christmas programme of three games with a narrow win in Newbridge on Saturday evening.
Manager Jack O'Connor was absent as he attended the RTÉ Sport Awards though coach O'Neill reported a productive evening with 28 different players featuring.
O'Neill described it as Kerry's 'development squad' and the group contained a large number of former minor and U20 players, rookie performers as well as some that have already featured competitively for the Kerry seniors, including goalscorer Tomas Kennedy who registered 1-2.
Kerry did the bulk of their scoring early on, using the wind to run up a 1-8 to no score lead, hitting the interval 1-14 to 0-6 clear and holding on then for a two-point win as Kildare rallied with the stiff breeze.
"We've had three matches in the last two weeks between MTU Kerry in a local one, then Tipp for the Dylan Quirke Foundation match and Kildare," said O'Neill. "Every match has been a step up on the previous one so these guys are getting great exposure, putting on the Kerry jersey and really challenging for a place in the squad.
"Everyone has got a fair crack of the whip. And there will be some (who will stay in the squad for the League), of course there will. There will be guys we'll take to the end of January and there'll be guys that we'll take a little bit further."
Jason Foley and Mike Breen were the only starters from July's All-Ireland final win in the team in Newbridge. Tadhg Morley and Armin Heinrich, on the bench at Croke Park, started too. Aside from that, it was an opportunity for players like Cillian Trant, who featured briefly in the 2025 league, to shine and he clipped three points. Donagh O'Sullivan drilled two first-half two-pointers and Kennedy took his goal well, finding space behind Kildare's loose-marking Dean O'Donoghue to claim a long delivery and slot it beyond regular Lilywhite netminder Cian Burke.
Kerry's next game is against Clare in the McGrath Cup on January 6.
"There's nothing concrete about what that first match against Clare will look like, to be honest," said former Kildare manager O'Neill, who outlined Kerry's absentee list. "Obviously Barry Dan (O'Sullivan) would have torn his cruciate so that was a pity and then Diarmuid O'Connor with his shoulder. Paudie (Clifford) is trying to mind an injury, he's nursing an injury coming back as well. There's other knocks and bangs and lads still involved with their clubs. Dingle and Ghaeltacht, we have seven to nine lads involved with those teams alone. So you just have to see how each and every one of those guys come back and what condition they're in."
Kildare fielded a stronger first team, including five of the side that started their Tailteann Cup final win; Cian Burke, Ryan Burke, Callum Bolton, Ryan Sinkey and Alex Beirne.
Sinkey got them going after the slow start, kicking three first-half points. Tailteann Cup Player of the Year Beirne and 2025 U20 Eoin Cully led the scoring in the second-half as Kildare capitalised on the wind and battled back.
Liam Kelly, James Harris and two-point scorer Ben Loakman were also U20s this year and featured from the start.
Kildare got it back to a two-point game after Loakman's score but Kerry sensibly retained possession for the last 60 seconds or so and, as per the new regulation, the game ended immediately when the hooter sounded.
"It was a very productive evening," said Kildare manager Brian Flanagan, who looked at 23 players in total and brought on veteran captain Kevin Feely just a fortnight after his club campaign with Athy ended. "I thought the game was of real value to both teams because the conditions were tough, the elements were difficult, and some of our lads really applied themselves well.
"We probably have the guts of 20 new lads training with us at the minute. We won't tighten our squad until mid-January for the next few weeks, while we're resting up certain lads, and you have Sallins and Grangenolvin still going in the club championship, and there's Sigerson to contend with as well, so we won't tighten the squad just yet."
T Kennedy 1-2; D O'Sullivan 0-5 (2 tp); C Trant 0-3; K Evans, R Murphy 0-2 each; A Heinrich, L Smith, Daragh O'Connor (Kerins O'Rahillys), Darragh O'Connor (Beaufort) 0-1 each.
: A Beirne (2 frees, 1 tpf) and E Cully (1 free) 0-4 each; R Sinkey 0-3; N Flynn, C Bolton, B Loakman (tp) 0-2 each; L Kelly, D Ryan 0-1 each.
M Tansley; T Morley, J Foley, Darragh O'Connor (Kenmare); A Heinrich, M Breen, E Healy; L Smith, C Trant; D O'Sullivan, R Murphy, T O'Donnell; Daragh O'Connor (Kerins O'Rahillys), T Kennedy, K Evans.
: P Lane for Smith, C Collins for Kennedy, E Boyle for O'Sullivan, L Evans for Breen, D Murphy for Foley and D Kirby for O'Donnell (all h/t); C Brosnan for Trant, S O'Connell for Morley and C O'Grady for Murphy (all 52); K O'Sullivan for Darragh O'Connor (Kenmare), P O'Shea for Daragh O'Connor (Kerins O'Rahillys); Darragh O'Connor (Beaufort) for K Evans and S Broderick for Tansley (all 55).
C Burke; L Kelly, R Burke, D O'Donoghue; D Ryan, J Harris, S Moore; D Lynam, C Bolton; B McLoughlin, A Beirne, N Flynn; E Cully, B Loakman, R Sinkey.
:T Gill for O'Donoghue (h/t); K Feely for McLoughlin (49); D Swords for Sinkey (53); C White for Moore and D Cordonnier for C Burke (55); S Doran for Flynn (61); N Dolan for Beirne (65); C Flanagan for Bolton (66).
: B Cawley (Kildare).
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