Kerry begin Croker road looking to sidestep any more potholes
MIA: Kerry pair Sean O'Shea and Joe O'Connor pursue Donegal's Hugh McFadden in the Allianz Football League Division 1 final last month in Croke Park. Both Kingdom aces miss this weekend's Munster SFC bow in Ennis. Pic: Tom Maher
‘A couple of injuries’ reported the bush telegraph from the Algarve. Indeed. Inter-squad games at Quinta do Lago’s gilded Campus resort couldn’t extend to 15 v 15 such was the unfortunate glut of hamstring, ankle and other problems Kerry suffered on their overseas camp earlier this month.
Not that it was all downside. They got a block of tactical and technical work done, some nice golf when the weather played ball and some coffee time. Simple chats and good conversation.
“It’s important, more than people think,” midfielder Joe O’Connor muses. “Actual real time with your team mates for coffee or just free time in the evenings, it’s really valuable.”
O’Connor was an injured reserve before they even left Cork Airport. He’s been managing plantar fasciitis (foot) during the latter stages of the League and played the final against Donegal when hindsight might suggest he should have left it off.
“I’ve been trying to get it right now with a while. It’s a time thing. I trained a bit and managed the load before the League final, but afterwards it felt worse than it had been and it was time to sort it. I was feeling it more after games, I’d be in a bit of bother, but in-game, the momentum gets you through. It would be throbbing the following morning. I thought it was manageable but went a bit too far with the loading, which is probably on me.”
It meant O’Connor’s camp in Portugal was limited to gym and conditioning. “Having that focused time to work on stuff is the big priority for us, but I would emphasise with that, there is a lot of time together forming bonds and connections, all really important for any team.”
They left Ireland a week or so after the sobering League final trimming by Donegal. A year ago, they went after victory in the league final against Mayo. Does it help or hinder the camp mood to have their ass handed to you in the departure lounge? “Don’t think it makes a difference,” shrugged the Tralee man. "No matter when you go, you have work to get done and you are looking to improve as a group. It was a good week all round.”
Nevertheless, Kerry go into Saturday’s Munster SFC semi final against Clare in Ennis short senior figures in every line – from Shane Ryan in goals, Paul Murphy in the full back line, Brian O’Beaglaoich and Gavin White in the half back line, Sean O’Brien and Liam Smith in midfield, O’Connor himself in the half forward line with Sean O’Shea, and Dylan Geaney inside. There’s still experience on the field, of course, but given how little competitive action some of the MIA’s have had in 2026, time is getting short to work on combinations and get minutes in their legs. This is especially true for starters Paul Geaney and Paudie Clifford, and 2025 captain Gavin White.
Another, Diarmuid O’Connor, returns to midfield to form a new starting partnership with Mark O’Shea, with Sean O’Brien returning to the bench. ‘Relationships’ in that area is something O’Connor emphasises with good reason.
“Midfield is just demanding now. It was hugely beneficial seeing how Sean and Mark had to form a quick relationship (around midfield) last year. When they were together, it’s really clear how they worked so well and had a big impact on the team. We have big bodies and confidence around the middle, but nowadays you have to have too, the way the game is being played. The amount of long kick outs, and battles…some teams are extraordinarily big and that’s a challenge.”
There might have been a time when O’Connor was learning his trade as a teenager and the scope of his own physical attributes that he just wanted the keeper to ‘pike it out and have a proper contest out around the middle’. Now the demands on the No 1 examine every aspect of his technical ability and temperament. And the relationships with his targets.
“Variety,” says O’Connor. “Good keepers will vary it and try short and long. But there are moments in games when you just have to go long and midfield need to be braced for that. With the switch in momentum, and the value of the two point arc, there are times you simply can’t go short – then it’s a straight battle for the middle eight.”
Piggery, as the Armagh manager labelled it.
“You throw in the crowd, the difficulty of breaking the momentum of the opposition, you find yourself doing your absolute best to get some friendly hands on the ball. It’s a lot easier said than done.”
And so the road to Croker begins. Earlier this week, O’Connor reached for the mellowness of Fenit strand outside Tralee for a stroll and a swim. To unplug himself. When he needs a few extra grains of sand and solitude, he points the car for Ardfert and Banna Beach. A powerful spot, as he describes it.
“Banna just has that feelgood thing about it. I was chatting to one of the lads about that, it’s just different to other beaches. I’m 27 now and didn’t play senior with Kerry ‘til I was 25. It’s only two years but 27 just feels, I dunno, different. Like I’m really trying to go after it now every year. I feel definitely I’ve a lot more to give.”
Maybe this short sos will prove a blessing for O’Connor and Kerry’s summer ambition of racking up a 40th Sam Maguire. “We are fortunate we have a very competitive squad. The standard in our training is always very high no matter who drops out. There’s always someone good to step up and step in. We are lucky with that.”
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