Jack O'Connor content Kerry are future proofing while taking care of the present 

Kerry manager Jack O'Connor. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

We’ll get to the injuries momentarily. Let’s instead start with those moved up the pecking order by the many absentees and those who’ve climbed back up the pecking order after time spent among the absentees.

Keith Evans was making only his second championship start. You certainly wouldn’t have guessed such from his confident and popping-up-everywhere contribution.

Gavin White was making only his second appearance of 2026. His 44 minutes off the bench was the most time he’s seen in a green and gold shirt since last year’s All-Ireland. You certainly wouldn’t have guessed such from how he covered two-thirds of the Killarney field - possession in tow - for Kerry’s 17th point.

Seán O’Brien hadn’t made his full championship debut this time last year. His fetching excellence at midfield was offered up by the winning manager as further evidence of their undeniable depth. And on and on goes the list of Kerry players superbly negating the many not present.

“I just thought some of the boys that came off the bench made a big contribution,” Jack O’Connor began.

“The likes of Tony [Brosnan] kicking five points off the bench is a massive thing, Killian [Spillane] got his customary good score. Gavin White was just fantastic for a man who has very little football played. Dylan [Geaney] knitted the play together and kicked a great score.

“Even the likes of Eddie Healy came on there and looked right at home, came out with one ball there like Séamus Moynihan used to of old, like a knife through butter, so delighted with the lads who are standing up. Keith Evans was a revelation today. He’s come an awful long way in 12 months.

“They’re the lads that I’m happiest for. It’s obviously very tough on the lads who are injured, but for the future of Kerry football it was great that Tomás Kennedy got a good outing there, 50 minutes, they’re the future of Kerry football. We need to keep renewing and refreshing the Kerry panel.” 

Never mind the future, Jack’s matchday 26 is in a perpetual state of refreshment at present such are the constant bodies dropping.

Paul Geaney having injured his hamstring during an internal game last Saturday week meant he was withdrawn from the starting team before throw-in. Paudie Clifford, in only his fourth appearance of the year, didn’t reappear for the second period. A whole host of other green and gold colleagues also had to be pulled before time.

“Tis rough enough going at the moment,” replied Jack when asked if he has ever seen a worse championship injury list than the one Kerry are nursing at present.

“It is hard to pinpoint the cause of it, only just the intensity of the inter-county season, on top of a very intense club season put down. That has to be the reason.

“It is not like we are dogging the players or training too hard. It is tough going, but there are a few fellas not a million miles off it, whether they are back or not for the Donegal game. Five weeks' time for the second round, we should have a lot of fellas back. In the meantime, we will soldier on.” 

On Paudie’s hamstring-enforced interval removal, he added: “I don't think he has done major damage, he is not quite able to open up. For safety, we took him off. He hadn't done any more damage [before we took him off].” 

In a second-half stinking of inevitability, a contest fleetingly presented itself when Brian O’Driscoll’s goal on the hour-mark reduced the deficit to two. The Kingdom manager couldn’t pick a hole in the subsequent Kerry response.

“The game was right in the melting pot in the last seven or eight minutes, and I think Dylan Geaney got one critical point to get it back to three, and then obviously Tony put the icing on the cake with the two-pointer near the end.

“A good battle, a great occasion. We knew from during the week that there was going to be north of 30,000 here. We certainly didn't want to lose a proud record here against Cork that goes back to '95. That was our sole focus. Maybe tomorrow morning we'll turn our thoughts to Donegal.”