Kerry – putting the hyphen into foot-ball

Kerry half-backs Mike Breen and Graham O'Sullivan have become influential playmakers for the Kingdom. Pic: Paul Phelan/Sportsfile

It was difficult to buy some of Jim McGuinness’ musings after Donegal’s championship exit on Sunday.

“I don’t want to take away from Dublin in the same way I don’t want to take away from Down but there is no real training going on, that’s the reality. I don’t think there is any real training going on in any county.

“So, you are trying to manage it and have enough fellas to arrive on this stage. People are just being managed, getting a wee bit done here and there. You just don’t know where you stand.” 

Donegal had four weeks including a training camp in Portugal between their Division 1 final win over Kerry in late March and losing a home Ulster quarter-final to Down in late April. They had three weeks after defeating Kerry again before losing a home All-Ireland Round 2A game to Cork.

The week’s turnaround to the Dublin game aside (and the Dubs were coming off one day less preparation), McGuinness’ argument doesn’t stack up and points not to the shortcomings of the inter-county calendar but a group that is still not at ease with football’s brave new world.

We well believe McGuinness’ claim that the game is asking up to 35% more of players in the explosiveness that is required but it isn’t all about hard running. It shouldn’t all be about hard running. Donegal simply don’t kick the ball enough. If they want to find new ways of conserving energy, meeting leather with leather would go a long way.

Although he has often stretched them, McGuinness knows the economies of football. In that attritional All-Ireland semi-final against Cork in 2012, Donegal untypically spent a lot of the first half letting the ball do the work for them. That Cork team may have been approaching its autumn but they could still wear down teams. In the second half, Donegal had too much energy for them.

Last Saturday, a tired Armagh tried to preserve precious energy with possession but it was all in vain. They carried too long, too often. It wasn’t that the ball wasn’t in the control of Kerry for significant swathes. They were just smarter with it and vastly more efficient.

INEVITABLE 🔥🔥🔥@Kerry_Official have the opening goal of the game and it is that man David Clifford who finds the back of the net for The Kingdom 🥶🎯#KERvARM

Clips courtesy of @AIB_GAA pic.twitter.com/B3ZMeZpjhm

— GAA+ (@GAAPlusOfficial) June 20, 2026

Kerry’s two first-half goals last Saturday didn’t involve a single hand-pass. For David Clifford's goal, it was Mike Breen’s quick sideline to Graham O’Sullivan to Dylan Geaney to the three-time footballer of the year. For Paul Geaney’s against-the-clock one, it was a dink from O’Sullivan to Jason Foley whose boot forward was broken down and the Kerry captain did the rest.

Dylan Geaney’s first point in the 26th minute involved two transfers from the boot including Shane Murphy’s kick-out. It was the personification of direct football. David Clifford’s first point involved two kick-passes and one for his second.

These were all fast attacks, of course, assisted by the wind. Slowed up, the hand is often mightier than the foot but even when their build-up has been deliberate, Kerry led with the foot. Joe O’Connor’s blasting goal was remembered as much for Dylan Geaney’s disguised hand-pass but there were as many kick-passes – 10 – as there were from the hand in the 99-second play that led to the score.

For the previous scores, David Clifford’s 43rd minute point, seven of the passes in the deliberate 110-second build-up were kick-passes.

Just to put those two second half scores which involved 17 kick-passes into context, both Donegal and Tyrone kicked the ball just 14 times over the entire first half of the Ulster final 10 years ago.

The rules might have changed but the original principles of football have been enshrined by the alterations and Kerry are profiting. More of their players are embracing it too, as evidenced by how much half-backs Breen and O’Sullivan have become influential as playmakers. As Paudie Clifford works his way to match fitness, the pair have taken up the mantle.

O’Sullivan played key elements in the first two goals but the purpose and accuracy with which Breen distributed ball into his inside lines was outstanding and deserved the commendation of Jack O’Connor afterwards.

Not to the same effect but Micheál Burns, free to face Tyrone in Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final having served his suspension, was forwarding similar kicks into the right corner against Donegal.

As they return to Croke Park, the All-Ireland champions’ predilection to kick is only going to grow. Kerry are putting the hyphen into foot-ball.