Kerry GAA chiefs increasingly confident Jack O'Connor will remain as manager
A county board meeting will take place next Tuesday with the expectation being that a new two-year term for O'Connor will be announced. It is also expected that the Dromid man's current management team of Cian O'Neill, Aodán Mac Gearailt, James Costello, and Pa McCarthy will remain in situ. That team was put together last September after Micheál Quirke and Diarmuid Murphy left in quick succession.
Following Kerry's All-Ireland final victory over Donegal last month, O'Connor suggested that the fourth year of what is his third stint as Kerry manager would be his last. He described the win as a "last hurrah" after what had been a "tough" year, adding that he wasn't sure if he could put himself through it once again.
However, he added that the immediate aftermath of an All-Ireland final was not the right time to make such a decision and that he would "leave it settle for a couple of weeks".
The retired schoolteacher undoubtedly has the support of the Kerry players. David Clifford said this week that the panel would "love" for O'Connor to stay on as manager, adding that he is the "man for the job".
Agreeing the deal would give O'Connor the opportunity to achieve a new feat in his time as Kerry manager: winning back-to-back All-Ireland titles. It's 21 years since he won his first against Mayo. Kerry lost the following year's decider to Tyrone before defeating Mayo again in 2006. O'Connor stepped away after that victory with Pat O'Shea leading Kerry to the 2007 title. O'Connor returned to win again in 2009 but Kerry's 2010 championship ended at the quarter-final stage with defeat to Down.
He returned for his third spell ahead of the 2022 season, leading the Kingdom to victory over Galway in the final but they lost the 2023 decider to Dublin.
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