How Kerry pulled off tactical masterclass to beat Donegal in All-Ireland final

Irish Times

3 days ago

One of the best podcasts on sports coaching in Gaelic games was released exactly two years ago, ahead of the Kerry v Dublin All-Ireland final. In an interview with Ger Gilroy on Off The Ball, Cian O'Neill gave a real insight into his coaching philosophy.
One of the key aspects of the interview comes at around the 20-minute mark where he talks about role clarity, role acceptance and role execution.
He stresses role acceptance is the most crucial, along with the trust within the group on that, as well as the strategy being co-created with the players.
Merge that with the insight from his Sunday Game banquet interview, where he referenced having more than 40 coaches (ie the players on the field) involved in the set-up and you see how a tactical masterclass was delivered on the biggest stage by
Kerry
last Sunday.
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Role clarity
The maps below show where some of the key Kerry players got possessions. Much has been made of the 76 possessions that Paudie Clifford got in the final (we will explore the how of that a little more in the role acceptance section). He was fulfilling a role that was afforded to him by the Donegal structure. His pivot role between the 45 and 65 was executed with precision. He was rarely under any pressure in his possessions as he soloed the ball left and right with ease, and surveyed the options in front of him.
Possession maps for some of Kerry's key players.
Seán O'Shea played a similar role to Paudie at times, while at other times he operated in the 15 corner at the corner of the arc, mirroring
David Clifford
on the far side. The positioning of O'Shea and David Clifford were absolutely crucial in stretching the Donegal defence. This allowed Gavin White to raid forward down the left wing twice in the opening minutes for a score and again in the second half.
Gavin White's early raid with Mark O'Shea and Sean O'Brien positioned high, stretching Donegal.
White line break in final quarter, Diarmuid O'Connor has now assumed high midfield role.
Role acceptance
Again there has been talk of David Clifford's periods of splendid isolation during the game as he brought Brendan McCole to the outskirts of the pitch. This showed a huge level of leadership from a player of such talents. He operated in that right channel of the pitch and allowed Paudie to operate centrally, while Gavin White profited off the weaker side of the defence. It was smart but not unexpected as McCole was always going to stick to the Fossa man closely. McCole did turn over Clifford twice in the game - in a game were Kerry didn't offer up turnovers easily, he cemented his All Star.
A typical attacking shape for Kerry during the All-Ireland final.
The two players who are maybe not receiving their fair share of the plaudits are Seán O'Brien and Mark O'Shea. They were the epitome of role acceptance. During structured attacks they were always the highest and when Diarmuid O'Connor entered the fray he continued on this 'team/position' role.
This wasn't without personal reward as O'Brien scored two points, one from the above picture as he fisted over, and a second below as he came from inside out as Gavin White popped him the ball, with again Mark O'Shea highest. One of the biggest aspects of this move was how it pinned Peadar Mogan so far back the field.
The build-up to Seán O'Brien's second point - another score built off a disciplined attacking structure.
The structure to the Kerry attack all day, assisted by the passive Donegal zonal defence, meant they could execute rehearsed plays with conviction. The below image of an attack in the early stages of the second half really illustrates the possession control that was in place.
Kerry used a set attacking structure to attack the Donegal zonal defence.
Another key moment came in the 16th minute when Paudie Clifford checked the run of Peadar Mogan after a rare Kerry mistake, before a Mark O'Shea turnover which afforded David Clifford a breakaway point.
Paudie Clifford's check on Peadar Mogan stops supporting run.
Role execution
Everyone knowing their role and being willing to accept it is one thing, but you must be able to execute and punish. This requires leadership and steel - both were in abundance in the Kerry dressingroom and on the field.
The captain has a role in setting the tone. Kerry won both throw-ins with Gavin White raiding forward off both. In the first half he won the break off Mark O'Shea and drove through the heart of the Donegal defence before offloading to Dylan Geaney who opened the Kingdom's account.
At the start of the move there was a theatrical jump from Ryan McHugh, as White started his run. The second half started the same with a breaking ball, this time McHugh went to meet the Kerry captain and White went through him, leaving the Kilcar man requiring attention to his shoulder - the phase finished with a Seán O'Shea point.
Kerry's Gavin White winning breaks at the start of each half.
White wasn't the only leader, there were two particular enforcers on the Kerry team, who led throughout. Seán O'Shea man showed leadership when he came really deep for a Shane Ryan kickout in the second half. He wanted possession deep all day and took the responsibility to carry out from there. The reaction of the Kenmare man when Donegal tried to test the shoulder of the returning Diarmuid O'Connor showed the togetherness of the Kerry team.
Kerry's Seán O'Shea coming deep into pocket to take kickout.
Seán O'Shea moves to help protect the returning Diarmuid O'Connor.
Joe O'Connor won clean kickouts throughout the encounter, and he had an important block as Donegal attempted a two-pointer in the 49th minute. Then he finished the game off by rocketing the ball to the back of the net in the last minute. Killian Spillane assisted the goal, who received the ball off his Templenoe clubmate Tadgh Morley, a leader of Kerry for years.
Joe O'Connor block down on rare Donegal two-point attempt.
Joe O'Connor senses something is on and drives forward for Kerry's late goal.
The Kingdom's true leader was David Clifford. Every score he landed energised the crowd, and they energised him. The humility to spend time on the outskirts to benefit others was fascinating to watch - his first possession only came after eight minutes. When he came into phases on high Kerry turnovers in the first half he returned 0-3 in seconds.
His point in the 11th minute hasn't received as much attention as it deserves. He was initially priming himself for a loop off Mark O'Shea but had to readjust and loop off Mike Breen and kick the ball over for a two-pointer under pressure, off the back foot. Unbelievable athleticism and skill.
David Clifford adjusting his loop to set up a two-point attempt.
The part of the game that emphasised the collective leadership and role execution was the final phase of the first half, where Kerry controlled the ball from the moment Shane Ryan collected it on 33:15 and David Clifford kicked his two-pointer after the buzzer. A huge score that afforded them a seven-point half-time advantage.
Paudie on his own 45m line in the phase issued a keep calm sign, before he proceeded to have eight of his 76 possessions in the phase. He set it up for his brother David to execute.
The set-up for Kerry's two-pointer after the buzzer in the first half.
Paudie was again provider for his younger brother for his 36th-minute point, as he orchestrated the back door cut with a sublimely weighted pass - a score made in Fossa.
Paudie Clifford directing his brother for back door cut pass.
An All-Ireland final where role clarity, acceptance and execution were to the fore, but the victors were assisted by an opponent who believed that Plan A could not be overcome and were slow to adapt. There will be regret for Donegal on how Kerry navigated around their game plan, but they have the personnel and togetherness to recover and go again in 2026.
Paul O'Brien is a performance analyst with The Performance Process
.