Colm Boyle column: Why Jack O'Connor will go down in history as 1 of the greats

Irish Daily Mirror

5 days ago

This All-Ireland final seemed like both the end of an era and the start of one.
If, as seems likely by his post-match comments, Jack O'Connor resigns, then we will be saying goodbye to one of the greatest managers in the history of Gaelic football.
Until yesterday, you may also have described O'Connor as one of the sport's most underestimated coaches, especially in his own county.
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Absurd as that sounds, considering he had won four All-Ireland titles, his previous achievements seemed to be accompanied by an asterisk.
Yes, he had won all those All-Irelands, but that is what Kerry fans expect.
If anything, there was possibly more of a focus on the three finals he lost, especially the 2005 defeat to Tyrone, than the four he had won.
Well, that perception has most certainly changed now after yesterday's win, not just the manner of it, but also the opposition.
After losing to Meath in the round-robin section, Kerry appeared to be going nowhere. David Clifford aside, none of their players appeared to be in form and the team were struggling to click.
That certainly changed. First came Cavan, then Armagh, next Tyrone and yesterday Donegal, four Ulster teams defeated by an aggregate of 33 points.
That's astonishing and for O'Connor, it is special. For years, Kerry have been perceived as having an easy route to an All-Ireland, because of their provincial set-up. Kerry manager Jack O'Connor (Image: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)
No one can say that now because they have just claimed a de-facto Ulster championship as well as everything else they have won this season: the League, the Munster championship, the All-Ireland.
Not just that, but for Jack, this fifth All-Ireland confirms his position as the third most successful manager in Gaelic football history, behind Mick O'Dwyer (who won eight championships) and Jim Gavin (six).
No one can ever question his credentials again. To win five All-Irelands is astonishing but to do it across a 21-year timespan is even more impressive, as the game is so radically different now than it was in 2004, when he won his first All-Ireland.
Players too have changed dramatically in terms of their outlook and expectations and one thing that has really impressed me about Jack is his willingness to get outside coaches to freshen up his backroom team.
Persuading Cian O'Neill to come in as his No2 was a masterstroke. I worked under Cian in 2012 when James Horan brought him into the Mayo set-up and saw first hand how organised, innovative and tactically intelligent he was.
That year he was with us, he gave us valuable insight into opposing teams as we made our way to an All-Ireland final.
You could see his fingerprints all across Kerry's win yesterday, especially the way Kerry decoded Donegal's zonal defence.
All season that system has worked perfectly for Donegal. But the biggest danger of zonal marking is that no one is ever held responsible which allows players to drift into scoring areas unmarked.
We saw that repeatedly when Gavin White surged forward, when Sean O'Brien got his easy score, when Kerry were able to get two-point shots off.
Yet while Cian O'Neill should be credited for devising a tactical plan which worked so efficiently, equal credit should go to O'Connor for having the self-confidence to appoint someone with O'Neill's experience.
A lesser manager may have perceived O'Neill as a threat or worried that his assistant would receive all the credit if things went right but be free from criticism if it went wrong.
Credit O'Connor then for having the self-awareness to add to his backroom team with a different style of coach. That's how you bridge eras from 2004 and 2025.
Of course it helps too to have exceptional players. And all of Kerry's main men turned up yesterday, none more so than Gavin White who was my man of the match.
He set the tone right from the start, setting up the first score of the game, then getting Kerry's second and third points of the day.
That put them on their way.
Then came the second half; again he made a key involvement from the throw-in and Kerry again got a score from it.
Later, in a period when Donegal chipped away at Kerry's lead, reducing it from nine points to four with a concerted 15-minute period of good play, White showed his leadership qualities to seize possession and carry the ball 40 yards before getting a superb point.
That, once more, set the tone as Donegal's comeback had stalled. Indeed, they would score only one more point in the match.
Kerry's anxious period was over. They can thank White for that. Kerry's Gavin White lifts the Sam Maguire (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
Yet the plaudits must be shared. Paudie Clifford was outstanding and while people may focus on the stats, the 76 possessions, the thing we should really concentrate on is the quality of his play.
It was strange that Jim McGuinness left him as the free man; stranger that he didn't decide to change this initial policy. Because Clifford destroyed Donegal with the precision of his passing and the intelligence of his decision-making.
And he had plenty of company.
Right through this Kerry side, their leaders turned up, Joe O'Connor outstanding yet again.
And that is why it feels like the start of an era as well as the end of one.
Yes, O'Connor may decide to retire and walk away.
But Kerry will be staying for quite some time. Considering how well they played yesterday they will take some beating.
****
I started watching Gaelic football in 1996.
And there have been some great players come along.
But David Clifford is the best I have ever seen.
All year Brendan McCole has marked players superbly well.
And Clifford scored 0-9 against him.
That's outstanding. Adding yesterday's performance to the other displays he has given this summer, he is my player of the year.
***
When Michael Murphy stepped out of retirement, it seemed as though he would be a 20-minute man.
Instead he has had an excellent championship.
But the big question is whether he will be persuaded to come back for another season. He turns 36 soon and the miles on the clock have added up over the years.
Remember it was 2007 when he made his inter-county debut. Finnbarr Roarty was a one-year-old in 2007.
Murphy defied time for most of this year but yesterday he looked fatigued in the closing minutes which suggests that next year he will be an impact sub - should he decide to come back.
Will he stay or go? That will be a hard question to answer.
Does he deserve an All-Star? That is an easier answer. Yes. Absolutely he does.