Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Jack O'Connor.Morgan Treacy/INPHO JACK ATTACK 'I was inside here a month ago and there steam coming out of my ears' - Jack O'Connor If this is the end, Jack O’Connor has proven himself with the hardest All-Ireland of all to cap his five in total. 8.09pm, 27 Jul 2025 Share options Declan Bogue Reports from Croke Park IN THE END, he shared a little anecdote of home life, painting a picture of a man heading out to take training, his bag over his shoulder, heading off to train the Kerry footballers on a summer’s evening. “And my missus took a picture of me going out the gate,” said Jack O’Connor. “And I already know that’ll be up on the wall, that was my last, so I’d say no, she’ll be framing that one.” You can imagine it. Sepia-toned perhaps for added poignance. It’s been the job that has defined his life and made him one of the most decorated managers Gaelic football. And still, Jack O’Connor’s gifts are downplayed. It’s why, after the win over Armagh, he had a go at those inside his own county that he felt was doing him down. “I’d ask people who are knocking the group, ‘What have you contributed to Kerry football off the field?” he said back then. Revisiting that, he said here, “Obviously, delighted for myself because it was a tough old year. I found this a tough year. “I was inside here a month ago and there was a lot of steam coming out of my ears. It wasn’t faked or it wasn’t put on. It was authentic because I felt that we were getting a lot of unfair stick and we were trying our butts off and have been from the start of the year. “So, for us to finally get the reward is great.” He’s been appreciated by the right people though. Asked about the departed Mick O’Dwyer and how much he was in O’Connor’s thoughts this season, he relayed another yarn. “Micko, you know, he’s created a great history and tradition in Kerry and the rest of us are only trotting after him now. (It’s) A bit sentimental for me because I brought the cup to him to his house in ‘22 and we had a nice half an hour of a chat there,” he said. “And there was a nice photograph taken, so I treasure that always because you know he was an idol of mine as I say. “He’s created the history and the rest of us really try.” From the third minute, they started compiling a lead that Donegal could never wipe out. They decimated the Ulster champions. Advertisement “Yeah, we were very determined leaving the hotel this morning,” he revealed. Shaking hands with Donegal manager Jim McGuinness afterwards.Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO “I had a few words with them just before we got on the bus that we were going to take the game to Donegal. We weren’t going to sit back and just see what they had to offer. We were really going after them. “We were going after (Shaun) Patton’s kickouts. We were going to drive on. I thought Gavin White was sensational in the first quarter. A real captain’s example. “There were a few pivotal moments. I thought David’s two pointer on the stroke of halftime was a big, big score. Just gave us a cushion going in at halftime and just gave the lads a lot of belief.” Complacency for them at the break was their enemy after going in 0-17 to 0-10 up. Fortunately for them and unfortunately for Cork, they had the perfect example last weekend. “Our mantra at halftime was we weren’t going to collapse like you saw probably with the Cork hurlers maybe last week. We were going to go out and try and win the second half. There were times, I mean, Donegal didn’t wave any white flag out there. They brought that back from, I’d say, nine points back to four points and they were still highly dangerous. “Massive effort. Massive effort. Big contribution from an awful lot of players. “Just thrilled for them because, as I said, we had a rough all year and it’s nice to see it coming together in the end.” Perhaps their energy caught Donegal. They flew into that early lead Donegal seemed shell-shocked at their ferocity. When Shaun Patton looked for their kickouts, he aimed across his body and more often than not, Michael Murphy was the intended target. Kerry had Jason Foley nearby to do a bit of shunting and bumping. They also had Joe O’Connor and Gavin White gathering up an obscene amount of breaks. And they had David Clifford. In general play, he wasn’t a major figure. But his shooting was insane. With the weight of an entire counties expectations on his shoulders, how did O’Connor manage that? “See, David, David has a unique temperament, you know. He just takes it in his stride,” said O’Connor. “Of course he must have felt pressure and he knew he was going to get a lot of heat. But you know, when we spoke about it during the week and he said, look, if I’m double marked and triple marked, he said, I just, I’ll just win it and slip it. “And he’s humble enough to create scores for other people and he was a massive part of all we done there, because he kicked three two-pointers and particularly the one on the stroke of halftime was just inspirational for us going in, just get an extra zip ourselves. “But yeah, how he deals with the weight of expectation, I have no idea. It’s his unique temperament.” Related Reads How Joe O'Connor put injury hell behind him and played his way into Footballer of the Year contention An isolated, distinct land that carries the football tight to its heart: Failte go Tír Chonaill Kerry name unchanged side for All-Ireland final as Diarmuid O'Connor makes squad And then there’s his brother Paudie, who controlled the game from start to finish, albeit Donegal allowed that to happen. “Paudie’s just coming back to himself after a long injury and we felt that he was coming good,” he explained. “He handled some amount of ball out there and he just calmed things down and a big part of playing Donegal is getting value out of your attacks and don’t turn it over. “I think Meath found that out when they didn’t work the Donegal defence. They just took potshots from outside the arc looking for two pointers. “Now you take the two pointers when they’re on, but you don’t force them and you work their defenders.” The next thing will grab the attention though. “I thought we worked the Donegal defenders and that in turn takes away a bit of their legs for going the other way,” he says. “I thought that was a big factor. I didn’t think that the likes of Roarty and Morgan and McHugh had a big influence in that game. “Attacking wise, I think a lot of that has to do with the patience we showed in the attack, and keeping them out of it.” A masterclass. Kerry will soon miss him. Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here Declan Bogue Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'I was inside here a month ago and there steam coming out of my ears' - Jack O'Connor”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'I was inside here a month ago and there steam coming out of my ears' - Jack O'Connor”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion FIVE TITLES JACK ATTACK Jack O'Connor FreeReaction Jim McGuinness: 'Sometimes in life you've got to put your hands up and take it on the chin' 39 mins ago FreePodcastThe 42 GAA Weekly REACTION: Kerry crowned All-Ireland winners 44 mins ago 'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions 49 mins ago Freeback-to-back England retain Euros title after dramatic penalty shootout win over Spain 53 mins ago FreeOn a Roll 'I’m just a bit euphoric about getting it done' - Padraig Harrington wins Senior Open England v Spain, Euro 2025 final FreeTime to say goodbye Jack O'Connor strongly indicates he will step down from Kerry management As it happened Kerry v Donegal, All-Ireland SFC Final England v Spain, Euro 2025 final Harrington holds Senior Open lead heading into final round after another 65 FreeKingdom Rulers Dominant Kerry turn on the style on All-Ireland final day to defeat Donegal Fintan O'Toole Reports from Croke Park more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account