Back to news
Jack and David have decided that this state of affairs will not do. At all.
@Source: the42.ie
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.Tom O’Hanlon/INPHO
AnalysisBUILDING LEGACY
Jack and David have decided that this state of affairs will not do. At all.
With one All-Ireland in a decade, Kerry feel they have left a few behind them and are eager to make up the time.
6.01am, 13 Jul 2025
Share options
Declan Bogue
THERE IS NOT another Gaelic football manager alive that has walked away from an All-Ireland semi-final eight times, wondering how they might best approach the final.
But Jack O’Connor has. His body of work at coaching reaches back a quarter century through his work with Coláiste na Sceilge, through to the years spent as a selector in a Páidí ÓSé backroom in an environment where every quip and opinion had to be polished.
There is a picture of O’Connor as a hangdog, bristly Kerryman. Perhaps somewhat lacking in the type of fake friendship that makes the county such a black hole for tourist dollars.
After Kerry’s victory against Armagh, he teed up a bit of a shot at criticism levelled at this Kerry team. Natural deduction had it that Darragh ÓSé’s words cut when he said that the public wasn’t fancying this Kerry team.
As the press conference was winding down, we revisited what he said, asking if this level of critique was just not part of the territory of managing Kerry. He reacted not in a calculated sly way, but with something that had been sitting in his gut.
The venue where the post-match press briefings has a habit of sucking all enthusiasm out interviewees and interviewers alike. But O’Connor was burning.
“What’s to be gained by slating people?” he asked.
“It’s the easiest thing in the world. I’m in the business of building people up. I’m not in the business of knocking people. I spent all my life coaching underage school kids, minors, Under-21s, seniors, at every level. I’m in the business of building people, not knocking people.”
And then, he got personal. Because no doubt, he felt some of the stuff being said about him was on the personal side of things.
Advertisement
“I’d ask people who are knocking that group and knocking people involved with the group to look in the mirror and say, ‘What have you contributed? What have you contributed to Kerry football off the field?’
“…Go away and coach a team. Go away and coach a development squad. Go away and coach a minor team. That’s how you help Kerry football, not knocking people.”
If he was under pressure then, he showed it. The performance that beat Armagh had been well hidden beforehand.
There’s a feeling however, that a significant core of the Kerry football team are sick of hanging around.
David Clifford is 26 years of age. He made his debut against Clare in 2018. He has played in three All-Ireland finals and won just one.
For a player that is routinely talked about as the greatest we have even seen, that’s a ridiculously meagre return.
Where do you see his reaction? In the way he has used post-match interviews to call the Kerry public out to see their team. In the way he celebrates his goals to pump a bit of oxygen into the spectators’ celebrations.
David Clifford.Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
It’s as if, following the defeat to Armagh in last year’s semi-final with the stands containing just speckles of green and gold among Armagh tangerine, he’s just decided that this shit stops now.
In that, he is perfectly matched to Jack O’Connor. They are bound by this common destiny. Even being keenly aware of Dublin’s complete dominance, to hear that Kerry have but one Sam Maguire to show for the last decade is still jarring.
Prior to the weekend games, they were warm favourites to beat Tyrone. The opening quarter gave a hint that Tyrone might actually deliver one of those seismic moments when they turn the world on it’s head.
It’s always tempting to fall into the trap that Tyrone have it over Kerry. The All-Ireland semi-final of 2003 and finals of 2005 and 2008 are the first examples cited, with further reference to the 2021 semi-final added.
Some recent underage successes and school’s football could also be added to the brew. And a sprinkling of mentions of the Derrytresk-Dromid and Stewartstown-Fossa (which, we might point out, Fossa won easily) club games never harms an argument. Add in a sidebar of league games that got a bit tasty along the line and you have yourself a handy spreads.
But O’Connor’s record against Tyrone stands on it’s own.
Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Sure, he was manager when they lost the 2005 All-Ireland final.
But he was also manager in 2012 in Killarney. And he’s back as manager now with the latest, most commanding defeat of Tyrone.
This championship is a relentless monster. Tyrone found that running each attack was never going to work against a side that have a kickpass as a strong instinct. Not in that heat.
And it almost paid off spectacularly in the second half when a long ball was drove into David Clifford’s chest. Catch it and he’d have been likely to get the goal that buried Tyrone altogether, instead of it hopping off his chest.
As the game wore on, the performances of practically every Tyrone player was ground down by their direct marker. Only a couple can have emerged with credit and right now, Malachy O’Rourke will be having a long hard think about a rebuild.
Kerry did that to them.
Related Reads
'Robbie will have players bouncing. He doesn’t bring negativity or make it all about him'
Poll: Who will win today's All-Ireland SFC semi-final and Tailteann Cup final?
A tale of two warriors: The devotion of Mattie Donnelly and Peter Harte
The trick they managed to pull is that they seem to have timed their run to absolute perfection.
The next two weeks will be a short lead-in to what O’Connor had been used to. You’d imagine that the days of a month-long build up would have been filled with exquisite tension for him.
Now it’s different.
The faces aren’t changing much in Kerry. But the feeling is.
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 “Jack and David have decided that this state of affairs will not do. At all. ”.
Recipient's Email
Feedback on “Jack and David have decided that this state of affairs will not do. At all. ”.
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
BUILDING LEGACY
Late Van Poortvliet try steers England to series victory against Argentina
FreeWomen's Premier Division
Mooney brace extends Athlone Town's lead at top of the table as Bohs win Dublin derby
Kerry and Offaly overcome final-four battles to reach All-Ireland intermediate camogie final
Sweden top Euro 2025 group with big win over Germany to lay down marker
FreeContrasting Fortunes
Sligo Rovers boost survival hopes as Derry City's title hopes take a hit
FreeGulf In Class
Ireland hit 100 points in record 16-try defeat of Portugal
In Contention
McIlroy shares Scottish Open lead heading into final round after brilliant 66
As it happened
Kerry v Tyrone, All-Ireland SFC semi-final
As it happened
Portugal v Ireland, Summer Series
As it happened
Lions v AUNZ Invitational XV, Australia Tour 2025
Farrell confirms Ringrose will miss first Test against Wallabies
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
Related News
10 Jul, 2025
Shakur Stevenson Vs. William Zepeda Figh . . .
26 Jul, 2025
Tom Cruise, 63, grins and waves as he la . . .
16 Jun, 2025
Sports News | Chennai Bulls' Marquee Pla . . .
13 Feb, 2025
How to Watch the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off . . .
28 Apr, 2025
PCB reschedules two HBL PSL X matches
02 May, 2025
Devdutt Padikkal Credits Mindset Shift A . . .
26 Mar, 2025
Brittany & Patrick Mahomes' Daughter Ste . . .
03 Jun, 2025
Who Is Sarina Vaswani? A Sneak Peak Into . . .