Jack O’Connor has added nine new faces to his extended Kerry senior football squad ahead of the 2022 season, which is scheduled to get underway at the end of January.

The Dromid native replaced Peter Keane as Kerry manager in October and as expected he has set about moulding his own team which he hopes will be capable of challenging for next year’s All-Ireland. The Kingdom were unexpectedly beaten by Tyrone in the 2021 All-Ireland semi-final and it has now been seven years, going on eight, since Sam Maguire resided in Kerry.

O’Connor will be under pressure to deliver immediate results and after keeping a close eye on the recent Club and County Championships, he has called in a number of promising reinforcements.

Stefan Okunbor is perhaps the most high-profile of these call-ups. After spending three years in the AFL with Geelong, Okunbor returned to Ireland in September and wasted no time getting back into the swing of things with his club, Na Gaeil, and his divisional side, St Brendan’s. The former Kerry minor and U20 star can play in a variety of positions and his skillset and athleticism has led many supporters to suggest that he could be a potential starter.

Okunbor’s call-up is not just significant in purely sporting terms. The son of a Nigerian father and a Moldovan mother, the 23-year-old Tralee man could become the first person of colour to represent the Kerry senior footballers.

MURPHY

Dr Crokes goalkeeper Shane Murphy has been recalled to the fold, three years after falling out of favour under previous manager Peter Keane. Murphy made his debut for Kerry in 2018 after impressing for the Crokes in their 2017 All-Ireland and County Championship triumphs but was subsequently dropped by Eamonn Fitzmaurice during the Super 8s.

Keane opted to play Shane Ryan in goal for the duration of his three-year term with Brian Kelly providing back up in 2019 and 2020. Kelly subsequently retired and Kenmare’s Kieran Fitzgibbon was drafted in. When Ryan got injured at the start of the 2021 campaign, Fitzgibbon was promoted to starter with goalkeeping coach and former No. 1 Brendan Kealy briefly filling in as back-up keeper.

Murphy is an expert kicker and his reintroduction to the panel comes as little surprise. He is currently recovering from a concussion he sustained during the county semi-final against Kerins O’Rahillys but he is expected to be back in action some time in the New Year.

Fellow Killarney man Dan O’Donoghue of Spa has also been added to the squad following a string of impressive seasons with his club and also in the red and white of East Kerry. The composed centre back captained his district to County Championship glory in 2019 and 2020 before playing a key role in Spa’s intermediate final victory earlier this year.

O’Donoghue’s former East Kerry teammate Darragh Roche will join him back in Currans. The Glenflesk sharpshooter has caught they eye time and again in recent championships; most recently he kicked 0-13 and picked up the Man of the Match award in his club’s defeat to Spa in the O’Donoghue Cup semi-final.

STACKS CONTINGENT

Austin Stacks claimed their 13th Kerry SFC title two weeks ago and three of their players have been rewarded with call-ups to the Kerry team. Full back and captain Dylan Casey, energetic corner back Jack O’Shea and imperious midfielder Greg Horan have all been added to Jack O’Connor’s new-look roster.

The Kerry championship’s top scorer, Jack Savage of Kerins O’Rahillys, has been brought back in having previously lined out under Eamonn Fitzmaurice, and Andrew Barry of Na Gaeil (brother of Jack) is also back in the camp. The commanding No. 6, who last featured for Kerry in 2018, was excellent for St Brendan’s on their run to the Kerry SFC semi-final.

Meanwhile, Firies veteran Jack Sherwood has reportedly stepped away from the fold, following Tommy Walsh into intercounty retirement.

Kerry get their 2022 season up and running with an away game against O’Connor’s former team, Kildare, on Sunday, January 30.