Adam Moynihan shares his player-by-player assessments as a rollercoaster year ends with Kerry claiming another All-Ireland title

Shane Ryan

Now one of the best shot-stoppers in the business, Ryan kept eight clean sheets in 15 appearances this season, including in the All-Ireland semi-final and final. (In fact, it’s eight and a bit clean sheets if you count the 23 minutes prior to his injury against Cork in Munster.) He faced two penalties and saved both. His ability to kick competently with left and right makes him an invaluable asset when Kerry need to get a kickout off short. A second All-Star award should be on the way.

Paul Murphy

The experienced defender turns 34 this weekend but all this year his vibrant performances belied his age. After claiming his first All-Ireland in his debut season in 2014, he had to soldier for a long time to experience that winning feeling again. His tally now stands at three. This latest triumph is a fitting reward for one of the county’s most dependable servants this century.

Jason Foley

With the new rules favouring inside forwards, this was always going to be a huge season for Kerry’s defensive anchor. He stepped up and delivered his finest package of performances ever. His ferocious pace is often flagged and complimented but his quickness of thought is sometimes overlooked. Durable and reliable, he is Kerry’s only ever-present in 2025 having started all 17 games. Another All-Star in waiting.

Dylan Casey

Strong and diligent without the ball and calm and steady with it, Casey enjoyed a breakthrough season in green and gold. Scored an important point and set-up David Clifford’s hat-trick goal in Pomeroy when defeat could have signalled relegation. Who knows what knock-on effects that might have had…

Brian Ó Beaglaoich

One of the most underrated players in the game. His ability to defend, win breaking ball, break lines with darting runs, and fashion scoring chances for himself and others makes him the ideal half back. Plus he’s hard as nails and doesn’t take a backwards step from anybody. Unlucky to miss out on an All-Star after a superb campaign in 2024. That should be rectified this time around.

Mike Breen

Breen staying fit, nailing down his place on the team and fulfilling his potential as an All-Ireland winning centre back is one of the storylines of Kerry’s season. The right attributes were always there but for years his progress was halted at every turn by injuries. This year he came in for Tadhg Morley in the league and all was going well until another hamstring issue derailed everything, but he fought back yet again and slotted in seamlessly.

Gavin White

After a long campaign with Dr Crokes that ran into January, it seemed to take White some time to get back to his electrifying best, but he came roaring into the championship with a terrific display at centre back against Armagh. He followed that up with another excellent showing at half back against Tyrone, and he saved his best for last in the final against Donegal. The captain was nothing short of heroic, setting the tone from both throw-ins with explosive runs and adding three points from play over 70 flawless minutes. A cert for an All-Star.

Seán O’Brien

It looked like O’Brien had fallen out of favour as a midfield option after he was taken off early against Derry in the opening round of the 2024 league. He was getting chances here and there, mainly at half back or half forward, but injuries to Diarmuid O’Connor and Barry Dan O’Sullivan brought him back into the middle for the All-Ireland series. The 22-year-old started the last four games and applied himself extremely admirably, capping his season nicely with two points in the final. He was also involved in a beautiful team move in the second half when he cleverly tapped the ball down to Seánie O’Shea who teed up Paudie Clifford for a score.

Mark O’Shea

A fairytale story. Having received his first ever minutes for Kerry against Mayo in March (he never played minor or U20), O’Shea was thrust into the action as an early sub in the round robin game in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. It was his first proper taste of championship football but he was exceptional in the air, and he hasn’t looked back since. Alongside O’Brien, his efforts in a makeshift midfield were central to Kerry’s 39th All-Ireland.

Joe O’Connor

What a year it has been for Joe. Another late bloomer in football terms, the Stacks man has developed into arguably the most imposing and influential middle third player in the country. His match-winning goal down in Cork in the Munster semi-final will live long in the memory, as will his Man of the Match display in the All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone. It was fitting that he should rattle home another goal in the last minute of the final. He would be the Footballer of the Year were it not for a certain teammate at the top end of the pitch.

Seánie O’Shea

Kerry's spiritual leader missed over half the league due to injury but returned for the Munster semi-final and immediately banged in a crucial goal. His influence grew as the weeks went by and it was no coincidence that the rough defeat to Meath didn't happen on his watch. He came back like a man on a mission and saved his best performance for when the need was greatest. Kerry were written off ahead of the quarter-final but O’Shea refused to be defeated, destroying Armagh with a string of majestic scores from distance. He finished with 0-12 and backed it up with continued excellence in the semi-final and final. Another guaranteed All-Star.

Graham O’Sullivan

Like some of his experienced teammates, O’Sullivan managed to peak at the perfect time of the year. Some observers questioned Jack O’Connor’s decision to play his Dromid clubmate at half forward but it worked perfectly in the end, particularly in the All-Ireland series. O’Sullivan has stamina in abundance and a great head for the game, allowing him to contribute literally anywhere on the field. He can also put the ball over the bar when the opportunity arises, as evidenced against Armagh and Tyrone.

David Clifford

As an elated Clifford lifted Sam Maguire for his second time, assisted by his son Óigí and brother Paudie, the Kerry GAA anthem An Poc ar Buile blared around Croke Park. The famous old Irish song, a favourite of the great Páidí Ó Sé, tells the story of a mad puck goat that goes on a rampage. The GOAT on a rampage. It could hardly be more fitting. What Clifford did this season surely confirms his status as the greatest Gaelic footballer of all time.

He scored 8-62 (86 points) in nine championship matches, 33 points more than the next highest scorer in Ireland (Seánie O’Shea), and more than any other player ever. Even adjusting for two-pointers, i.e. counting them as one-pointers, his tally would be the third highest of all time. Cillian O’Connor holds the record having scored 3-66 (75 points) in ten matches in 2017. The Mayo man kicked 36% of his scores from play. For Clifford, that figure was 83%.

He bagged a hat-trick away to Tyrone in the league and another at home to Cavan in the preliminary quarter-final. He hit Armagh for 0-7 in the quarters, Tyrone for 1-9 in the semis, and Donegal for 0-9 in the final. And many of these scores were absolutely sensational, not least his three two-pointers in the first half on Sunday. The Celtic Crosses will take pride of place but he must also make room on his shelf for a third Footballer of the Year award and sixth All-Star.

Paudie Clifford

Paudie recovered from a niggling hamstring injury and the unfortunate red card against Cork to play a massively important role when it mattered most. He handled the ball 76 times in the final, assisting 0-7 and scoring 0-3 himself. His football IQ is off the charts and his ability to unlock defences is unmatched. He will more than likely pick up his fourth All-Star in five years as a starter for the Kerry seniors, which is a phenomenal record when you consider that he was once deemed not good enough for the Kerry juniors. His career trajectory is a testament to both his raw talent and steely mental toughness.

Dylan Geaney

The Dingle forward came into the final with his starting spot potentially under threat but he played brilliantly on the biggest day of the year, tearing into the action with a first-minute point and later chipping in with two more. He is never afraid to back himself in front of the posts. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team at 23, he featured in 16 of Kerry’s 17 matches. He has the ability and, evidently, the temperament to go from strength to strength.

Diarmuid O’Connor

It was heartening to see O’Connor coming on in the final, not only because he’s a brilliant midfielder but also given how unfortunate he was with that shoulder injury all season. After initially hurting it against Armagh in the league, he missed six of the next seven games before returning unexpectedly against Cavan. That cameo lasted just seconds as he went down injured from the throw-in, and we all thought his season was over. He got 20 minutes on Sunday and didn’t put a foot wrong, belatedly continuing the sparkling form he showed in the spring.

Killian Spillane

Spillane featured in 14 of Kerry’s 17 games this season (12 as a substitute) and he made his most telling contribution in the semi-final against Tyrone when he swung over a couple of trademark points. He also had a hand in Joe O’Connor’s late goal in the final. Of course he would like to have started more often but judging by his face on Sunday, he enjoyed the victory just as much as everybody else.

Evan Looney

Looney’s rise through the ranks has been rapid. The highly rated half back, who excelled in last year’s County Championship, didn’t play at all in the league and had very little senior intercounty football under his belt heading up to Croke Park to face the champions Armagh. Nevertheless he was promptly called upon to replace Tom O’Sullivan, who was forced off with a calf injury in the first half. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end. It didn’t phase Looney one bit and he played with the conviction and calmness of a much more experienced footballer. Only got limited minutes in the semi-final and final, but very much one for the future.

Tadhg Morley

As one of the elder statesmen in the group, Morley was no doubt disappointed to lose his place to Mike Breen when he was out with an injury. The popular defender is nothing if not a team player, however, and he deservedly made it onto the pitch to play his part in another All-Ireland final.

Micheál Burns

Burns was drafted back in for 2025 on the back of terrific club form and at various points throughout the season he certainly proved that he is worth his place on the panel. He had some very impressive moments in the league and scored a goal in the Munster final, but his high point came in the high stakes quarter-final against Armagh when he came on and kicked two points.

We must also mention the players who didn’t line out in the final. Paul Geaney was very unlucky to sustain what turned out to be a season-ending shoulder injury against Cork in the round robin. He had been playing so well up to that point.

Likewise his Dingle clubmate Barry Dan O’Sullivan, who tore his cruciate in the same game, was having his best ever year in green and gold. You also have to feel for Tom O’Sullivan who sadly picked up an injury at just the wrong time.

Conor Geaney made decent progress, starting five times and making six appearances as a substitute. He scored 2-2 on the opening day against Derry. Tony Brosnan’s season seemed to be gathering momentum in the group stage. He scored 0-1 off the bench against Roscommon and 0-2 against Cork, before then starting against Meath and registering 0-2. A hamstring injury unfortunately set him back.

Sub keeper Shane Murphy made important saves when he replaced the injured Shane Ryan against Cork in that pulsating Munster semi-final. He subsequently started the Munster final and kept a clean sheet.

It feels like a long time ago now but Damien Bourke had a brilliant league and he can count himself unlucky not to have seen more game time in the championship.

Well done to squad members Ruairí Murphy, Cathal Ó Beaglaoich, Darragh Lyne, Armin Heinrich, Donal O’Sullivan, Keith Evans, Dara Moynihan, Cillian Trant, Eddie Healy, Tom Leo O’Sullivan, Tomás Kennedy and Charlie Keating, all of whom contributed to Kerry’s 39^th All-Ireland.

Jack O’Connor

The final word must be spared for the manager and his backroom team. After heartbreaking defeats to Dublin and Armagh in 2023 and 2024, O’Connor was under severe pressure to deliver coming into 2025. Add to the mix the fact that his head coach and both his selectors walked away during the off-season, and that several potential replacements apparently had no interest in coming on board, and things weren’t looking all that positive. In the end, he got Aodán Mac Gearailt, James Costello and Cian O’Neill to fill the vacancies.

When the season got underway, Kerry suffered setback after setback, most significantly the injuries sustained by Diarmuid O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan, Paul Geaney, Paudie Clifford and Seánie O’Shea, which together contributed to the embarrassing defeat to Meath in the All-Ireland group stage.

Many pundits and supporters completely wrote the team off at this point. The prospect of Jack’s last year (if it is to be his last year) being another lean one was real.

What happened next will go down in Kerry folklore forevermore. The county who were supposedly afraid of Ulster beat four Ulster teams in a row to win one of the sweetest All-Irelands imaginable.

Before the season started, I wrote (possibly harshly, although I stand over it) that in some ways Jack O’Connor’s legacy was on the line in 2025. With All-Ireland number five in the bag, his legacy as one of the greatest managers in the history of the GAA is very much secured.

Congratulations one and all. And thank you.