Sport
‘Something had to give’ – Kerry players withdraw from district championships over burnout concerns
by Adam Moynihan
Kerry senior footballers will not be lining out for their clubs in the upcoming district championships due to concerns over physical and mental burnout.
The players' decision has caused some consternation locally as club managers are set to be without their stars for this year’s Mid, East, West, North and South Kerry Championships, as well as the Tralee/St Brendan's Board Championship.
Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser, Beaufort boss Éanna O’Malley said he is “extremely disappointed” that Mike Breen and Seán O’Brien will not be playing for his side in their final competition of the season.
“The bigger picture from our point of view is that if we don’t have the players now, we’re probably not going to have them again for the Mid Kerry Championship as long as they’re Kerry players, which would mean we’re probably not going to win a Mid Kerry Championship again.
“Mike and Seán have loyalties to two groups and you want the best for them. I just think there’s plenty of scope for a bit of sense to prevail. If you look at the data, these guys aren’t overworked and they aren’t overtrained.”
In an email sent to the Kerry County Board that has been seen by the Killarney Advertiser, Beaufort argue that the “one size fits all approach which will see all members of the Kerry panel being precluded from playing for their clubs in the district championships is arbitrary and is not based on each player’s playing time throughout the season”.
They go on to point out that Mike Breen has played nine club and county matches this year while Seán O’Brien has played 15.
“We put in a huge effort and a huge amount of time into it, and it just feels like the rug has been pulled from underneath us and all our effort was in vain. It’s a competition we were really looking forward to.”
Beaufort play Milltown/Castlemaine in the opening fixture on Sunday. Milltown/Castlemaine’s only current Kerry player, Cillian Burke, has missed all of the club season so far due to injury. None of the other four teams in Mid Kerry are affected by the situation.
O’Malley also suggested that if the best players are not participating in the games then the long-term futures of the local championships are now in doubt.
Kerry GAA chairman Patrick O’Sullivan has confirmed that the decision to sit out the district championships was made by the senior squad themselves. “We’re not stopping the players from playing at all,” he told the Killarney Advertiser. “It’s not a County Board policy. It’s a decision made by the players based on burnout.”
Player burnout has been a hot button topic in recent times with both current Kerry manager Jack O’Connor and his predecessor Peter Keane stating that too much is being asked of the modern intercounty footballer.
The new split season has been greeted warmly at club level but it appears to have done little to ease the burden on county men who can still be on duty for the majority of the year, particularly in Kerry where two separate county championships and the keenly-contested district championships have often kept players busy right up until Christmas.
It is this writer’s understanding that players felt something had to give and it is hoped that a rest period and having their full panel starting pre-season on time will give them the best possible chance of winning an All-Ireland in 2025.
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Email: sport@killarneyadvertiser.ie
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Sport
Jack O’Connor’s Kerry squad is looking deeper and stronger (but the proof will be in the eating)
As we reach the midway point of the 2025 season, Adam Moynihan takes a close look at Kerry’s strength in depth
As the Kerry players, management team and backroom staff huddled together for a photo with the Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Cup in front of the Hogan Stand, one of the photographers raised his fist in the air, trying to illicit something resembling a celebratory scene. No joy.
Victory over Mayo had been secured in convincing enough fashion but winning the league has never been grounds for buoyant celebrations as far as Kerry are concerned. Retaining Division 1 status and unearthing some new talent is generally enough to tick the springtime box ahead of the serious business of the championship. Once that has been achieved, anything else is gravy.
Going by the disappointing loss to Armagh in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, the need for new blood was especially great heading into the 2025 season. The team faded badly down the stretch and into extra time against the Orchard County with overdependence on core players glaringly obvious. It wasn’t the only reason they lost but Kerry simply didn’t get enough from their supporting cast on the day.
With that in mind, Jack O’Connor knew he had to work on the depth of his squad during this league campaign, and you’d have to say he made a pretty good fist of it.
Starting in goal, the situation here is clear with Shane Murphy providing back-up to Shane Ryan.
Moving out the field, in recent years Kerry have generally gone with Jason Foley at full back, Tom O’Sullivan at left corner back, and one of Paul Murphy or Graham O’Sullivan at right corner back.
After making his debut in the league in 2024, Damien Bourke has emerged as a genuine right corner back alternative with some strong performances that have vastly enhanced his reputation. Not many Kerry players came out of the Dublin defeat with extra credit to their name but Bourke was brave and tenacious, bursting out of defence and using the ball wisely. He was replaced as a starter by the experienced Murphy in later rounds but the Tralee man capped his league with a goal off the bench against Galway in Salthill.
Dylan Casey also got extended game time in the absence of Tom O’Sullivan and he acquitted himself professionally. He has a solid head on his shoulders and you get the impression that Jack O’Connor would now be comfortable throwing him into any given situation without hesitation.
The versatile Graham O’Sullivan is also an option at corner back and it looks like he’ll need to slot in somewhere other than his natural position of half back as Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Gavin White are nailed on starters at 5 and 7. O’Sullivan lined out at half forward against Galway and Mayo, underlining his flexibility and importance to the team.
There could be a changing of the guard taking place at centre back with Mike Breen seemingly shaking off the injury woes that have held back his progress with Kerry to date. With regular number 6 Tadhg Morley unavailable for selection for most of the league, Breen slotted seamlessly into that crucial central role, and he looked really confident against Mayo on Sunday. As things stand, Morley will be doing well to displace Breen but either way Kerry should have two good centre back options heading into the summer months.
Midfield has been a head scratcher for Kerry for a number of years but in Diarmuid O’Connor and Joe O’Connor they appear to have found a winning combination. Diarmuid was playing the best football of his career up to his injury against Armagh in Round 6 so getting his shoulder right for championship is of paramount importance to Kerry’s chances.
Joe is a guaranteed starter too but his assured display at wing forward against Armagh was interesting in that it opens the door for a third midfielder to start. Seán O’Brien and Barry Dan O’Sullivan both applied themselves admirably when called upon in the league and the manager should feel like he can trust them more now than he did 12 months ago.
Joe O’Connor’s arrival as a half forward candidate has improved Kerry’s options to the extent that it’s difficult to predict how they will line out from 10 to 12 in the Munster Championship. Micheál Burns has done quite well upon his reintroduction to the team after being dropped from the panel in 2024, and Paudie Clifford is looking sharp at centre forward. Tony Brosnan and Dylan Geaney are options along this line too, although Dylan has been operating as a withdrawn inside forward to date – a role Tony is also capable of playing.
Of course, Seánie O’Shea will have to fit in somewhere in this department when he fully recuperates from his knee ligament injury, so it will be interesting to see how Jack O’Connor works this conundrum out. File under ‘good problems’.
Dara Moynihan is still recovering from a hip injury and has not yet featured in 2025. He would naturally be an option at 10 if he can get back up to speed. Meanwhile, Darragh Lyne, Ruairí Murphy and Cathal Ó Beaglaoich all featured at half forward in the league.
David Clifford and Paul Geaney will play at 13 and 14 with Dylan Geaney in pole position to start at 15 on the back of a really good run of form, perhaps excepting the league final in which he was relatively quiet. Tony Brosnan is a prime candidate to challenge Dylan for that spot; the Dr Crokes player has kicked some fantastic scores in each of his last three appearances as a substitute.
As for out-and-out inside forwards, Conor Geaney and Killian Spillane are likely to be used as impact subs.
All told Kerry do appear to have better depth than they had last year, particularly with the emergence of second season players like Bourke, O’Brien and Dylan Geaney as legitimate options, and with Breen beginning to fulfil his potential. Burns’ comeback and Joe O’Connor’s newfound ability to play the 12 position also help.
As always, though, the proof will be in the eating. We will have to wait for the suffocating heat of do-or-die championship matches to find out if this squad is as deep and dependable as it looks on paper.
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