Cian O’Neill has been named the head coach of Kerry footballers, appointed by the team’s manager Jack O’Connor. This isn’t O’Neill’s first time working with Kerry, having previously served under ex-manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice during their victory in the 2014 All-Ireland. O’Neill has recently finished a three-year stint with Galway. His term with Galway culminated in a defeat by Armagh in the All-Ireland final this past July and includes a journey to the 2022 final which was clinched by Kerry.
O’Neill has contributed to several other county teams in his career, such as the All-Ireland winning Tipperary hurlers in 2010 and Mayo, before managing his home county, Kildare. After securing an All-Ireland win in his initial year as manager, O’Connor has had a couple of challenging years, narrowly losing to recent champions, Armagh in this year’s semi-final and to Dublin in the final over a year ago.
Paddy Tally, introduced by O’Connor three years ago, will continue his commitment with Tyrone, now serving as ‘performance coach’. Replacements for Mike Quirke and Diarmuid Murphy, James Costello, a former Kerry minor manager, and Aodán Mac Gearailt, a past All-Ireland winning wing forward, have both been named as new selectors. The management team is rounded out by Pa McCarthy as an assistant coach, Jason McGahan and Arthur Fitzgerald as strength and conditioning coaches, with 2014 All-Ireland champion Brian Kelly stepping in as goalkeeping coach.
The proposed management team is expected to be approved in the forthcoming county committee meeting for the upcoming 2025 season.