Tadhg Kennelly has hailed the astute management of Jack |O'Connor for moulding a “team ethos” in Kerry that wasn't there when he arrived back from Australia earlier this year.
Kennelly, who has fulfilled his lifetime ambition to add an All-Ireland medal to his AFL Premiership title, in just seven months, found himself mixing up with a group of individuals in the earlier part of the season.
But O'Connor's communication with his players and “bravery” in luring 30-year-old Mike McCarthy back to the fold after almost three years away were crucial components of a Kerry team that soared through the last seven weeks.
“It's three from four for him (All-Ireland titles). It's a great strike rate. He's a fantastic manager, a fantastic man manager. He's great with people, great with players, great at getting the best out of players and that is what management is all about.
“Every manager is different. Everyone has got their own technique and ways. He's as good as any manager I've ever had. He's very good at getting the point across. That's crucial for a team with so many individuals. You can easily slip back into being an individual. The team ethos is probably what got us across. It wasn't there at the start of the year.”
Persuading the retired McCarthy back to the squad took “courage”, admitted Kennelly.
“That Mike Mac move was fantastic. It must have taken an extreme amount of courage for that. It's a brave, brave move. Mike Mac has been fantastic for us. That's Jack, he knows his stuff and he knows his football.
The perception of a 'family at war' however was misleading, Kennelly revealed, even if it was a helpful illusion created around them.
“The truth is we are very tight. That's (rumours, stories) going to happen every team. Every team that is successful. That's probably the biggest downfall for Dublin football. There's always something going on. But that's difference being in Kerry. People don't really know what is going on but they'll speculate, 'this is happening in Kerry and, that is happening' and so on. That's fine for us. I think it's fine for players like Darragh O Se with his experience because it's water off a duck's back.”
Belfast Telegraph