Confirmed: Jack O'Connor stirs Kieran Donaghy into potent Kerry mix for 2026

It’s not that Kerry manager Jack O’Connor was short a selector/coach and he has regularly sang the praises of his new management team that helped deliver Sam Maguire to the county for a 39th time in July. But O’Connor knew instinctively he’d have been remiss in not picking up the phone to Donaghy and taking his pulse. Bringing the Austin Stacks man back inside the Kerry tent was a win-win all round.

Kerry GAA confirmed the intriguing addition Friday, stating in a short bulletin: "Kerry senior football manager Jack O Connor has confirmed the addition of former player Kieran Donaghy to the backroom team for next season. Kieran’s welcome involvement further enhances an already strong support team. We wish them the best of luck for 2026."

The two go way back, almost 20 years to the time Kerry needed a spark to reignite their 2006 championship campaign. O’Connor threw Donaghy in full forward in a Championship qualifier against Longford in Killarney and the rest is history and Francie Bellew memories.

Discussions on a spot for Donaghy in Kerry’s 2026 All-Ireland backroom team were easy. Donaghy went outside the county bounds to further his coaching education, but involvement with the Kingdom has always been his north star. O’Connor has five experiences of defending All-Ireland titles and is yet to achieve that back to back. He knew too the necessity of throwing something new, something different, at his playing group for next season.

It won’t do any harm too that Donaghy is an immensely personable and popular individual on top of being a rising talent in the coaching sphere. He will be a big hit in the dressing room. Just to make sure, the Kerry manager will have taken soundings with the players. Unquestionably the feedback will be positive.

Donaghy also knows what it’s like to win Sam Maguire as a player and a coach, having climaxed his time in the Orchard County with a 2024 crown – beating Kerry along the way to boot.

Defining a specific role, and sharing coaching duties with the other mentors, is yet to be ironed out, but Donaghy has shown himself to be flexible in a management set-up, just as O’Connor has developed the art of delegation and trust in those around him.

Said new selector James Costello before this year’s All-Ireland final win over Donegal: “Jack says himself that he is a lot more hands-off than he was in the early days. He likes to let people add their tuppence worth in, and we have good debates and good ideas. And as I said, this year has been a great opportunity for that, for fermenting ideas.” Donaghy will be a tasty add to the cocktail.

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