O'Connor's history quest will fuel league ambitions
Éamonn Fitzmaurice expects Jack O'Connor and his Kerry team to go full tilt for league success with an eye on the bigger prize in the summer.
The Kingdom swept all before them in 2025, with a league title setting them up for a campaign where provincial and All-Ireland glory followed.
While there is always a degree of shadow-boxing among the big hitters in Division 1, especially with the championship coming into focus so quickly after the league, Kerry’s league record under O’Connor indicates how much stock he places in the competition.
On five occasions he has led Kerry to league success (2004, 2006, 2009, 2022 and 2025) and each of those campaigns has concluded with Sam Maguire spending the winter in the Kingdom.
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In three stints in charge he has never managed to go back-to-back, and with that in mind, Fitzmaurice expects his county men to be primed for an early season showpiece in Croke Park.
"I think Kerry will go for it," he told the RTÉ GAA podcast. "Jack wants to do something he hasn’t done before, probably the only thing he is left to do which is to win back-to-back All-Irelands.
"Any of the years Kerry have won the All-Ireland under Jack, they have also won the league. The years after winning the All-Ireland, they have never won the league.
"I think he will place as much stock in it (league) as ever. I’d be expecting Kerry to be well in the mix. If they manage to make the final."
The scheduling is also a factor. If Kerry fail to make the league final, it is a five-week gap to their Munster semi-final date with Clare.
"It’s a fairly big gap in a season where players are now used to a game every two weeks at most," he added.
Listen to the full episode to discover the panel's predictions for the 2026 league season and beyond.
Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch Tipperary v Galway in the Allianz Hurling League on Saturday from 6.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
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