Kerry boss Jack O’Connor delighted with ‘ideal’ two-week break ahead of quarter-final after confidence boosting performance

Well come to the result and performance in Portlaoise in a moment, Jack, but first your thoughts on how Group 1 has played out in the end?

“Look, delighted with that really because two weeks is the ideal amount of time between games. It just gives you time to recover and build back up again because a week can be just a bit dodgy at times if you have niggles or whatever,” the Kerry manager said, referring to the fortnight his team have now before they’re back in action, in an All-Ireland quarter-final, presumably in Croke Park.

“Delighted with that but I always thought Cork had a good chance in that game. Cork were very good against us and [Cork coach] Kevin Walsh would know those Mayo fellas well so it wasn’t a huge surprise. Great bonus for us to finish top of the group.”

Finishing top is one thing, putting down what was arguably the team’s most complete performance of the year – regardless of the quality of the opposition – is quite another. Five goals, 4-18 from play, and the likes of Diarmuid O’Connor and Sean O’Shea playing like men with a point to prove, Mike Breen too. Gotta be happy with all that, Jack?

“Louth will be disappointed with the way they performed but we felt we were going well in training during the week. We felt we were getting more and more comfortable against those packed defences and that’s the key to football nowadays,” O’Connor said. “You have to be expecting that teams will pack the defence and you have to keep the ball moving and just have width and depth in your attack and I thought we did that well. Diarmuid O’Connor had a serious first half. He kicked three points from outside the cover and that always helps because it draws them out then.

"Look, we train every night against that kind of a [defensive] set up because you have to. You can’t be naïve enough to think that teams are going to leave David Clifford isolated inside. The beauty of today was we got a lot of fellas chipping in, Tony [Brosnan] was very lively, Diarmuid O’Connor had a huge first half. Seanie was very good, Paudie [Clifford] was very good. We got scores from different areas and that always takes the heat off David. Ya know the narrative is out there that we are a one man band but we think we have threats from a lot of areas,” O’Connor said.

"Look, we have been patchy and sure look we know there is bigger tests ahead but it has to be good for the confidence to put together a performance like that.”

There was an energy and purpose to Kerry this afternoon which wasn’t as evident in the first two Group 1 games, against Mayo and Cork, Kerry dismantling the Louth defence with some ease. Was there a frustration from those last two games being vented against the Wee county?

“We weren’t a bit frustrated coming down from Cork. People were discounting Cork and I said it from the word go that Cork would be very good down in Pairc Ui Chaoimh and I also gave them a big chance of beating Mayo this weekend.

“I wasn’t a bit despondent coming out of Cork. The narrative is out there that we should be, ya know, trampling teams but the way football is played nowadays that is not going to happen,” O’Connor said.

David Clifford scored 2-4, his brother bagging 1-2, Sean O’Shea putting up 1-8 and Diarmuid O’Connor with three points from midfield. It looks like the pieces are starting to fall into place, and maybe at the perfect time, with Croke Park looming now in a fortnight for that All-Ireland quarter-final.

“It was great we were able to bring David off there and give him a rest because he’s been on the go and there is always a danger of an injury. Great for Mike Breen to get 50 minutes into his legs because it has been a very frustrating last year and half for Mike he is a good lad, I had him at minor and it is great he has got injury free and a bit mileage under his legs.

“Going to Croke Park... that is where you want to play football. O’Moore Park here, I have a had a lot of luck here, won a couple of schools All-Irelands here and was involved with Moorefield who won a Leinster club here so it’s been a lucky ground for me as well.”

Kerry were without Gavin White and Paul Geaney against Louth, with O’Connor hopeful but will be available for that quarter-final on the weekend on July1/2.

“Gavin White just picked up a minor calf strain during the week and Paul possibly could have played if a gun was put to his head. It was just a niggle in his hamstring so we didn’t chance it. We’re hoping that the two weeks will give everybody a chance to recover. Killian Spillane is a bit behind the two boys. That is stubborn enough ligament injury but he is back running and making good progress.”