Kerry selector Micheál Quirke pictured at the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney ahead of the All-Ireland SFC Final. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
By Cian O'Connell
“I would say it’s very valuable," Kerry selector Micheál Quirke chuckles instantly when asked about the importance of different perspectives in Jack O'Connor's backroom team.
Quirke and Paddy Tally have managed at senior inter-county level, while Diarmuid Murphy brings a wealth of experience and knowledge.
"You have a good mix, Paddy coming from Tyrone, they see the game very differently to the way Jack would see it," he adds.
"Maybe some of the basketball stuff that I would have looked at is a different angle to what Murph would see from a goalkeeping perspective.
“Jason McGahan, coming from Armagh, very academic, but also has these guys purring at a top physical condition. Arthur Fitz would have been involved with a lot of schools football, and the key thing with all of those people are that they have a lot of good people skills."
The approach is collaborative and opinions voiced. “If you’re good with people, and you’ve a group that can come together and share ideas, can argue about different things and can fight your corner, and then you have a group of players that are even keeled and that are mature, then it works really," Quirke says.
“Nobody is too precious about having an idea and thinking ‘oh that will work’ so it’s that kind of an environment, to be fair to Jack. He allows people to have their say and fight their corner, and then we make a decision and we drive on with it."
Kerry manager Jack O'Connor celebrates with selectors Diarmuid Murphy and Micheál Quirke following the 2022 All-Ireland SFC Final at Croke Park. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Being ready, willing, and able to adequately deal with Championship challenges is the brief. So Quirke derives satisfaction from when Kerry survive in high pressure scenarios such as the All-Ireland Semi-Final against Derry.
“There is far more satisfaction in the win that we got the last day because, again, they were the ones that were able to do that," he says about the Kerry players.
"Obviously David Clifford and Seanie O’Shea, they kicked the scores, but there were so many guys that did stuff in that second half that wouldn’t be obvious to people that are not watching as closely, or in the same capacity, as we are, that we would be so pleased about.
“They’re doing stuff that they’re doing in training, they’re solving these problems themselves, they’re coaching themselves in the moment, they’re making changes themselves on the fly, whatever they need to do to give themselves the best chance to win, and that’s all you’re trying to do as a coaching and a management group."
Empowering the players is critical according to Quirke. “You don’t want players that are dependent on you, or a manager, to say that you need to do this," he adds.
"The beauty of this is that when you have a group that’s very mature, even though their age isn’t very old, they’re very mature in terms of what do we need to do, let’s go and fix it, and that’s what every group is looking for really.
“Composure, maturity, know-how, not panicking, we were down three points at half-time, but a second half now is like 40-something minutes.
Kerry senior football selector Micheál Quirke. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
"You have a world of time, so there’s no panic, there’s no getting ahead of yourselves. It’s just a case of what isn’t working here, what do you think isn’t working here, and then how can we come up with a solution for this, and then try to do that. The knowledge is in the group."
Quirke, though, is fully aware that the complexion of the Dublin starting XV will be different from the outfit they faced in the 2022 All-Ireland Semi-Final.
"Possibly a third of their team will be different," Quirke says. "The four characters that weren’t there last year – Jack McCaffrey, Paul Mannion, Con O’Callaghan and Stephen Cluxton – you’re talking about 24 All-Ireland medals, 16 All Stars, and about 250 championship appearances.
"That’s what they’re plugging back into the team that wasn’t available to them in the semi-final last year.
“That’s an incredible amount of know-how, and winning mentality, and talent, and ability and experience, that you’re putting back into that dressing-room.
"So they’re a third of a different team than we will face from that last game. Of course, those fellas have come across each other individually before, but they’re a very different group to the group we played last year.
“Their games more recently, against Mayo and Monaghan, they’re the ones that are obviously the ones that can tell us the most about what they’re doing now, as opposed to last year’s game. One of those guys changes the dynamic, four of them and they’re virtually a different group. I think that’s our focus, more their recent games than last year."
