Kerry ace Darran O'Sullivan believes almost all of this year's panel will return again in 2017.

A couple of retirements were expected from the Kingdom camp following last month's All-Ireland SFC semi-final defeat to Dublin, but O'Sullivan doesn't expect there to be a major revamp of the squad next season.

"I don't, to be honest," he told the Irish Examiner. "There is this talk every year that this fella is going and that fella is going. You'll have the same fellas telling you that they are going for the last 10 years.

"But when you've seen them training every night and when you are getting phone calls to go to the gym you know they have more to offer.

"I don't think there will be major changes. You might have one or two going, that's it."

A number of veterans in Eamonn Fitzmaurice's squad are expected to consider their futures, including former 'Footballer of the Year' Kieran Donaghy, who O'Sullivan feels still has plenty to offer the Munster champions.

"Donaghy has an awful lot still to offer," said the Glenbeigh-Glencar man. "He's in as good a shape as he has been in a long time. He was outstanding for Austin Stacks at the weekend, he was very good for Kerry at midfield, full forward. His fitness was actually frightening this year, probably better than it ever was.

"He was up at the top of all the mileage charts and all of that. If he keeps looking after the body and stays fresh, there's no reason why he couldn't come back playing."

Tweet

Most Read Stories