Lee Keegan hasn’t seen any improvement in Kerry since they lost the All-Ireland SFC final to Dublin two years ago.

Writing in his RTÉ column ahead of the visit of All-Ireland champions Armagh to Tralee this weekend, the former Footballer of the Year said about the Kingdom: “It's early on, but there's a slight air of stagnation about them since losing the 2023 All-Ireland final. They never really turned in a convincing performance in the entirety of 2024 and it's hard to detect any improvement this year, at least on the basis of the league so far.

“There's always an assumption that there's an All-Ireland in them. The bulk of the team have done it before and they certainly have the raw talent, but their performances haven't measured up for the past year-and-a-half.

“Outside of the marquee forwards, they need to see the supporting cast step up. Dylan Geaney has shown something about him in this league but when it comes to it, they're dependent on the Cliffords and O'Shea.”

Keegan added: “On the plus side, they have scored a truck-load of goals so far and they still play a lovely brand of football when their attack gets rolling. Their direct play in the first half against Dublin was a delight, when they did get their hands on possession.

"Their downfall was not getting enough of it, as they let Dublin run down the clock and then they failed to manage the game against the wind themselves in the second half.”

Tweet

Most Read Stories