ALL IRELAND WINNING manager, Jack O’Connor, has given a strong indication in his post-match press conference that he will step down as Kerry manager.

After securing his fifth All-Ireland as manager, the Dromid Pearses man was questioned as to his future in the role.

He told a story, “Well, all I know is I was going out the door Thursday evening with the with the bag and my missus took a picture of me going out the gate. And I already know that’ll be up on the wall. That was my last, so I’d say no, she’ll be framing that one.”

Questioned further if this was him signing off on his third spell in charge of The Kingdom, he hinted that he wanted to have a word with his players before anything was confirmed. O’Connor’s agreed term was due to expire after this season anyway.

“Look I think I’m on record, early in the year there, that that it would probably be my last time,” he said.

“I said, you know, so, look…the lads, before I tell anyone else there’s a lot more important people down the corridor. Look, we’ll do that in due course. There’s no hurry.”

O’Connor reflected on the 1-26 to 0-19 win over Donegal at Croke Park, and 2025 as a whole: a rollercoaster season which saw the Kingdom bounce back from defeat to Meath with an emphatic dethroning of defending champions Armagh.

“Obviously, delighted for myself because it was a tough old year. I found this a tough year.

“I was inside here a month ago and there was a lot of steam coming out of my ears. It wasn’t faked or it wasn’t put on. It was authentic because I felt that we were getting a lot of unfair stick and we were trying our butts off and have been from the start of the year.

“So, for us to finally get the reward is great.”

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness, meanwhile, said: “Sometimes in life you’ve got to put your hands up and you’ve got to take it on the chin. Today is one of those days, unfortunately for us.”

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Written by Declan Bogue and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.