Jack O'Connor thrilled to end Kerry's Croke Park hoodoo: 'It's not a good record'
Kerry manager Jack O'Connor reflects on his side's National Football League Division 1 final victory over Mayo, as the Kingdom run out 3-19 to 0-13 winners; O'Connor particularly pleased to end Kerry's poor run of form at Croke Park
Monday 4 April 2022 11:45, UK
Kerry have come up short time and time again in Croke Park in recent years.
Before Sunday's National League final win over Mayo, they had won just once in their 11 previous trips to Jones' Road. That victory was the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone.
But the 15-point hammering of Mayo on Sunday set the record straight.
"Someone threw a stat at me during the week that Kerry have only had one win in the last [11] visits to Croke Park," Jack O'Connor stated.
"That's not a good record...that's something we want to improve on because Croke Park is a bad place to be losing matches, because if you lose in Croke Park it means you are losing at the business end.
"Well it wasn't losing matches, it wasn't winning matches because there were a few draws thrown in. But that was the part that I was kind of most happy to improve on.
"Look, anything that you are doing in life, belief is a big part of it and a bit of confidence.
"Very happy, any day you kick 3-19 in Croke Park is a great day."
Kerry had huge wins in the league last year and when push came to shove down the line in the championship it didn't do them a pile of good, so we are certainly going to keep our feet on the ground.
Another league title for O'Connor
Ultimately, it has been a pleasing springtime for the three-time All-Ireland winning boss, who guided the Kingdom to a National League title for a fourth occasion.
"I'm just happy that we are setting out our stall to be competitive in every game," he outlined.
"It wasn't the end of the world if we didn't win the league, but it certainly won't hurt. We've been working on getting a good shape on the team, a good structure and the lads are enjoying it which is a big part of it. They are buying into the team ethos and concept.
"There were six changes from last Sunday, the boys accepted that and most of them came on today and did well. We are happy with where we are at, but there's a long road there.
"Kerry had huge wins in the league last year and when push came to shove down the line in the championship it didn't do them a pile of good, so we are certainly going to keep our feet on the ground."
'Mayo will be a team to be reckoned with'
O'Connor says that Kerry had a superior preparation for the final:
"I felt the game last Sunday [against Tyrone] would stand to us. I watched the Mayo-Kildare game and I felt it was a loose enough game...2-20 to 0-18. That sounds like a loose enough game.
"But our game in Killarney was tight and tough and intensive and I felt that might stand to us going into today and we kept Mayo to 13 points which was the most pleasing aspect really.
"It's all about mindset. It looked in the last few weeks as if Mayo got all they wanted out of the league. You weren't sure whether they wanted to be in the final or not. But I think they didn't want to lose three games in a row so they made a big effort for last week's game."
As for Mayo, they must lick their wounds in time for their Connacht Championship opener against Galway in three weeks' time.
"They're down players. We're under no illusions," O'Connor said of the beaten finalists.
"They're down a share of top-class of players. Their strength is in their back-line with the likes of Paddy Durcan, Oisin Mullin and guys like that. They were down those fellas today, with Cillian O'Connor just coming on. They will be a team to be reckoned with when they have all those players back."
