James Costello content to answer Kerry's call
Kerry senior football team selector James Costello. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
James Costello had trained and managed teams at every level of the game.
So, when the call came asking to be part of Kerry's backroom team, Costello accepted.
Jack O'Connor's passion for Kerry football endures and Costello is happy to be involved in a lively 2025 adventure. "I just got a phone call from Jack, who asked me to be involved and we met him," Costello explains.
"That was it. You don't get asked too often so you take it when it comes. I suppose it's like any field. You want to progress as far as you can and see where you can get to with the thing and where the ceiling is of it.
"I was very lucky to get involved with Clare. I thought that was a great grounding. I really enjoyed it, and it was a very good stepping stone."
The manner in which O'Connor delegates is something that has struck Costello. "He's very good like that," Costello explains. "Jack, he says himself, is a lot more hands off than he was in the early days. We've a very good coaching team. I think it helped us all coming in together.
"We were learning as the rules were coming in and putting our heads together. So we spent a lot of time together, like most management teams did, but it was a big help in terms of gelling the management team, I felt."
Having managed the minors previously, Costello relishes being involved in the Kerry senior set-up as preparations continue for this weekend's All-Ireland SFC Final against Donegal at Croke Park. "Jack's very inclusive," Costello remarks.
Kerry captain Gavin White and selector James Costello pictured at a Kerry GAA media briefing on Saturday. Photo by Domnick Walsh/Sportsfile
"He likes to let people add their tuppence worth in, and we have good debates and good ideas. And as I said, this year has been a great opportunity for that, for fermenting ideas.
"We never got too carried away with two pointers early in the league, or we never got too hung up on different things. We kind of let it come to us in a lot of situations. And as I said, just kind of tweak things as we were going.
"There was no major structural things, apart from after the Meath game obviously, which we did a fairly hefty review of that in terms of things that were going wrong for us. But apart from that, we've been tipping along nicely and quite happy."
Joe O'Connor's potential was always significant according to Costello. "I would have worked with Joe last year, and I would have told him, I thought he had the potential to be the best midfielder in the country," Costello says.
"But the big thing with Joe is just his dedication to work. He works really, really hard at the game, and I think he's found a way or a flow of playing this new game that's working very well for him.
"He's found a way of playing within the game, and opportunities to tackle, and opportunities to work, and opportunities to attack. I'm sure he's looking forward to the next day, but he has a big test ahead of him.
"Joe is quite explosive. He is and he works very hard at it. As I said, he'll have his work cut out now. Those Donegal boys are pretty big and explosive too, so a big test ahead for all the lads."
It should be an intriguing afternoon at GAA headquarters.
