Former Kerry footballer Darran O’Sullivan, pictured today for AIB ahead of GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final between Kerry and Armagh this Saturday, July 13th. AIB have also today announced the return of the Volunteer VIP competition which gives GAA volunteers the opportunity to win a money can’t buy behind the scenes tour of Croke Park, on the morning of the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football final as well as tickets to the match. Details on how to enter the Volunteer VIP competition will be announced on Monday, July 15th. For exclusive content and behind the scenes action from the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championships follow @AIB_GAA on X and Instagram and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AIBGAA. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
“Personality is probably what he has brought,” Darran O’Sullivan says about his pal Kieran Donaghy, who has been contributing handsomely to the Armagh football story in recent years.
Kieran McGeeney’s improving outfit face Kerry in an intriguing All-Ireland SFC Semi-Final on Saturday at Croke Park with Donaghy occupying an important role in the Armagh set-up.
“He was an incredible teammate, he is a good guy,” O’Sullivan adds. “I've always said he has an infectious personality. He is a very positive guy. From a player’s point of view, I think he is brilliant, he is a great guy to pull you aside to have a quiet word or a stern word, whatever it is.
“Obviously, mentality wise, he has a great mentality. He was playing up to last year himself, he has a great attitude. That rubs off on people. So, I think that is what he has brought to the thing.”
Throughout his Kerry career Donaghy featured alongside class players and top quality coaches. “He has a great coaching brain, from playing with Kerry, playing with some great players and the basketball background,” O’Sullivan says.
“Going into this game we will see a quieter Kieran Donaghy, he might just sit down in the stands and not try to wind us Kerry people up. I think it will be an awkward enough occasion for him. He is going up there, he has a job to do, he is fully committed to Armagh.
“He will be going up to try to get a win, he has probably brought his personality into Armagh. From a player's point of view, having him there has definitely been a positive. I think McGeeney has a good backroom team with him, they all add a bit of something.”
Armagh senior football team selector Kieran Donaghy. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
In the opposite camp, Jack O’Connor is especially eager to plant the Kerry flag on the summit of the Gaelic Football world again. A disappointing All-Ireland final defeat in 2023 hurt, but Kerry are back in the penultimate round once more.
“When Jack was retaking the job, I'd have always said he is the only man for the job,” O’Sullivan remarks.
“The simple fact is he is a winner. You even see in his interviews, it is all about, I know the purists won't like it, Jack doesn't care what anyone else thinks.
“What he has to do is win, I mean that in a good way. He knows going into the game the next day if they play the same style of football and people don't like it and they go on about it and he wins, he won't care.
“I think he has built that mentality into the Kerry lads, they have this patience and stubbornness, that they will do what they have to do. He is a winner, he doesn't care.”
O’Sullivan acknowledges and praises O’Connor’s determination. “If it is free flowing football, great, I'm sure that is the way he'd love to be playing and he'd love to be spraying the ball around the place, getting (David) Clifford and Seánie (O’Shea) into shooting positions all of the time,” O’Sullivan states.
“He knows, at the moment, that fortune doesn't favour the brave, at times, and you have to be safe, and it has to be ugly. That is what he is willing to do, I think he is tough enough to take the criticism, that this isn't what we want to see, but this is going to help Kerry win.”
