When Jack O’Connor returned to the Kingdom last autumn, he begun life as Kerry manager as he meant to go on, and a strategic meeting Tadhg Morley has helped invigorate the Templenoe man’s influence at the heart of the Kerry defence.
Only time will tell if O’Connor’s potential mastermind decision to move Morley from the full-back line to half-back will coincide with Kerry’s first All-Ireland success in eight years, but one thing is for certain, O’Connor’s return has resulted in Morley going from bit part player, to leading man.
After bouncing back from a difficult 2021 to having a storming 2022 campaign, Morley reminisces on the vital development of a good relationship with the Kerry boss.
“I met Jack shortly after he was appointed as Kerry manager,” he said.
‘Helping him in his darkest moment was also helping me’: David Eccles and Tadhg Kennelly on an act of friendship that spawned a movement
Your complete guide to all the festive sporting action including TV details
Irish Times Sportswoman of the Year Awards: ‘The greatest collection of women in Irish sport in one place ever assembled’
Two-time Olympic champion Kellie Harrington named Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year 2024
[ Seán Moran: O’Connor and Joyce share same ambition but contrasting pressuresOpens in new window ]
“In fairness to Jack, he is a very good man manager. He went around and met all the players around Kerry, which was a really good touch I thought. It showed good progression.
“I had a good chat with him and he saw me more as a half-back player. It is probably my most natural position to be out there. There wasn’t anything specifically said about sweeping or anything like that really.
“He was more saying that he was thinking of me more out maybe around number six. We had a good discussion then about the role of a number six and what he was looking for in that. I tried to do that then for the sessions we had post that meeting into the league. Me and Jack have developed a really good relationship, we’re able to chat about different things and it’s developed from there really.”
Ahead of the All-Ireland final on Sunday, Morley is under no illusions as to the major threat Galway will bring to the table.
“We would have been keeping an eye, as any GAA supporter (would), on Galway throughout the season,” he said.
“They had some big games, Mayo, Roscommon. Obviously, the Armagh game was on before our Mayo tie and the Derry match. We’ve seen them. We’re reviewing them a bit more now. They always have had really good forwards. (Damien) Comer and (Shane) Walsh have been around for a while now and they’re really solid players.
“[Rob] Finnerty has been a good addition to them, and their half-forward line and midfield are scoring as well. We’ll have to be very wary of them, we know that for sure. We’ll have to have our match-ups. The match-ups will be very important, our shape will be very important, it’ll be a big challenge for us, but that’s what it’s all about really, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Morley — a primary school teacher in Kenmare — admitted he is nicely placed to keep a low profile and avoid the hype and build-up ahead of Sunday’s final now that schools are off for the summer.
“We don’t find it too bad as players, we kind of shut ourselves off from it,” he said. “But it is very important to still enjoy it, enjoy the buzz of the two weeks. These things don’t come around every year unfortunately, We wish it did, but it doesn’t, so we are all about enjoying it, but the lads are still staying away from any crazy moments or any silly stuff”.
And when questioned whether himself or his team-mates have bought into the fact Kerry have been made favourites to win their 38th All-Ireland title, Morley says the players are fully focused on Sunday’s game.
“We kind of keep away from all that, we just focus on ourselves and our own jobs and our own training, lads stay away from all that kind of talk, that loose kind of talk, so we just focus in on what we’re trying to do for the Galway game,” he said.
[ Jack O’Connor and Kerry exactly where they want to beOpens in new window ]
“We’ve trained well already this week and we’re just really looking forward to the game now.”
Morley added that Sean O’Shea’s winning point against Dublin in the semi-finals will not only live long in the memory of Kerry supporters, but will be remembered by Kerry players for as long as they live.
“I was thinking to myself, ‘actually this is an amazing moment here altogether, I’m going to stand right behind him here and have some picture of it’,” he said.
“I’d full faith in him ... no I was the ‘crater’ that thought of maybe calling Shane Ryan up for a look of it,” Morley smiled.
“He was turned away straight away. I’d faith in Shane too! Everyone had faith in Seánie that he was going to do it. He’s a supreme kicker of a football. To be behind him and seeing it bend in there was a class moment for sure. It was easy to bring him back down to earth afterwards though. Us kind of talking to Seánie more about his penalty than his free probably helped on that front!”
