Kerry legend pinpoints mistake from manager that may cost them the All-Ireland

It could be critical....

And they were the clear best up until last weekend, when Meath dished out an almighty, 1-22 to 0-16, hammering.

After winning the National League Division 1 title, then cruising to the Munster SFC crown, it was a shock to the system for Jack O'Connor and his men.

Writing in the Irish Times, six-time All-Ireland winner and four-time All-Star, Darragh Ó Sé, outlined what he believes is a key error that has been made by the Kingdom manager.

He said: "That’s the biggest criticism Kerry people have of Jack O’Connor. He hasn’t future-proofed the squad during his time in charge. The Kerry team now is very similar to what it was when he took over at the end of 2021...

"Jack doesn’t like losing and he knows well that a chunk of Kerry supporters will think the sky is falling in if they get relegated from Division One.

"But every one of the other All-Ireland contenders has spent a bit of time in Division Two. They blooded players along the way and now they’re in much better shape."

After the loss to the Royals, O'Connor said: “Very flat and lacking energy so we have to figure out where that came from.

“Compared to the second half against Cork, it was night and day. Meath had all the energy and aggression and we were passive. Back to the drawing board.”