Geezer is in season 10 as Armagh manager. I can’t recall anybody reaching their first All-Ireland final as a manager remotely near this advanced in their tenure. It’s very rare to even get a manager who lasts 10 seasons at all now.
Sean Boylan is the closest I can think of, having reached his first All-Ireland final as Meath manager in season 5.
Maybe Mick O’Dwyer, if you want to assimilate his two separate spells as Kildare manager. He reached the All-Ireland final in season 2 of his second spell but it was his sixth season overall to manage Kildare having previously done so from 1991 to 1994.
In fairness to Geezer he’s done some job and has showed great humility bringing in fellas like Donaghy and ConleIth Gilligan into the set-up. They have never seemed to have lads taking years out here and there either like other counties.
There was an initial huge burst of enthusiasm, and money from the horsey set. They reached the 1991 NFL final against Dublin in his first campaign, losing by only two points, and with Dublin and Meath down to face each other in the first round of Leinster, they were full sure they’d be there to meet the winner in the Leinster final.
Until they went to Drogheda in the Leinster quarter-final, and Stefan White buried them. Kildare led most of that game quite comfortably, but Louth kept coming. If I remember rightly they were caught leaving players up the field and Louth broke and exploited the space and White buried it in the last minute for Louth to win by either one or two points.
O’Dwyer’s tenure never really recovered from that shock. Kildare did reach Leinster finals in '92 and '93 but they beat poor teams to reach them and never challenged Dublin properly in those finals.
They did challenge Dublin in '94 the same day Ireland beat Italy, but it’s hard to put into words just how shite Dublin played that day. It was an abominable match and Kildare were just as shite as Dublin. They took the lead with the penultimate play and that looked to be it but Dublin took a quick kickout and Redmond immediately nailed the equaliser from play which was the last kick.
Dublin put them away handy enough in the replay.
Kildare then had two awful years under Dermot Earley.
They couldn’t get over Dublin though they came close. Lost a league final and 3 x championship matches to them, one after a replay. There was a lot of bad feeling between the teams and several rows that Dublin won too. I remember Christy Moore ringing Liveline after one of the rows and calling Keith Barr a thug because he had battered a few Kildare lads. (At least i think i remember this but i may have dreamed it)
There was a league game in Newbridge in February 1994 that was needly enough. Kildare thought they had it won but Dublin got two very late points to get a draw.
Kildare eventually beat Dublin again in a league game in Newbridge in February '95 and celebrated like they had won the All-Ireland, a bit like they did in 2022 after a league win over Dublin there.
Dublin went on to win the All-Ireland in 1995 and Kildare were dumped out of Leinster by Louth in Newbridge in the first round.
I recall reading somewhere that Paddy Cullen was very wary of Kildare under O’Dwyer in '92 because of all his defeats when O’Dwyer was with Kerry. But the Dublin players didn’t respect Kildare at all and had no doubts they’d beat them well.
Conversely Cullen didn’t have the same fear of Meath, because he had always beaten them, but the players did.
I was told yesterday that this sort of recall of trivial events and statistics is a pointer towards getting dementia in the future although I suppose some would argue it’s already present.
He is facing into 12 county championship matches if Fossa get to the intermediate club final and East Kerry get to the senior football championship final. Then the east kerry championship will start in November but at least this is knock out
The fact that Kerry had 2 round robin style championships in football is mad and the height of scamping as every trick in the book is pulled by the county board to wrap up the club hurling by the August weekend to facilitate 2 football county championships
National GAA authorities need to step in here and end this blackguarding
Last Saturday the Kerry County Board played Ballyduff v Lixnaw in the SHC QF at 2pm with Kerry playing Armagh that evening. Would any other county board try this on?? Ballyduff are a dual club ditto Lixnaw( Finuge are the football sister club of Lixnaw). No way in hell could the kerry county board have these 2 clubs still hurling in a few weeks when the football competitions start - has to be a clear run for the 2 football championships. There are some very good football supporters in these clubs too - it was impossible for them to attend their club hurling and the kerry football game
To be frank Kerry football doesnt deserve much luck with the like of the above going on
