There was brilliant news for Kerry this week, as midfielder Joe O'Connor returned to action after a 15-month injury layoff.
Austin Stacks man O'Connor was captain of the Kerry panel when they took Sam Maguire back to the Kingdom in 2022, but an ACL injury sustained late that year has had him sidelined ever since, and he missed every minute of the defence of their crown last year.
He returned for Kerry on Wednesday against Tipperary in the McGrath Cup - and had a rather eventful day on his second outing against Limerick on Saturday afternoon.
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Joe O'Connor returns for Kerry after 15 months
For Kerry's McGrath Cup task against Limerick on Saturday, midfielder Joe O'Connor started for the Kingdom - and scored from open play as Kerry romped to victory in Rathkeale.
That was not to be the most exciting moment of the second game of O'Connor's return, however, as he ended up filling in between the sticks in the game's closing stages.
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When Kerry goalkeeper Shane Ryan was injured in the closing stages, the Kingdom had used all of their allocated substitutes - remarkably, O'Connor was the player who volunteered to go in goals and see out a ruthless 25-point victory.
In truth, Limerick were never in the game, having gone in at half-time 5-10 to 0-06 down - but that will not have mattered a jot to Joe O'Connor, whose return has come after an immensely long injury lay-off.
Earlier this week, Kerry manager Jack O'Connor spoke about how important his namesake's return to the panel would be:
Joe is a great influence around the place, he’s full of beans and full of enthusiasm. He played well out there, he was very strong in the air, it’s great to see that he got a good 40 or 50 minutes under his belt.
Joe has an awful lot of work done, it was a tough old blow, he injured himself right here in this pitch, I was at the game, just right here under the stand. It’s been well over a year now since he did it, and it’s great to see him back.
Joe O'Connor certainly stepped up when Kerry needed him on Saturday, and they will be grateful to have him in tow for 2024 as they seek to wrestle Sam Maguire back from Dublin's grasp.
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