Pat Spillane believes Kerry manager Jack O'Connor will be working with "pretty much the same squad" which Peter Keane had at his disposal come the 2022 inter-county season.
After the Kerry county championship concluded on Sunday with Austin Stacks defeating Kerins O'Rahillys in the final, Spillane said "the pickings have been few" when it came to players who had put up their hands for consideration by O'Connor.
"Greg Horan (Austin Stacks) was a two-time minor, a three-time Kerry U21, but suffered from cruciate ligament [problems]," Spillane told RTÉ Radio 1.
"I thought he showed potential today. I think Greg Horan is a man.
"Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks), no doubt about it. He's the future. 21-years-old, a brilliant fullback. Cormac Coffey (Kerin O'Rahillys) has been on the panel before. He has a brilliant engine. Jack O'Shea (Austin Stacks) is the tight, sticky, man-marking type of defender Kerry need."
Spillane watched Stefan Okunbor play for divisional side St Brendan's Board in the Kerry SFC semi-final defeat to Stacks, and also for Na Gaeil in their intermediate championship final victory over Beaufort.
The former Kerry minor ended his Aussie rules career in September and returned to Ireland.
"This guy is the sort of player we want," said Spillane.
"He has physicality, the athleticism, the size, the strength. He has that big engine. He's that middle third player which Kerry require."
5 December 2021; Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Larry McCarthy, left, and Kerry manager Jack O'Connor in attendance during the Kerry Senior Football Championship final between Austin Stacks and Kerins O'Rahilly's at Austin Stack Park in Tralee, Kerry. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Spillane added that the defensive side of Austin Stacks' game impressed him in this championship.
"I looked at the stats in the championship and you'd say 'Austin Stacks have only scored 13 points on average for this year's championship, well they won't be winning it'," he said.
"The key to their success was their defensive play. They are a counter-attacking, defensive team. They conceded an average of nine points per game. That's the reason why they are county champions. Today, defensively, they dominated that Kerins O'Rahillys attack.
"They counter-attacked at pace. They have great athleticism, great physicality, strong, powerful runners. They are a coming team. They are looking after their youth."
Picture credit: Sportsfile
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