O'Connor managing to get the balance right for Kerry

Interview Kerry manager Jack O'Connor: Within about 10 seconds of finishing the formalities in Dublin yesterday Jack O'Connor is surrounded by a sea of microphones and tape recorders. They're rolling out the 2005 football championship, and he's the most wanted man, hounded and hassled until his back is almost pressed against the wall. Another day in the life of an All-Ireland winning manager.

It's two weeks from Sunday when Kerry begin their defence of the All-Ireland title against Tipperary, a game they are expected to win. But we want to know now if Kerry can win on the last Sunday in September. Are they as motivated? Can they handle being favourites? Did they know it's been 15 years since any team has won back-to-back All-Irelands in football?

O'Connor answers every question politely and thoughtfully, even the obvious ones. His calm and reassuring approach to the Kerry management has now been acknowledged as one of the key factors in them winning back the All-Ireland after the horrors of the previous two years. So we'll start with the motivation.

"Well I think the motivation comes from the players themselves," he says. "There's ferocious competition for places in the camp, and I don't think anyone can afford to be complacent. I just don't see how that can set it, because the first thing they have to do is get a place on the team.

"What pleases me most is that the football we play at training is extremely competitive. Not too many people knew about it at the time, but about a week and half before the All-Ireland last year we played an A versus a B match, and there was only two points in it. Our panel is very competitive, but we can only put out 15, so getting the balance right is a big challenge."

Yet O'Connor could be tempted this year to reward faithfulness more than form, perhaps favouring the players who helped him win the All-Ireland. He rejects that straightaway.

"We picked all our teams on form last year, and I think that record speaks for itself. There were times when we possibly surprised people, but we'll be going along the same lines last year. We watch them all very closely in training, and the players that are going well we try to award with a starting position."

The fact Darragh Ó Sé and Séamus Moynihan didn't start in last year's final has clearly given them an extra incentive to get back into the starting 15: "It doesn't guarantee them starting places," says O'Connor, without flinching. "There's no room for sentiment in this game. We just picked the team on form."

Kerry just failed to make the play-offs of the league, but there's nothing about Kerry's form of late that suggests they can't win the All-Ireland again. The panel is free of injury, and Johnny Crowley is the only major loss from last year. So almost everyone has been sticking the favourites tag on Kerry.

"Sure we can't do a thing about that. But look, Kerry are never far away from being favourites every year, and I think the players are well used to that. So I don't think it enters the equation at all." But they will be more of a marked team than last year. Everyone will have identified their tactic of kicking a lot of long ball, and ideally that's the way Kerry would like to play it. O'Connor is prepared to adapt.

"Sure that's the key, to try to adapt to the opposition. There will be days when that won't work for you, and you'll have to try something different. I think we do have players adaptable enough to change, even within a game. I know against Dublin last year we changed tactics a bit at half-time, and carried the ball a little more through the half forward line. Things tended to open up a little more inside then. But it does depend a lot on the opposition.

"One of the other things I try to do is make sure every player is very clear about what they're doing on the field, because sometimes players can get a little confused. So you need to let them know exactly what you expect of them going out there. Whether it's about breaking ball, or diving in, or working hard around some area."

Assuming they get past Tipperary, they'll have Limerick away, and if that goes to plan they'll most likely have Cork away in the Munster final. It's going to be a long summer, and no matter what way Kerry go about defence O'Connor will always be under the spotlight. But he still has his refuge, a place to quietly plot the downfall of all those planning to take their title.

"I can just go over to my old homestead in Dromid where my father still lives. I can escape up the mountain there where the mobile phone doesn't even work."