Keegan: Kerry's dominant final display leaves chasing pack with plenty to think about

Former Mayo star Lee Keegan says the “fire” which Kerry brought with them into last Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC final against Donegal came from being disrespected earlier in the campaign.

The Kingdom had come in for some criticism after their group stage loss to Meath in the middle of last month, but comfortably saw off Cavan, Armagh and Tyrone respectively before handing the Ulster champions a 10-point defeat at headquarters to collect their county’s 39th All-Ireland senior crown.

Writing in his column for RTE Sport this week, Keegan says that those looking to dethrone Kerry next year have plenty to think about over the next six months.

“Kerry brought a snarl and a fire to their play that will be hard to replicate in 2026. Much of this year came from the fact that they'd been dissed, in their own county as much as anywhere else. That won't apply next summer,” he wrote.

“The Ulster teams may be reeling after a chastening season and they may have to reconfigure how they're approaching games in the post-FRC era.”

Looking ahead to next season, the five-time All-Star added: “Some counties - Donegal and Mayo in particular - will need to develop a two-point threat. Sunday's final underlined again what a handicap it is not to at least carry the threat of a two-pointer, at least to force opposition defences into making a decision.

“Kerry will almost definitely start 2026 as favourites and the chasing pack have plenty to think about. But then they have plenty of time in which to think. We'll reconvene in January.”