By Cian O’Connell

“Night and day, really,” replies Kayleigh Cronin, comparing this winter to 2022 and 2023.

Those two All-Ireland final defeats hurt Kerry, but he persevered. That determination was rewarded in August when Kerry defeated Galway in Croke Park. “To be honest, we were in the depths of despair, this time in recent years, wondering if it was all worth it, wondering if we could come back,” she explains.

“Thank God we came together last year and did one more, and crossed the finish line this year.”

Has suffering made victory sweeter? “I think so, but in saying that if you asked me, would I rather have one All-Ireland medal in my back pocket or three after the last few years, I would say three,” replies Cronin.

“I think we really appreciate it more, we know how difficult it is, obviously to get there in the first place, let alone cross the finish line. We know what it means to get through these few months afterwards, as a group. You have to stick together after difficult defeats. So we certainly appreciate it a little more.

Ultimately it has been an adventure for Kerry’s team with co-managers Declan Quill and Darragh Long. “The first year they got involved, they were minor managers, so they came in after the minors finished,” Cronin recalled.