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Can Jack O'connor Over Take Jim Gavin?

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Replying To Barrowsider:  "Not unless he wins 5 in a row. Jim gavin stands above them all . Whether people like that or not."
Every manager has different circumstances.
In some ways Jim Gavin had a much easier job than his all opposition managers he faced, best players and more resources in place to get the best out of them.
Pat Gilroy had got Jim's group over the line before Jim's came in and even Dessie Farrell was able to win All Irelands in this era as Dublin manager after him.

You basically say 5 in a row is the benchmark, I'd say it is a benchmark. Jack managing a county to All Ireland wins in 3 separate stints as manager is another benchmark.

GreenMan1987 (Meath) - Posts: 123 - 28/08/2025 00:44:41    2633877

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Replying To Dothesimplethingswell:  "It looks like Jack is staying around. If Kerry win next yrs All Ireland it'll be his first back to back AI but it will also be Kerrys 40th All Ireland. Surely Kerrys greatest manager since Micko"
Hard to compare managers from different eras.
In the era of the likes of Heffo/ Micko/ Magee/ Boylan etc. the managers did nearly everything themselves in terms of getting the team prepared.

In the current era managers head a high performance backroom team, they put the overall backroom team in place and facilitate them all to do jobs to the same end purpose.

When Jack would have come it wouldn't have quiet involved the huge backroom teams of current times, Jack thrived back then and still nowadays.

GreenMan1987 (Meath) - Posts: 123 - 28/08/2025 12:20:18    2633918

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Replying To GreenMan1987:  "Every manager has different circumstances.
In some ways Jim Gavin had a much easier job than his all opposition managers he faced, best players and more resources in place to get the best out of them.
Pat Gilroy had got Jim's group over the line before Jim's came in and even Dessie Farrell was able to win All Irelands in this era as Dublin manager after him.

You basically say 5 in a row is the benchmark, I'd say it is a benchmark. Jack managing a county to All Ireland wins in 3 separate stints as manager is another benchmark."
There were 7 new starters on Jim's team for the first of his 5 in a row compared to Pat Gilroy's team and in 2019 to complete the 5 Jim had just 3 starters from Pat's squad starting so in fairness Jim's team was exactly that Jim's team developing and evolving and playing nearly 50 championship games without a single defeat.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1076 - 28/08/2025 14:45:32    2633941

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Like Jim gavin jack has the best group of players ...jack didn't look to clever managing kildare because he had an inferior group, but he also failed to get the best out of them

totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 1179 - 28/08/2025 15:38:13    2633955

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Jack on the verge of history this year. Hopefully will get the recognition in the Kingdom county this year.

kerryforsam26 (Kerry) - Posts: 26 - 02/02/2026 19:33:54    2654652

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Jim Gavin won 6 All Ireland titles in a row with Dublin, in hindsight, it could easily have been 8 in a row had it not been for the Donegal 2014 AI SF ambush.

That Dublin team was without a doubt the most talented football team I have ever witnessed in my lifetime, never seen a team play as close to perfection as that Dublin team, their efficiency and collective understand was just off the scale.

No disrespect to Jack O' Shea, who is a top class manager and definitely among the top Gaelic Football managers of all time, but the 6 in a row will always set Jim Gavin apart from his peers.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1602 - 03/02/2026 07:53:23    2654692

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Replying To Commodore:  "Jim Gavin won 6 All Ireland titles in a row with Dublin, in hindsight, it could easily have been 8 in a row had it not been for the Donegal 2014 AI SF ambush.

That Dublin team was without a doubt the most talented football team I have ever witnessed in my lifetime, never seen a team play as close to perfection as that Dublin team, their efficiency and collective understand was just off the scale.

No disrespect to Jack O' Shea, who is a top class manager and definitely among the top Gaelic Football managers of all time, but the 6 in a row will always set Jim Gavin apart from his peers."
If equals it and back back will help him maybe ig gets 7 then but its back back he wants . Jack did with muktiple teams jim didnt in fsirness so arguments for both. Different time dubs best team but doednt mean someone else cant come alomg

Jim ah3ad but jack gets 6 or 7 then you can argue jsck anyway both greats.

Of cpurse recebcy bias yes comes in both ways but donegal man afyer loosing kerry wont pick jack byway

Gaaforlife2023 (Longford) - Posts: 1172 - 03/02/2026 09:56:06    2654712

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Replying To Commodore:  "Jim Gavin won 6 All Ireland titles in a row with Dublin, in hindsight, it could easily have been 8 in a row had it not been for the Donegal 2014 AI SF ambush.

That Dublin team was without a doubt the most talented football team I have ever witnessed in my lifetime, never seen a team play as close to perfection as that Dublin team, their efficiency and collective understand was just off the scale.

No disrespect to Jack O' Shea, who is a top class manager and definitely among the top Gaelic Football managers of all time, but the 6 in a row will always set Jim Gavin apart from his peers."
Jim won 5 in a row.It was Dessie in charge winning the 6th. Its typical that Dessie gets very little credit.In a way ,Dessie s two wins were huge achievements as it was a spent team.

brayballer (Wicklow) - Posts: 459 - 04/02/2026 21:31:31    2655040

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Replying To kerry4sam25:  "Jim Gavin second best after the great Micko.

Jack O'Connor has 4 All Ireland as Kerry manager.

He is level with the great Sean Boylan and set to overtake. Can Jack overtake Jim Gavin?

Mick O'Dwyer 8 titles
Jim Gavin 6 titles
Jack O'Connor 4
Sean Boylan 4
Mickey Harte 3
Paidi O'Se 2
Dessie Farrell 2
John O'Mahony 2
Billy Morgan 2

Every year Kerry have league under Jack O'Connor they have won championship. Can they succeed again?"
From my reckoning Jack O Connor has 5 All Irelands..04,06, 2010, 2022, 2025. Gavin was a superb manager and I take nothing away from his wins but the kettle was well boiled when he started and Pat Gilroy did the unbelievable by transforming the Dubs mentality previously. Gavin had a crop of an almost once in a lifetime group of players that would dig themselves out of any hole. One only has to look at what Ger Brennan is facing now to prove that. There are club & county managers that are up there and probably better than Gavin or O Connor but they didnt have the material to work with but they do it and keep doing it regardless. I have to admire O Connor winning All Irelands in 3 different decades (albeit the first 3 were within 7 yrs) but especially the last 2. Don't forget Kerry lost almost as many All Irelands in the last 35 yrs than they won now that's consistency while the Dubs fade away!! OConnor won a school AI title, a few vocational school AI titles, minor AI titles and is still at the coalface. Dessie Farrell came in after Gavin and won an AI in his first year the same way that Gavin came in after Gilroy and won an AI in 2013 (one year gap after 2011) There was no stopping that group of Dubln players. Gavin was an incredible manager but comparing his number of AI titles to O Connor or any other manager is simply not an adequate barometre.

Dothesimplethingswell (Sligo) - Posts: 53 - 04/02/2026 22:37:31    2655044

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Replying To Dothesimplethingswell:  "From my reckoning Jack O Connor has 5 All Irelands..04,06, 2010, 2022, 2025. Gavin was a superb manager and I take nothing away from his wins but the kettle was well boiled when he started and Pat Gilroy did the unbelievable by transforming the Dubs mentality previously. Gavin had a crop of an almost once in a lifetime group of players that would dig themselves out of any hole. One only has to look at what Ger Brennan is facing now to prove that. There are club & county managers that are up there and probably better than Gavin or O Connor but they didnt have the material to work with but they do it and keep doing it regardless. I have to admire O Connor winning All Irelands in 3 different decades (albeit the first 3 were within 7 yrs) but especially the last 2. Don't forget Kerry lost almost as many All Irelands in the last 35 yrs than they won now that's consistency while the Dubs fade away!! OConnor won a school AI title, a few vocational school AI titles, minor AI titles and is still at the coalface. Dessie Farrell came in after Gavin and won an AI in his first year the same way that Gavin came in after Gilroy and won an AI in 2013 (one year gap after 2011) There was no stopping that group of Dubln players. Gavin was an incredible manager but comparing his number of AI titles to O Connor or any other manager is simply not an adequate barometre."
The truth is there is no adequate barometer, statistics can be used and indeed they can be weighted differently and after that we have opinion with all the conscious and unconscious biases that may be involved.
To win with more or less different groups over an extended period is admirable. To keep a core group of players that are laden down with medals to come back each year and win 5 on the trot, also admirable.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1076 - 05/02/2026 12:55:47    2655089

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Replying To brayballer:  "Jim won 5 in a row.It was Dessie in charge winning the 6th. Its typical that Dessie gets very little credit.In a way ,Dessie s two wins were huge achievements as it was a spent team."
Ah yes, my apologies, often forget that Jim stepped down after the 5th All Ireland.

5 in a row is still an amazing achievement, that Dublin team were amazing to watch, there efficiency was just off the chart.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1602 - 05/02/2026 13:10:40    2655091

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Replying To Commodore:  "Ah yes, my apologies, often forget that Jim stepped down after the 5th All Ireland.

5 in a row is still an amazing achievement, that Dublin team were amazing to watch, there efficiency was just off the chart."
Yes they were brilliant but dont forget Giller startd the journey and Dessie finished it.Pat Gilroy had all the heavy lifting done.

brayballer (Wicklow) - Posts: 459 - 05/02/2026 15:56:25    2655116

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Replying To sligo joe:  "The truth is there is no adequate barometer, statistics can be used and indeed they can be weighted differently and after that we have opinion with all the conscious and unconscious biases that may be involved.
To win with more or less different groups over an extended period is admirable. To keep a core group of players that are laden down with medals to come back each year and win 5 on the trot, also admirable."
I agree. Its all too too immeasurable. Its nearly all star territory which is heavily media driven, opiniated and depends very heavily on how long your team remains in the championship.
If we remember what Micko got out of Kildare (almost an AI), Wicklow, Laois, Clare and add that to his 8 All Irelands with Kerry I think hes well out in front in all respects as he stayed with it until the bitter end and he was an unbelievable man for the underdog. It'd be nice to see Jim Gavin return to management some day.

Dothesimplethingswell (Sligo) - Posts: 53 - 05/02/2026 16:36:16    2655120

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