Kerry captain Síofra O'Shea motivated to recapture All-Ireland title

Michael Bolton

After winning the Brendan Martin Cup in 2024, Kerry finally ended an over 30-year drought for the All-Ireland.

Crucial to their success was Siofra O'Shea, with the Kerry forward providing crucial scores for the Kingdom to contribute to their success.

In 2025, Kerry, for the first time since 1993, were the team being hunted down by the chasing pack, where they were defeated by Meath in the semi-finals.

A game in which O'Shea admitted her regret, O'Shea is determined to put those wrongs right and walk back up the steps of Croke Park.

"Coming off the back of winning an All-Ireland, it is never easy to go ahead and replicate that.

"It was very disappointing when we lost out to Meath in the All-Ireland semi-final last year. They brought a lot of intensity and hunger to that game, and we probably didn't match it on the day.

"We went there with one aim, and that was to get back to an All-Ireland final again. Whatever happened on the day, they beat us to the dirty ball, they beat us to breaks, they just looked more up for it.

"That is a massive motivating factor going into this year. We know for any given day, we need to match a team's intensity and hunger. The football will take care of itself, but you can't get outworked or outfought in a game either."

After a mixed league campaign, Kerry responded with another Munster title, as they defeated Waterford by one point in a hard-fought final.

O'Shea was key to their victory with five points, as she admitted she is happy to be playing regularly, following previous injury struggles in 2023, when she suffered cruciate ligament injuries.

"I think it is massive. Going through last year, I played nearly every minute.

"My body felt really good. It is just great to be on the pitch; you can build form, play with players throughout the year, and build that bond and get to know each other.

"We had lost to Waterford twice already this year; they have been a massive team since the start of the year. The new rules really suit them; they have adapted really well. To get over the line on Sunday was massive.

"Some of the storylines were that we would be the third-ranked team in Munster going off the league campaign. Cork had won it, and Waterford had a massive campaign as well.

"To see Cork finish fourth in Munster, it shows the competitiveness down there."

Back as captain for 2026, O'Shea will be leading Kerry against Kildare and Tipperary.

Kerry will go into the All-Ireland Championship with injuries and some others in Australia, but O'Shea is confident with the leaders she has around her.

"I am delighted and enjoying it. There are massive leaders around the team. The likes of Anna Galvin, Aishling O'Connor, and Emma Costello - they are massive leaders.

"Mary O'Connell is vice-captain. I played with her all the way up. It is great to be leading this bunch; everyone chips in.