IT ALL BEGAN in the autumn of 2018 for Darragh Long and Declan Quill.
Long had done some work with Kerry ladies football development squads, and then-chairperson Sean Walsh, a former GAA presidential nominee, gauged his interest for the minor job.
Long said he would take the reins, but he wanted help.
Quill was the first person he called.
“Look, it will be six months and we’ll have loads of time for our families then after that,” he told his friend.
Six years, and one hell of a journey later, the duo have just finished their reign as the Kerry senior joint-managers.
They bowed out at the top last night, 56 days after leading the Kingdom to long-awaited All-Ireland senior ladies football success.
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— KerryLGFA (@kerryladiesfoot) September 29, 2024
Their coaching experience, particularly in ladies football, before taking their first inter-county job was limited, but Long and Quill prospered. They spent 2019 in charge of the minors, and ended up involved with the senior team mid-season.
Kerry ladies football was at an extremely low ebb. Consistency was lacking, with management chopping and changing and other off-field drama, and the team was enduring an alarming slide.
At their very first training session, only 13 players took to the field at Currans, with another 13 or 14 in the gym rehabbing — or avoiding training, the new management believed.
Having been beaten by Waterford in the Division 2 league final, Kerry didn’t win a Munster championship game and lost their All-Ireland quarter-final to Dublin by 15 points.
But there were already signs of progress. They actually led Dublin at half time, they had ran other teams close, and Long and Quill were instilling belief.
The 42 first met the management duo at the 2020 league launch the following February. They spoke of this being a fresh start, a clean slate, a new era. They also detailed their own respective journeys and the interesting ties that bind them in an in-depth interview.
Long (Austin Stacks) and Quill (Kerins O’Rahillys) were both excellent footballers at club level, while the latter also played senior for Kerry. From rival Tralee town clubs, it may have seemed an unlikely partnership in that sense.
“For 20 years we were arch-rivals on the field,” Long said. “We’re very much so the odd couple, but we get on really well. Our coaching and our playing philosophy are very, very similar and very much aligned.”
They agreed a three-year term ahead of the 2020 season. Five would follow, on top of the previous half-year.
The first full campaign was a strange one due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kerry were top of the Division 2 league table — ahead of Meath — with a 100% record when action was cancelled. They finished second in their group in a condensed championship, but just the winners prevailed.
In 2021, they reached the Division 2 final, but were defeated by Meath. The Royals would go on to sensationally win the All-Ireland senior final, while Kerry were condemned to the relegation play-offs. They secured their top-flight status with a win over Tipperary.
12 months later, Kerry made the final. Long and Quill had circled the date from the start of the season, much to the players’ bemusement. Confidence rose when they won the Division 2 decider against Armagh, and they powered on to reach their first championship showpiece since 2012. Meath had their number on the day as they went back-to-back, but Kerry’s hunt for their first Brendan Martin Cup since 1993 would heighten thereafter.
2023 opened with a statement of intent. After making a flying start in Division 1, they dismantled Galway in the final to lift league silverware at Croke Park.
The championship prize, however, proved elusive once again as Dublin dominated.
Both All-Ireland final losses hurt, but this one cut deeper.
As Carla Rowe lifted the cup, Long and Quill shook hands in the middle of the pitch and privately called it quits.
“That’s it,” Long said.
“That’s it for me too,” was Quill’s response.
They had given everything, so too had their team.
The next morning at the team hotel, however, they started talking about tweaks and alterations that might possibly make the difference in 2024. Perhaps their race wasn’t run just yet. They sounded out the players, and decided to go again.
Several players were on the fence, and they too threw their lot in.
One more year.
And what a year it was.
Although Kerry didn’t defend their Division 1 league crown in the final against Armagh, they lifted their first Munster championship title since 2017.
They won the ultimate prize on 4 August when they finally climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand after an emphatic All-Ireland final win against Galway.
Job done. Unfinished business taken care of, and Kerry ladies football well and truly transformed.
Long and Quill enjoyed the celebrations but contemplated an “extremely hard decision” in recent weeks.
And so, it ends here, in the autumn of 2024.
Six years later, it’s time for their families.
