After losing the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final in 2023, Kerry finally bounced back with a title. This legendary Gaelic football team clinched its record 39th trophy in this competition. It now has 8 more than Dublin, which occupies the 2nd place in overall titles.

In the 2025 final, Kerry dominated Donegal at Croke Park, ending the opponent’s dream of getting a trophy since 2012. Now, we should also note that the Gaelic Athletic Association imposed a couple of momentous rule changes. However, they didn’t cause any difficulties to Kerry as they beat every opponent.

Kerry’s All-Ireland Win Caused Little Surprise Among Fans and Bettors

On July 27th, 2025, Kerry secured its 39th title in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The Kingdom beat Donegal 1-26 to 0-19 in the final at Croke Park.

It showcased a very strong attacking performance in the first half, during which it scored 4 two-pointers. This got the team a lead of 0-17 to 0-10 before the break. Kerry increased its lead early in the 2nd half after scoring 9.

However, Donegal managed to fight back and reduce the deficit to just 4. During the final 15 minutes of the match, Kerry went on to deny its opponent from taking over the initiative through Joe O’Connor. This player scored a late goal and got his team a well-deserved victory.

Kerry might have shown dominant force during the final match, but its road to it wasn’t easy. The team needed to go past sides such as Cavan, Armagh, and Tyrone during the knockout stages.

Fans started believing in Kerry’s title chances after the squad beat Armagh. At the same time, bookmakers and online casinos like NetBet and PaddyPower started receiving numerous outright bets on the Kingdom winning the competition.

The Momentous Rule Changes that Didn’t Cause any Troubles to Kerry

In November 2024, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) held a special congress during which it discussed certain rule changes. All of them were recommendations of the Football Review Committee (FRC). This resulted in changes that covered 9 areas, 7 of which directly relate to the gameplay.

All of these new rules were in effect during the 2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Here are the main ones that every Gaelic football fan should know about:

● Each half will start with the referee throwing in the ball between two players, one from each team. The two other midfielders will position on the opposite sides of the half line and switch up in the second half.
● A player can pass the goalkeeper only if both of them appear in the large area of their own goal. However, they must receive the ball from an opposition player.
● All players must not be outside the 20 meters to restart the play after a wild or a score. But they do need to be 13 meters away from the kickout, and all kickouts must go beyond 40 meters.
● There will be new arcs on the pitch from the 20-meter line and going over 40 meters away from the goal. The team gets 2 points for a cleanly kicked ball from a free over or play.
● Both teams must have 3 or more players in their attacking and defensive halves, where the goalkeepers do not count. Failing to comply will result in a free kick to the opposite team.
● A player gets an advanced mark whenever they catch a ball cleanly on or inside the opposition’s 20-meter line. The catch must come from or before a 45-meter line kick.
● The referee is the one who can permit a player to take a free. Now, fouled players can immediately solo and continue forward within 4 meters of the foul’s place.

Did the New Rules Help Kerry Collect the 39th All-Ireland SFC Title?

The new rule changes were in play during the All-Ireland SFC, but did it have an impact on Kerry’s victory? Jack O’Connor said in an interview that the squad had little time to work on the new rules.

He pointed out that his team played 8 league matches in 9 weeks in very bad conditions. So, they were basically recovering from the games and doing some basic stuff and a bit of fitness.

When the league came to an end, the players immediately started working on the rule changes in their training camp. O’Connor said that they were trying to figure out the right ball shooters on certain angles as well as the right cuts.

According to him, the team didn’t work on the changes beforehand as they focused mostly on the league. He also said that they weren’t going after the 2 points as they were already scoring plenty of goals. So, it’s hard to determine whether the new rules help Kerry win the All-Ireland SFC title or not.

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