Kerry manager Jack O’Connor showed his class as he revealed he contacted a friend to have a ‘disrespectful’ sign of Mayo boss Andy Moran removed.

Kerry take on Mayo in next week’s All-Ireland Senior Football Final at Croke Park, and some fans from the Kingdom went out of their way to make up a sign throwing shade at Mayo manager Andy Moran ahead of the clash.

‘Jack [O’Connor], best of luck on your big day! Andy [Moran]… Always the bridesmaid,’ the sign read. The pair of coaches appeared in a wedding scene, with Kerry’s Jack O’Connor the joyful bride, and Mayo boss Andy Moran depicted as a jealous bridesmaid.

Speaking at Kerry’s press event ahead of next week’s final, Jack O’Connor revealed that he contacted a friend who was able to have the sign removed.

‘Obviously, the guy was trying to be funny,’ he said. ‘But I didn’t see too much fun in it, least of all myself in a wedding dress!’

The sign appeared to poke fun at Andy Moran’s record as a player, which saw the 2017 Footballer of the Year finish on the losing side in all five of his All-Ireland final appearances with Mayo, which O’Connor labelled as ‘disrespectful’.

‘The only opinion I have about it is that it wasn’t in good taste,’ he said. ‘I was brought up in the Johnny Culloty school of Kerry football. Johnny always said you have to carry yourself with a certain style in Kerry.

‘We treat all our opponents with respect. We fight like hell on the field, but we treat our opponents, and the people involved with our opponents, with respect.

‘I thought that was disrespectful to a great footballing county and to a great man in Andy Moran, who was a great player himself and has transferred the enthusiasm and toughness he showed on the field into his players. So I just thought it was in bad taste. Thankfully, the guy took it down.’