It’s an enduring sign of the consistent excellence of David Clifford that there were almost shockwaves reverberating through the Gaelic football world after he only registered one point (from a free) in the Munster football final cakewalk over Cork at Fitzgerald Stadium on the last Sunday of last month.
lready in his fourth season of senior inter-county activity, we have become so accustomed to the Fossa 22-year-old leading opposition defences on a merry dance, that a Rolls Royce performance is expected of him every time he sets foot on a pitch, whether that be with his club, his divisional side, or in the green and gold jersey.
That comes with the territory of true greatness. It is the constant public perception levels of anticipated breath-taking sorcery that is only reserved for the very, very best. Were many people surprised when Cian Lynch produced such magnificence for Limerick in the hurling final last Sunday? Does anybody get shocked to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continuing to set new records of goal scoring achievements, even in their twilight years?
Yet the reality is that all these individuals, and many more in different arenas, who are possessed with almost super-human sporting ability, are still only ordinary flesh and blood. They have their off days and off nights when things don’t go as they would have hoped. Messi and Ronaldo don’t score every game. Novak Djokovic doesn’t lift every tennis trophy. Ronnie O’Sullivan can’t win every world snooker championship.
David Clifford has been in red-hot form for Kerry all year, since the new campaign began with the Allianz League opener against Galway at Austin Stack Park back in May. A look at his statistics tells its own story – 3-6 v the Tribesmen, 1-6 against Dublin, 1-4 in Roscommon, 1-6 v Tyrone, 1-6 against Clare, 1-2 in Thurles against Tipperary.
Including the one point in the provincial final against the Rebels, Clifford has notched 8-31 in seven competitive fixtures. It’s hardly a reason for some people to be losing the run of themselves over his current form, is it? Hitting the net at this level with greater regularity than ever before, the Kerry talisman has been thriving in 2021, especially with his brother pulling the strings out the field, which enables Seán O’Shea to provide him with closer support in the danger zone.
Yes, the two-time all-star didn’t hit the heights against Cork, but I think we can safely put that down as a blip. It wasn’t that Clifford ever puts his own game before the team’s either. How many scores did he play a part in? How many assists did he provide? Maybe a bit of credit should go to his marker Seán Meehan as well. The Kiskeam man did as good as anybody has done in recent years at limiting Clifford’s influence.
Peter Keane will have been quietly satisfied to witness the ruthless efficiency of his charges last time out, without his star man at full pelt. With so many opposing managers now setting out their game plan to curtail Clifford as much as possible, it stands to reason that it should give other Kingdom attackers a little extra space to step up to the plate. The likes of sibling Paudie, the superb O’Shea, Paul Geaney, Stephen O’Brien, Dara Moynihan (when fit) and Killian Spillane (off the bench) are all doing that to different degrees.
In saying that, Tyrone know only too well from the league semi-final in Killarney that Ronan McNamee cannot hold David Clifford. He might be the most physical of the Red Hand defenders, but he hasn’t the pace or the skillset. Do they instruct Pádraig Hampsey with the man-marking job? Do they drop a sweeper in front of the Kerry number 13 as well?
At this stage, following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Red Hand camp, do we even have a clue how they are going to line out next Saturday? Are they set to be missing some regular starters? Was it more fringe players who were badly affected from the virus? Only Brian Dooher and Fergal Logan know the answer to that conundrum. And they may well have to wait until just before throw-in to finalise their plans.
While Kerry midfielder David Moran admitted after the victory over Cork that a four-week gap between games is ‘the worst in the world’, that is exactly what Peter Keane and his players have been saddled with. It’s far from ideal but, at the same time, it’s certainly a better position to be in than what Tyrone have been dealing with since the Ulster final against Monaghan.
Kerry will undoubtedly prepare for a meeting with a full-strength Tyrone. That’s the only professional way that they can approach it. Does Brian Ó Beaglaoich pick up Darren McCurry? What if Cathal McShane is parachuted into the line-up? Is Jason Foley now ready to keep him under lock and key after his impressive display in the 2019 semi-final?
The Kingdom management and players have had to ignore the outside noise about Covid, and postponements, and a possible bye to the All-Ireland Final. They have bedded down in their bunkers and focused on themselves. You can be sure that the ineptness of the opening quarter of the provincial decider will have been dissected, to guarantee that they fly out of the blocks on Saturday at 3.30pm.
The extra time on their hands may also have been manna from heaven for Diarmuid O’Connor and Dara Moynihan. If the match had gone ahead on its scheduled date, would they have been available for selection? They definitely should have a better chance now. The Na Gaeil man, in particular, will be a crucial figure to provide legs and attacking thrust from midfield in the wide open prairie that is Croke Park.
Are Kerry likely to be unchanged? Will Jack Barry retain his wing-forward berth after returning to the first fifteen? Have Tadhg Morley or Gavin Crowley done enough in training to be catapulted into the back division? Could there be a bolter, like a Tony Brosnan, for instance, who has been setting the place alight in recent weeks? In the current information vacuum, it’s impossible to know.
Let’s return to David Clifford. Completely comfortable with life in the goldfish bowl of Kerry GAA, this is a man who thrives on pressure. The bigger the occasion, the bigger the likelihood of a tour de force display. All-Ireland minor finals, Hogan Cup deciders, Kerry county finals, the 2019 replay defeat to Dublin. The evidence is there for all to see.
When a smile swept across Clifford’s face after another shooting opportunity went to the wrong side of the posts in the dying embers of the Munster final, the fact that he could show such sangfroid was hugely instructive. Even geniuses can accept that it’s just going to be one of those days.
There won’t be two of them in succession. It’s impossible to predict anything about Saturday, but a little wager on the Fossa man finishing up man-of-the-match might be the best course of action. Don’t even consider ruling it out.