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Clifford and Moran start as Kerry name strong team for Mayo clash

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3 years ago

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David Clifford is set to return for Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final. Photo: Ray McManus/Sportsfile.

by Adam Moynihan

Star forward David Clifford and veteran midfielder David Moran have both been named in Kerry’s starting lineup for Sunday’s do-or-die All-Ireland quarter-final against Mayo.

Clifford missed the team’s last match, the Munster final against Limerick on May 28, due to a calf injury he sustained in the previous outing against Cork.

The Killarney Advertiser understands that the Fossa native could have played in that provincial decider but Jack O’Connor and his backroom team opted to keep him in reserve, anticipating that he wouldn’t be needed. That proved to be a wise decision as The Kingdom coasted to a 23-point victory in Killarney.

Nevertheless, Kerry football’s gossipmongers are never not at it and speculation about Clifford’s status has been rife this past week. O’Connor confirmed on Monday that Clifford should be okay, although the somewhat unconvincing nature of his response gave some fans further cause for concern.

However, as was reported in today’s Killarney Advertiser, the three-time All-Star is, indeed, available for selection and he is set to reclaim his No. 14 jersey for Sunday’s crunch game in Croke Park.

Meanwhile, David Moran makes his first start for Kerry this season after recovering from a groin injury that ruled him out for the entirety of the league. Jack Barry misses out on the panel entirely, as does half forward Adrian Spillane. Their absence is likely due to injury, although this has not been confirmed.

There is also a place in the starting lineup for Dara Moynihan. The Spa player missed the Munster Championship with a quad injury.

Paul Geaney retains his place at corner forward with Tony Brosnan and Killian Spillane dropping to the bench.

In other news, Kerry will wear their traditional green and gold home jersey against Mayo for the first time since 2011. Both teams have sported their away kits whenever they have met in recent seasons but this time they opted for a toss of a coin, which Kerry won. Mayo will wear their black away shirts.

KERRY TEAM TO FACE MAYO

1. Shane Ryan (Rathmore)

2. Graham O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses)

3. Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue)

4. Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle)

5. Brian Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht)

6. Tadhg Morley (Templenoe)

7. Gavin White (Dr Crokes)

8. David Moran (Kerins O'Rahillys)

9. Diarmuid O’Connor (Na Gaeil)

10. Dara Moynihan (Spa)

11. Seán O’Shea (Captain - Kenmare Shamrocks)

12. Stephen O’Brien (Kenmare Shamrocks)

13. Paudie Clifford (Fossa)

14. David Clifford (Fossa)

15. Paul Geaney (Dingle)

Subs: S Murphy, T Brosnan, K Spillane, P Murphy, M Burns, J O’Connor, J Savage, G Crowley, D Roche, J O'Shea, S Okunbor.

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Numbers Game: How Kerry can reach league final – or get relegated for first time in 24 years

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2 days ago

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22 March 2025

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by Adam Moynihan

Men’s NFL Division 1

Galway v Kerry

Sunday 3.45pm

Salthill

Live on TG4 YouTube

Kerry travel to Galway on Sunday knowing that defeat could well consign them to relegation for the first time since 2001. Win and they could be Croker-bound. It’s that tight heading into the final day of Division 1 of the National Football League. Anything could happen.

Let’s get the lay of the land before we wade into the murky waters of permutations. We currently have a three-way tie at the top of the table with Galway, Dublin and Donegal all level on eight points. Next up are Mayo on seven, followed by Kerry on six, Armagh and Tyrone on five, and already-relegated Derry on one.

PWDLPDPts
1Galway6321178
2Dublin640288
3Donegal640248
4Mayo6312-37
5Kerry6303116
6Tyrone621305
7Armagh6213-85
8Derry6015-291

In the seventh and final round of the league, Galway play Kerry, Mayo are at home to Donegal, Armagh host Derry, and Tyrone welcome Dublin to Healy Park, Omagh. All four matches are being played simultaneously at 3.45pm on Sunday.

So, who will be joining the Oak Leafers in Division 2 in 2026?

If Kerry lose they will remain on six points, which means that if Armagh and Tyrone both win, they will move onto seven points, relegating the Kingdom. However, if Kerry lose they will stay up if one or both of Armagh or Tyrone lose.

If Kerry lose and either Armagh or Tyrone draw and the other win, Kerry are safe on the head-to-head rule. If Kerry lose and both Armagh and Tyrone draw, there will be a three-way tie on six points. In this event, points difference will come into play, and Kerry will survive if they lose to Galway by less than 20.

If Kerry draw with Galway, they will almost certainly be safe. Such a result would move them up to seven points, and even if Armagh and Tyrone both win, Kerry’s superior points difference would, barring an incredible set of results, see them over the line. Kerry are currently on +11 with Armagh on -8 and Tyrone breaking even on zero. So Armagh would need to beat Derry by 20 points and Tyrone would need to beat Dublin by 12 for them both to overtake Kerry.

Now, let’s fix our gaze upwards rather than down. A place in the league final is also on the cards – if all those cards fall kindly.

If Kerry win, they will wind up on eight points, guaranteeing their status as a Division 1 team for the 24th year in a row. If they win by three points (or more), that’s where things get interesting. Such a margin of victory would see them overtake their direct opponents, Galway, on ‘points for’ (if they win by three) or ‘overall points difference’ (if they win by more than three).

It would also guarantee that they would slip in between Mayo and Donegal, with the winner of that game moving into first, and the loser missing out on the league final. (A draw would be enough for Donegal, but not enough for Mayo.)

Kerry’s fate (again, if they win) would then depend on the result in the Tyrone v Dublin game. If Dublin win, they will advance to the league final. If Dublin draw, they will advance to the league final. But if Dublin lose, they will be passed out by Kerry, and Jack O’Connor’s men will sneak into the Croke Park decider via the side entrance.

That would be a remarkable turn of events considering the team’s spotty form up to this point, but the main priority will simply be to win and ensure survival. Anything on top of that would be a hard-earned bonus.

Tyrone v Dublin will be shown on TG4 with all other Division 1 and Division 2 games available live on the TG4 YouTube channel.

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Spa GAA Club unveil hi-tech solar panels

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2 days ago

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22 March 2025

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This week has seen Spa GAA swap their traditional blue and gold colours to go green, all for the sake of climate change and the environment.

In partnership with solar energy specialist REC Ireland they have just installed a 28.5 kW Solar PV system at their club grounds in Tullig.

The system, comprising 60 PV panels and supported by 10 kW battery storage, is mounted on the south-facing roof of their multi-purpose sports hall. It represents a state-of-the-art installation and it comes on foot of the club being one of the first GAA club recipients of Kerry County Council’s Climate Action Grant Scheme, launched in 2024.

“This is a hugely positive initiative in terms of reducing our on-site carbon footprint, promoting renewable energy and reducing our dependency on oil and gas,” club chairman Tadhg Hickey said.

In a further sign of Spa’s commitment to the green agenda, the club have recently been shortlisted as the only GAA club in Kerry in the Shared Island Sports Club Electrical Vehicle charging scheme, under which funding is provided to install a network of publicly accessible chargers for communities through local sports clubs.

Along with ramping up public EV charging facilities in local communities, the scheme offers significant potential for clubs to generate income, and is another example of the positive contribution of sports clubs in their locality.

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