Sport
INTERVIEW: Older and wiser David Clifford is seizing the day
David Clifford speaks to Adam Moynihan about inclusivity in the GAA, shooting the right shots, and living in the present
They grow up so fast. David Clifford, the boy wonder who shot to fame as a baby-faced prodigy, turned 25 on his latest birthday. Older and wiser? It would appear so.
“As you get a bit older you realise you can’t have that focus of winning the All-Ireland in your head all the time. Of course it’s there and that’s your season-long goal. But if you start wishing the days and weeks away, the season becomes a hard old slog.”
The two-time Footballer of the Year is responding to a question about ‘taking each game as it comes’. Is it hard to live by that mantra when Kerry are expected to walk through Munster and at the very worst reach an All-Ireland semi-final?
“It’s not,” Clifford counters, “because you have to deal with what’s in front of you. You’re just taking it training session by training session at this stage to try and get value from each session. If you do start looking too far down the line, you’re not living in the present at all. You’re kind of wishing the time away. Even the time off the field, you’re nearly wishing it away if you’re looking too far down the line.
“So I’m just trying to enjoy the day-to-day of the whole thing and relax a bit more. Training hard when you’re there but trying to come away from it when you’re not there, that’s something you get better at as you get older.”
Kerry got their 2024 championship off the ground with a largely uninspiring victory over Cork in Killarney last weekend. After going behind to an early goal, the home team steadied the ship and corrected their course – even if it never really felt like plain sailing.
They kicked 18 points in total (Clifford scored 0-4, three from play), which is a solid return, but the bothersome trend of letting big goal chances pass by appears to have carried over from the league. Paudie Clifford missed a glaring opportunity in the first half that you would expect him to score ten times out of ten; it’s the kind of shot that surely needs to converted if it presents itself later in the season against top opposition.
For his part, David is hopeful that the goals will come sooner rather than later.
“It wasn’t perfect [against Cork] but it was decent enough. We were happy with how we responded to going behind early on. We kind of controlled the game well. Everything didn’t click but that’s fine, and the way we were able to grind it out was satisfying enough.
“It’s hard to know [why Kerry haven’t been scoring more goals]. We’d probably put more of a target on creating goal chances and we’re still doing that. You’d hope that with the players we have, we should be able to start finishing those chances.
“We did still create three or four decent goal chances but the last pass might have let us down. So it’s definitely something that we’ll have to work on, but it’s not something that we’re panicking about either.”
At the beginning of April, Kerry manager Jack O’Connor brought his squad to Portugal for a pre-championship training camp. The trip was beneficial in Clifford’s eyes, not only for the work that was put in on the pitch but also because it afforded the players ample time to bond.
“It was brilliant. With the way things are at home, with every fella working, you don’t get to spend as much time together. So just to have a load of sessions together, to get a lot of work done, and meetings… It’s great.
“It’s a great way of getting to know fellas, particularly with so many new fellas on the panel this year. That’s an indirect benefit that comes from it as well, just spending more time together and getting to know fellas.
“It’s grand to have the trip to Portugal but then if you don’t bring everything that you’ve worked on and put it into the matches, the trip is totally pointless. There are people who sacrificed a lot for us to go there so it’s really about putting the stuff into action once we get home.”
As for his own individual game, the perennial All-Star says he’s just “striving for consistency”, while taking on what he calls “better shots at better times”.
“Maybe there were a few games last year where I was firing shots from all angles sometimes and there will be days when they don’t go over. Maybe [I’m] just trying to be more selective in the shots that I take.”
Is there a concern that he might be a volume shooter, i.e. could taking fewer shots adversely affect his conversion rate?
“It’s more about shooting from the right place,” he explains. “If you get into the right spot 20 times in a game, then take the shot 20 times. But it’s just taking the shots from the wrong places, that’s probably the thing to try and avoid.”
COMMUNITY
Clifford was in Croke Park on Tuesday to launch SuperValu’s sponsorship of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and their #CommunityIncludesEveryone campaign. The Kerry forward was one of a number of Gaelic games role models and advocates from across the country who were on hand to highlight the role of GAA communities in making Ireland a more diverse, inclusive and welcoming country for all.
It’s a cause that the teacher from Fossa cares about. He believes, for instance, that getting involved with the GAA can help immigrants to settle into their new communities.
“It’s essential that GAA clubs are welcoming to people of all backgrounds. You can see the benefits to getting involved with a club. If you take someone who moves to Ireland, and let’s say their 12-year-old son comes down and trains with club’s under 12 team. Within a few weeks you might see that his dad comes down and helps collect the footballs. Maybe his mother goes and makes the tea for them after the sessions. Then the younger brother or older sister starts playing.
“All of a sudden, you have a purpose. Every weekend you’re going down to the GAA club.
“I think the GAA, in my experience, has been very welcoming. We have always had players and members of clubs in Kerry and all over Ireland from different backgrounds. One of the GAA’s greatest strengths is the whole family and community element of it.”
No active intercounty GAA player has come out as gay since Cork hurler Dónal Óg Cusack in 2009, despite it becoming more common for sportsmen in other codes to do so in the past few years in particular. Leading referee David Gough, a fellow SuperValu ambassador of Clifford’s, came out in 2011 and in recent years he has publicly expressed his disappointment that more intercounty players haven’t felt comfortable enough to do likewise.
Does Clifford feel that the Fossa and Kerry dressing rooms would be welcoming environments for a gay teammate if they decided to come out?
“It would be very disappointing if someone felt that wasn’t the case,” he says. “Away from anything to do with sport, that just wouldn’t be a good reflection of the individuals in those dressing rooms. So, Jesus, you’d be hoping that the dressing room would be a welcoming environment anyway, and you’d be doing everything in your power to make sure that was the case.”
Away from the glare of national superstardom, Clifford is kept busy with his day job at St Brendan’s College and with his two-year-old son, Óigí.
“He has taken an interest in football,” the proud father reveals. “He has around ten different soccer kits and he loves wearing them, and he wants to go out the back kicking ball for spells during the day. So that’s great old fun. He’s starting to copy the soccer celebrations that I’d be showing him now so I have good craic with him.
“He’s right-footed at the moment, but we’ll work on that.”
To listen to the full interview, check out ‘The Kerry Football Podcast’ on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Sport
Jack O’Connor’s Kerry squad is looking deeper and stronger (but the proof will be in the eating)
As we reach the midway point of the 2025 season, Adam Moynihan takes a close look at Kerry’s strength in depth
As the Kerry players, management team and backroom staff huddled together for a photo with the Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Cup in front of the Hogan Stand, one of the photographers raised his fist in the air, trying to illicit something resembling a celebratory scene. No joy.
Victory over Mayo had been secured in convincing enough fashion but winning the league has never been grounds for buoyant celebrations as far as Kerry are concerned. Retaining Division 1 status and unearthing some new talent is generally enough to tick the springtime box ahead of the serious business of the championship. Once that has been achieved, anything else is gravy.
Going by the disappointing loss to Armagh in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, the need for new blood was especially great heading into the 2025 season. The team faded badly down the stretch and into extra time against the Orchard County with overdependence on core players glaringly obvious. It wasn’t the only reason they lost but Kerry simply didn’t get enough from their supporting cast on the day.
With that in mind, Jack O’Connor knew he had to work on the depth of his squad during this league campaign, and you’d have to say he made a pretty good fist of it.
Starting in goal, the situation here is clear with Shane Murphy providing back-up to Shane Ryan.
Moving out the field, in recent years Kerry have generally gone with Jason Foley at full back, Tom O’Sullivan at left corner back, and one of Paul Murphy or Graham O’Sullivan at right corner back.
After making his debut in the league in 2024, Damien Bourke has emerged as a genuine right corner back alternative with some strong performances that have vastly enhanced his reputation. Not many Kerry players came out of the Dublin defeat with extra credit to their name but Bourke was brave and tenacious, bursting out of defence and using the ball wisely. He was replaced as a starter by the experienced Murphy in later rounds but the Tralee man capped his league with a goal off the bench against Galway in Salthill.
Dylan Casey also got extended game time in the absence of Tom O’Sullivan and he acquitted himself professionally. He has a solid head on his shoulders and you get the impression that Jack O’Connor would now be comfortable throwing him into any given situation without hesitation.
The versatile Graham O’Sullivan is also an option at corner back and it looks like he’ll need to slot in somewhere other than his natural position of half back as Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Gavin White are nailed on starters at 5 and 7. O’Sullivan lined out at half forward against Galway and Mayo, underlining his flexibility and importance to the team.
There could be a changing of the guard taking place at centre back with Mike Breen seemingly shaking off the injury woes that have held back his progress with Kerry to date. With regular number 6 Tadhg Morley unavailable for selection for most of the league, Breen slotted seamlessly into that crucial central role, and he looked really confident against Mayo on Sunday. As things stand, Morley will be doing well to displace Breen but either way Kerry should have two good centre back options heading into the summer months.
Midfield has been a head scratcher for Kerry for a number of years but in Diarmuid O’Connor and Joe O’Connor they appear to have found a winning combination. Diarmuid was playing the best football of his career up to his injury against Armagh in Round 6 so getting his shoulder right for championship is of paramount importance to Kerry’s chances.
Joe is a guaranteed starter too but his assured display at wing forward against Armagh was interesting in that it opens the door for a third midfielder to start. Seán O’Brien and Barry Dan O’Sullivan both applied themselves admirably when called upon in the league and the manager should feel like he can trust them more now than he did 12 months ago.
Joe O’Connor’s arrival as a half forward candidate has improved Kerry’s options to the extent that it’s difficult to predict how they will line out from 10 to 12 in the Munster Championship. Micheál Burns has done quite well upon his reintroduction to the team after being dropped from the panel in 2024, and Paudie Clifford is looking sharp at centre forward. Tony Brosnan and Dylan Geaney are options along this line too, although Dylan has been operating as a withdrawn inside forward to date – a role Tony is also capable of playing.
Of course, Seánie O’Shea will have to fit in somewhere in this department when he fully recuperates from his knee ligament injury, so it will be interesting to see how Jack O’Connor works this conundrum out. File under ‘good problems’.
Dara Moynihan is still recovering from a hip injury and has not yet featured in 2025. He would naturally be an option at 10 if he can get back up to speed. Meanwhile, Darragh Lyne, Ruairí Murphy and Cathal Ó Beaglaoich all featured at half forward in the league.
David Clifford and Paul Geaney will play at 13 and 14 with Dylan Geaney in pole position to start at 15 on the back of a really good run of form, perhaps excepting the league final in which he was relatively quiet. Tony Brosnan is a prime candidate to challenge Dylan for that spot; the Dr Crokes player has kicked some fantastic scores in each of his last three appearances as a substitute.
As for out-and-out inside forwards, Conor Geaney and Killian Spillane are likely to be used as impact subs.
All told Kerry do appear to have better depth than they had last year, particularly with the emergence of second season players like Bourke, O’Brien and Dylan Geaney as legitimate options, and with Breen beginning to fulfil his potential. Burns’ comeback and Joe O’Connor’s newfound ability to play the 12 position also help.
As always, though, the proof will be in the eating. We will have to wait for the suffocating heat of do-or-die championship matches to find out if this squad is as deep and dependable as it looks on paper.
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