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Moving Munster to start of year could ‘probably’ work – Clifford

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3 years ago

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David Clifford with Killarney Advertiser sports editor Adam Moynihan at Croke Park.

by Adam Moynihan

Kerry captain David Clifford has indicated that he could get on board with a potential reshuffle that would see the Munster Championship being moved to the start of the season.

Speaking to this writer at Croke Park for the launch of SuperValu’s sponsorship of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Clifford acknowledged the historical value of the provincial competition while also suggesting that he would be open to change.

“You’re well aware of the importance of it (the Munster championship). Look, there’s a lot of history there and stuff like that. But should it be moved to a different time of the year? It’d probably be hard to have an issue with [that].

"You’re still keeping the competition and then you’re still having those games, so I don’t think when it’s played in the year is as important really.”

Clifford and his teammates beat Division 4-bound Tipperary by 20 points in last Saturday’s Munster semi-final. In Leinster, Dublin defeated Laois by 26. One-sided mismatches like these have led to more and more calls for the provincial championships to lose their traditional standing as important precursors to the All-Ireland series.

Radical plans to do exactly that, while also moving the National League closer to the All-Ireland series and effectively promoting it to championship status, failed to garner enough support at the last GAA Congress in 2021. Instead, the league was joined up to the All-Ireland series as a seeding mechanism only, with the four provincial championships retaining their pre-All-Ireland series billing.

Would the Footballer of the Year be in favour of going the whole way and giving the Munster Championship less relevance when it comes to the serious business of summertime football?

“Possibly, yeah. If it was something like: you played a Munster Championship and then maybe some sort of a league that had a bearing on championship… Yeah, I think that’s probably something that could work.”

Last weekend’s blowout win was frustrating at times for Kerry as they came up against a packed defence that seemed content with keeping the score down. Encountering such set-ups is not uncommon in the modern game but Clifford, who was limited to just two points (both from frees), is philosophical about the challenge this presents.

“That’s the reality now so there isn’t much point in us thinking back to football in the past where it was more open. I actually think it’s very enjoyable to try and find ways of breaking down defences and maybe seeing the different approaches you can take. At the end of the day, if we’re winning, that’s all that matters really.

"So I wouldn’t say it’s that much less enjoyable.”

Despite only turning 24 in January, Clifford has already worked his way into the ‘greatest of all time’ discussion with a string of mesmeric performances including an unforgettable display in last year’s All-Ireland final, when he kicked eight points.

But the Fossa native, who is a PE teacher in St Brendan’s College, is keeping his feet on the ground.

“You try and brush it off as much as possible. There’s nothing really to be gained from getting involved in a conversation like that.

"People are going to say what they’re going to say. You can’t really control that.

"But I suppose I try not to let it have an effect [on me].”

Listen to Adam’s full interview with David Clifford on ‘The Kerry Football Podcast’.

Also available on YouTube.

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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1 month ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

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1 month ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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