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

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1 month 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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Kingdom hoping to lay some old ghosts to rest at Páirc Uí Chaoimh

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3 days ago

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2 June 2023

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by Adam Moynihan

All-Ireland SFC Group 1

Cork v Kerry

Saturday at 3pm

Páirc Uí Chaoimh

I was one of the unlucky few to have been present at the last Cork-Kerry clash in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in November of 2020. It was a truly awful night.

The match was played behind closed doors which made for an eerie, unsettling atmosphere, and the rain came down harder than I ever remember seeing first-hand.

Unfortunately, Kerry came down hard too. Mark Keane’s last-ditch goal clinched an unexpected victory for the hosts and, just like that, Kerry’s year was over.

It always hurts when your team loses but that one completely floored us all. It was such a horrible way to lose a game and I felt so bad for the players as they trudged off the field, soaked to the bone and shaken to the core.

They got some form of payback the following year when they won by 21 in the Munster final, and again last year when they ran out 11-point winners in the semi-final. But something tells me that it would mean a lot more to return to Páirc Uí Chaoimh and do the business there.

It won’t be easy. The final scorelines in the last two games suggest that it was all one-way traffic but that simply wasn’t the case. In 2021, Cork led by 1-5 to 0-4 at the water break (remember those?) and they pushed Kerry hard 12 months ago too. There was nothing in that match right up until the 50th minute, at which point Kerry brought on David Moran and Paul Geaney and ultimately pulled away.

You can never really read too much into the McGrath Cup but Cork demolished Kerry in January. Their form since has been spotty but they did well to see off Louth last week, with the returning Brian Hurley (shoulder) kicking eight points in a two-point win. Hurley has proved to be a handful for Kerry full back Jason Foley in the past.

Significantly, John Cleary’s side are strong in a key area where Kerry struggled against Mayo: midfield. Ian Maguire and Colm O’Callaghan scored 0-2 each in Navan (and the latter scored 2-4 in that aforementioned McGrath Cup game at the start of the year).

Jack O’Connor named his team last night with Adrian Spillane replacing Tony Brosnan and Paul Murphy coming in for Dylan Casey. Spillane will add some extra brawn and energy around the middle third. Going by the last outing, Kerry need it.

It is also worth noting that David Clifford has never really shot the lights out against Cork. He has been well minded by Maurice Shanley, Seán Meehan and Kevin Flahive in the past three championship meetings, with the retreating Seán Powter also getting stuck in when needed.

Flahive suffered a cruciate injury late in last year’s game but he could potentially be in line for a comeback tomorrow; he has been added to Cork’s 26 for the first time in over 12 months.

Meehan has been ruled out with a hamstring injury so Shanley may be asked to track the Footballer of the Year this time around.

Clifford was one of the few bright sparks against Mayo and he would love to bring that form to the Páirc on Saturday. With vital points on the line, there would be no better time to lay some ghosts to rest.

From a Kerry perspective, you would hope – and perhaps expect – that Clifford and his teammates can do exactly that and get the show back on the road.

KERRY TEAM

1. Shane Ryan

2. Graham O’Sullivan

3. Jason Foley

4. Tom O’Sullivan

5. Paul Murphy

6. Tadhg Morley

7. Gavin White

8. Diarmuid O’Connor

9. Jack Barry

10. Dara Moynihan

11. Seánie O’Shea

12. Adrian Spillane

13. Paudie Clifford

14. David Clifford

15. Paul Geaney

Subs: S Murphy, T Brosnan, D Casey, BD O’Sullivan, R Murphy, M Burns, M Breen, S O’Brien, D O’Sullivan, C O’Donoghue, S O’Brien.

CORK TEAM

1. Micheál Aodh Martin

2. Maurice Shanley

3. Rory Maguire

4. Kevin O’Donovan

5. Luke Fahy

6. Daniel O’Mahony

7. Matty Taylor

8. Colm O’Callaghan

9. Ian Maguire

10. Brian O’Driscoll

11. Ruairí Deane

12. Killian O’Hanlon

13. Seán Powter

14. Brian Hurley

15. Chris Óg Jones

Subs: P Doyle, C Kiely, T Clancy, K Flahive, P Walsh, E McSweeney, B Murphy, J O’Rourke , M Cronin, S Sherlock, F Herlihy.

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Is Killarney green or blue? Celtic and Athletic to face off in tonight’s league final

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3 days ago

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2 June 2023

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Kerry Premier A League Final

Killarney Celtic v Killarney Athletic

Tonight at 7.45pm

Mounthawk Park, Tralee

Killarney Celtic will be gunning for their fifth league title in a row tonight (Friday) when they take on crosstown rivals Killarney Athletic in Tralee.

Celtic have been the dominant force in Kerry soccer in recent times with Athletic playing second fiddle. This will be the third Premier A final in a row to be contested by the Killarney clubs; Celtic won the 2020 decider 4-0 and last year’s final ended in a 3-0 victory for the club from Derreen. (The 2020/21 season was scrapped due to the pandemic.)

Prior to that, Celtic defeated Castleisland in 2019 and Dingle Bay Rovers in 2018, both on a scoreline of 1-0.

Celtic and Athletic also met in the 2017 final. The Blues prevailed in that particular encounter to capture their first ever Premier A title.

As for this season, Neilus Hayes’ Hoops qualified for the final by virtue of their first-place finish in the Premier A. Despite losing key players – including attackers Ryan Kelliher, Stephen McCarthy and Trpimir Vrljicak – to the Kerry FC project, the Celts won 12 of their 14 matches and ended up with an imposing goal difference of +34.

Athletic were not far behind, however; Stuart Templeman’s team only lost one league game all season en route to 35 points – one behind Celtic and 11 clear of Castleisland in third.

Interestingly, both of Celtic’s losses came at the hands of Athletic. The Woodlawn outfit impressively beat the old enemy 3-2 and 0-1 over the course of the regular season.

Goals by Roko Rujevcan, Pedja Glumcevic and a 90th-minute winner by Brendan Moloney clinched that dramatic 3-2 win in October of last year. It was a result that signalled Athletic’s intentions for the rest of the season.

Rujevcan was also on the scoresheet when Athletic snatched a rare away win at Celtic Park on April 30.

Celtic’s imposing record in finals probably makes them slight favourites and in the likes of John McDonagh, Brendan Falvey, Wayne Sparling, Kevin O’Sullivan and Witness Odirile they have a potent mix of steel and skill.

But Athletic will take heart from their recent results in this fixture and they will be hoping that two of the stars from the 2017 team – Shane Doolan and Shane Lynch – can lead the current crop of players to glory.

Meanwhile, the Division 2B final between Killarney Athletic B and Atletico Ardfert that was also due to take place tonight has been cancelled. Athletic have received a walkover.

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