Why Jim McGuinness' Donegal didn't man mark Paudie Clifford in All-Ireland Final

Irish Daily Mirror

4 days ago

'A big, big moment' was how Jack O'Connor described David Clifford's two pointer on the stroke of half-time of yesterday's All-Ireland football final at Croke Park.
According to O'Connor it gave Kerry an 'extra pep in our step' going in at half-time.
There was nothing unusual about Kerry playing keep ball and killing the last minute of the half as they waited for the hooter to sound.
But the way the snippet of action unfolded summed up the game.
Donegal stood off Kerry and just as the hooter went David Clifford came out deep enough - 55 metres or so out - to create the space to accelerate into.
Quick as a flash, Clifford blindsided his shadow for the afternoon, Brendan McCole with a scintillating burst - proof of what happends when you get too tight against the best players with space behind you - and shot a two pointer that sent his side in seven points up at the break instead of five.
The fact it only took a matter of seconds was indicative of a surprisingly passive Donegal side.
They might even have fouled outside Sean O'Shea/Shane Ryan's two point ranger earlier in the move to force a free, a chance to get tight, turn the ball over and maybe get a score themselves.
When Jim McGuinness' looks back at this clip he won't be happy. Donegal's extra defender is in the wrong position and doesn't react to Clifford's move or get anywhere near him.
It was typical of how easily Kerry picked apart the Donegal defence and demonstrated just how ruthless they were all day.
The first indicator that Kerry were here to attack the game came straight from the throw-in when Gavin White left Ciaran Thompson trailing in his wake to win the break and set up Dylan Geaney for a breakneck pace opening point.
White did the exact same from the throw-in at the start of the second half to a different marker, winning the break and powering forward with Kerry scoring again.
Two points for the winners that Donegal might have got themselves and a potential four points swing. One team on the front foot. The other on the back foot. The same all day.
Inside the opening five minutes White had scored two points and set up one in a whirlwind opening from the Dr. Crokes man that no Donegal man could match or come close to.
The real winning of the game though was Kerry's absolute determination not to give Donegal the oxygen of dropping shots short or being turned over inside the Donegal 45.
The fast counter off this type of play is the Ulster champions' greatest strength and where the likes of Peadar Mogan, Ciaran Moore and Finbarr Roarty spring into life.
But, this trio were pinned back throughout the game and rarely seen on the counterattack as Kerry avoided turnovers - and although they did drop three first half shots short, they got set again quickly.
One incident summed this up.
In the 18th minute Kerry were already 0-12 to 0-4 clear when they gave Donegal a sniff of a counterattack for the first time with Sean O'Shea dropping a two point shot short.
It was pretty clear the message was to stop the lightning counter and Graham O'Sullivan did just that, taking Peadar Mogan out off the ball.
The incident was missed by the match officials - or else they felt there was nothing in it.
It looked like a black card, although Mogan did veer slightly towards O'Sullivan, but the Kerry man was fortunate to avoid a 10 minutes sin bin.
The extra man for Donegal could have been crucial at a time when Shaun Patton was struggling to get his kickouts away.
To add insult to injury, O'Sullivan placed David Clifford for a single, and a nine point lead.
It showed Kerry's absolute determination not to give Donegal the oxygen they thrive on - counterattacks from deep that test your every sinew.
Michael Murphy was held off the ball on Donegal kickouts on a number of occassions in the first half. It should have been an easy spot for Brendan Cawley and his officials, but it didn't seem to be.
This showed Kerry's ruthlessness again and was another example of that Kingdom cliche, 'hammer the hammer.'
Donegal will rue a couple of other facets of their game that went wrong.
Losing seven out of 16 first half kickouts was a big factor, but then Shane Ryan and Kerry lost six kicking into the breeze in the second half.
Kerry, on the other hand, won eight out of 11 of their own kickouts in the first half as they targeted Michael Murphy early on with shorts restarts, sensing a weakness there in the 35 year old, who didn't look 100 percent fit after taking a bang against Meath.
With Kerry dominating the ball, Donegal had to be perfect in their shooting.
They hit 10 single points in the first half but had misses from Roarty - blocked by Sean O'Brien - Michael Murphy, a 30 metre free from in front of the posts drawing gasps from the crowd and a Conor O'Donnell wide off his left foot.
Crucially though, it was Kerry who dominated the ball in the first half, and built up a big lead, so Donegal were chasing.
Chasing against other sides is a lot easier than Kerry, who can pick you off with the quality and pace they have, and their foot passing game.
Donegal's manoeuvrings - or lack of them - around two point shots with the breeze in the second half and their defensive press in the first half both cost them.
Kerry kicked 0-17 in the opening half with Donegal clearly not wanting to foul around the arc and give away two point frees, but not getting tight enough to the ball carrier either.
When Peadar Mogan did get tight to Paudie Clifford in the 58th minute, Kerry won the free, which Sean O'Shea converted for two points.
This is exactly what Donegal were trying to avoid, but in doing so they were too passive, although Kerry were extremely slick in their handling and movement.
No doubt Jim McGuinness would love another shot at it defensively. The jury is still certainly out on whether you can set up a defensive system and man mark two players.
The big cry afterwards - and during the game in some quarters - was why didn't Donegal man mark Paudie Clifford. His 'X' handle, 'Can't guard Paud' might give a clue to that.
Would Paudie Clifford just have done what David did and brought his man out of the play, thus leaving huge spaces for the other Kerry players to make hay in, or skipped past his man to create overlaps, as David did for the two pointer on the stroke of half-time.
They brothers are so smart the answer is probably yes. Donegal might have adapted in game though to either try it, or get tighter on Paudie Clifford.
But with good club players making hay when there aren't 12 behind the ball and in position, imagine what the Cliffords would do to you? (Fossa are going to be have some joy under the new rules with the two best players in the game on their side).
And if there's one county with the spread of footballers to exploit any gaps in a defensive shield, that's Kerry. Look at the incisions Gavin White, for example, made throughout the game.
Kerry also had set plays, with both midfielders, Sean O'Brien and Mark O'Shea, inside together on several occasions to clear space out the field for conductors like the Clifford brothers and Sean O'Shea to do their stuff.
When Donegal needed to get their two point shooters in position in the second half with the breeze they couldn't do it.
Ciaran Thompson was off injured and they didn't get Michael Langan or Michael Murphy onto a two point shot. Kerry will have talked about that one.
The two point shots came from Caolan McGonagle, Daire O'Baoill and Patrick McBrearty, the latter being one you'd expect the skipper to get that tailed wide after being well worked.
Ryan McHugh, who can nail them too, was also off injured for the final half hour, departing on 40 minutes. Injuries certainly took a toll on Donegal too when they were trying to play catch-up.
Two or three times they had shots from just inside the arc as they chased the game in the second half, when they had to be from just outside.
This type of stuff has happened to teams all year around the arc when they've found themselves chasing the game.
Bar Conor O'Donnell and Shane O'Donnell, very few of the Donegal starters performed with Kerry's gameplan, ability to force Patton long and excellence on break ball a big part of this.
It also emerged that Kerry's defensive intensity in terms of forcing turnovers - totally underrated - was better than Donegal's, with few saying this going into the game.
Joe O'Connor and Gavin White in particular were able to match and better any intensity Donegal brought.
Kerry had two many skilful players on the ball and it showed at stages that there was a skill deficit between the sides.
All the mistakes in possession came from Donegal. Two balls given away in the first half coming out of defence for Kerry points. Two first half kick outs won and dropped. A ball toe poked up the line to no-one. Kerry didn't make these errors. Donegal couldn't afford them, particulary with their lack of ball in the first half.
It was death by a thousand cuts as Donegal never carved out a single goal chance, or nailed a two pointer - that could have lifted their fans and the stadium.
Kerry hit five two pointers from nine attempts to Donegal's zero from three and in the end were utterly convincing winners with their opponents never really sparking at any stage.