‘Pure heart and determination' – Kerry fans rejoice after epic display to land the Kingdom's 39th All-Ireland

Irish Independent

3 days ago

It was a rousing opening quarter display from the Kingdom that set the tone for their demolition of Donegal, and with talismanic performances from David Clifford and Gavin White, among others, Kerry cruised to All-Ireland glory.
It was the names of the Clifford brothers, Paudie and David, along with White, that spewed from fans' mouths as they streamed out on to Jones' Road in delight after Kerry's 10-point win over Donegal.
Michael Harmond from Ardfert, Co Kerry, said: 'It was tense enough, but ­Kerry were almost always in third gear and eventually they pulled away at the end.'
Despite criticism of Kerry, which made the team feel 'disrespected', according to David Clifford, Mr Harmond never doubted them. 'I think it was always coming,' he said.
David Clifford was a standout player for me
'We played more football, they took so long, almost two to three minutes each time to get a score, I felt.
'Even when they were losing with a few minutes to go, they were taking that much time. We were more clinical, I thought.
'David Clifford was a standout player for me and he was marked very well.'
Similarly unyielding in support was Brendan Reardon, who watched the match with his daughter Aoibhín. 'It was an absolutely fantastic performance, they were brilliant in the first half and kept on going in the second,' he said.
The pair travelled from Beaufort for the final, a first for Aoibhín, with Mr Reardon saying that she was Kerry's 'lucky charm'.
'It took pure heart and determination, they kept going and never gave up even when Donegal came back in the second half, Kerry kept going,' he said.
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We are lost for words now and roll on the celebrations
'Gavin White and Paudie Clifford were absolutely unbelievable.
'We just couldn't be happier. We are lost for words now and roll on the celebrations.'
Fandom in sport comes in all shapes and sizes and a woman who has only indirect ties to the Kerry team, but was nonetheless ecstatic, was Deirdre Brady from Co Louth.
Sporting a Palestine GAA jersey, Ms Brady said: 'My husband is from Cork but his grandparents are from Kerry. He's a big Kerry supporter, so are my sons.
'I thought Kerry came in very strong in the first quarter and in the second quarter Donegal came back but Kerry had enough of a buffer to keep going, it was a great game.'
Donegal did indeed come back in the second half with a Michael Murphy-led charge at Kerry, but they could never get the gap below four points and despite the urgings of Donegal manager Jim McGuinness, Kerry found another gear when it mattered.
After the match, Jack O'Connor indicated that he will step aside as Kerry manager, after watching Kerry lift the most coveted trophy in football five times as manager. 'You can't beat panel spirit. We said what happened to Cork last week wouldn't happen to us. It's the stuff of dreams. I'm delighted for them all, a massive team effort, backroom effort, panel effort,' he said.
It was a tough one to take but we'll regroup
It was to be an uneasy journey home for boyfriend and girlfriend, Wendy Eadie and Conor McGinn, who were wrestling with both delight and disappointment while milling out of Croke Park.
Donegal supporter Mr McGinn, from Creeslough, Donegal, said he was 'sickened' by the match while Ms Eadie, whose family is from Killarney, expressed her delight.
'It was a tough one to take but we'll regroup,' Mr McGinn said. '[David] Clifford got on very well; they kept [Michael] Murphy very quiet.
'They were very strong around the midfield. Obviously with Clifford there was a lot more threat for scoring two-pointers, and we didn't really pose that threat.'
Donegal's lacklustre offensive was a hot topic, with another Donegal supporter, Anthony McBride, from Downings pointing to the Kingdom clinching the title by nullifying their threats.
'I can't really complain, I don't think Donegal played to their usual level. I am very disappointed, we'll come back next year,' he said.