All-Ireland SFC player ratings: Captain White and magic Cliffords are the cream of the crop

Irish Examiner

15 hours ago

KERRY
Shane Ryan
Sealed his All-Star as well as his All-Ireland here and in the process erased the mishap of Armagh last year. Showed a marvellous range of kickouts in the first half to ensure Kerry retained a remarkable 82 percent of them in the first half. Came under more pressure after the break but remained unperturbed. Wasn't forced into having to make any goal-stopping save but still exuded a commanding presence that was critical to Kerry retaining a second straight clean sheet. 7.
Paul Murphy
Doesn't grab as much of the limelight as the rookie that beat Donegal in a final back in 2014 but was similarly effective here in an understated way. Repeatedly was an option on kickouts and even when one went askew, it was a measure of his guile and experience that he opted to handle the ball inside the arc and give up the free rather than allow Michael Murphy through on goal a la Rory Grugan in the quarter-final. 7.
Jason Foley
Tasked with shadowing Michael Murphy as Aidan O'Mahony was in 2014 and was similarly effective in thwarting and frustrating Donegal's greatest ever. Donegal occasionally sought out a 2012 final-like goal but that was never a runner here between the poor delivery and Foley's presence. Also presented himself well for Ryan's kickouts when required. 8.
Dylan Casey
Showed what they've known on Rock Street for years; his intelligence and temperament are made for Croke Park. Won several key breaks on kickouts to initiate scores that established Kerry's early dominance, and while he gave away a soft free for over-carrying, more than atoned; bettered a series of men he was assigned to, with the manner in which he consistently forced Paddy McBrearty onto his weaker foot testament to the homework both he and the Kerry backroom clearly did. 7.5.
Brian Ó Beaglaoich
Another typically steady performance to follow his fellow An Gaeltacht No.5s Tomás and Páidí in having multiple Celtic Crosses instead of just the one. 7.
Mike Breen
Had a bit of a lapse around the 21st minute when a long-range shot of his drifted well wide and then from the kickout he was caught out of position leading to a Donegal point that initiated a 4-0 spurt from them. More than compensated, though by winning two of the next three kickouts that led to Kerry scores. 7.
Gavin White
All-Ireland final day has seen some remarkable individual wing-back performances but we can't recall anyone before scoring two points to go with an assist inside the first five minutes from that position. Didn't relent; won the first kickout of the second half to initiate a Seánie O'Shea point while when Donegal got back to within four entering the last quarter, White put on the burners again to cut in and fist over his third point, then followed it up by winning a key kickout that extinguished any hope for Donegal. 9.
Seán O'Brien
When Jack O'Connor won the first of his five All-Irelands, he got a huge performance from a previous unheralded midfielder in William Kirby. O'Brien was that here. Within the opening 12 minutes he'd scored two points, a reward for how he ventured in around the square to both create and attack space. Unrelenting in his workrate. 8.
Mark O'Shea
A wrecking ball. Won the throw-in to set the tone of the day and set up the game's opening score while his blockdown on Finnbarr Roarty was the kind of gritty play all managements and teammates love to highlight. 7.5
Joe O'Connor
Will finish second to only David Clifford in this year's Player of the Year voting with this suitably appropriate finish to a stellar year. In the opening minutes brilliantly pulled down kickouts from both Patton and Ryan to set up early Kerry scores, and while he had a mid-game wobble by coughing up the odd free and turnover, got back to himself with a key block, and then a goal fitting of his talent and season. 8.
Séan O'Shea
Underlined what a winner and leader he is by his willingness to take a step back and be the third option with the Cliffords on fire as they were, and then step up when required. After Donegal reeled off four points to get it back to 0-13-0-8, it was O'Shea who won the next kickout, slowed the play down with the resultant possession, won a free and then pointed it. Also kicked the opening point of the second half – a tricky one, being on the right side off his right foot – to ensure there'd be no falloff from Kerry the way there was from Cork last week, to go with a late two-pointer free to ensure victory. 8.
Graham O'Sullivan
Completely selfless in his willingness to recycle the ball, lay off to better-positioned and more skilful players, and get in a big hit which Ryan McHugh was never the same after. Underlined that he's no mean footballer by way of a fantastic left-foot pass inside to David Clifford for an insurance score. 7.5.
David Clifford
A masterclass in efficiency and patience. For the first nine minutes here he hadn't touched the ball, happy to stay at the top right-hand side of the arc and allow Gavin White to cause wreck on the left. But immediately upon getting his hands on the ball he had the umpire raising the orange flag and the Kerry crowd raising a cheer you'd normally associate with a green one. It was just a taste of what was to come. Finished with nine points, the same as Maurice in '97 – only all of his here were from play. 9.
Paudie Clifford
If it wasn't for the other this would go down as the Clifford final. But because both of them were as majestic as the other they'll just have to settle for it being the Cliffords final. David might have kicked three two-pointers while Paudie missed three of them, yet Paudie was as pivotal as the brother here for being The Pivot, dismantling the Donegal zone. Ran the game. 9.
Paudie Clifford of Kerry in action against Jamie Brennan of Donegal the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Kerry and Donegal at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Dylan Geaney
His best game in Croke Park this year, kicking three points out of an attempted four, including the opening score of the day. 7.5.
Subs (7)
Didn't quite have to be the game-changing unit they have been in previous games but still ensured there was no drop-off. Diarmuid O'Connor (6) and his persistence was rewarded with his introduction here whereby he broke several tackles. Evan Looney (7) made a great blockdown and though Killian Spillane (6) didn't get his customary point, he's kicked enough earlier this year and over the years to justify a second senior All-Ireland medal after the minor one he won here 11 years ago.
By Kieran Shannon
DONEGAL
Shaun Patton
Patton's kickouts have been pivotal to Donegal but Kerry targeted the St Eunan's keeper's restarts and had huge return on that investment, especially in the opening third of the game when this final was broken open. Conceded the goal to Joe O'Connor late on when the game was over and done. 6.
Finnbarr Roarty
Part of a defence that just couldn't solve the conundrum Kerry posed. Had a shot blocked when Donegal needed early momentum, harshly penalised for a challenge on Dylan Geaney late in the first-half when the Ulster side were straining to remake a game of it. Just one of those days at the end of such a brilliant breakthrough season. 5.
Brendan McCole
One of the best man-markers in the business, McCole stuck to David Clifford like Superglue and still coughed up nine points to the Fossa genius, six from two-pointers. Now ask yourself this: what did he do wrong? Clifford's two-pointer on the half-time hooter typified what was the impossible job. 6.
Peadar Mogan
Mogan has been a huge threat for Donegal going forward despite the number on his back but Jack O'Connor named him and McHugh afterwards in the context of how little a mark they made going forward, and that Kerry's own attack had been the reason behind it. Hammers being hammered. 5.
Ryan McHugh
Such a source of strength and momentum for Donegal, McHugh struggled to make a mark early doors but his dog work had helped create two scores from turnovers in the second quarter even as he seemed to be suffering with injury. Started the second-half but came off soon after with injury. 5.
Eoghan Bán Gallagher
The Killybegs man never got to put his stamp on the game with Kerry dominating the skies and pouring through the middle third on the ground. Death by a thousand small battles lost for him and for Donegal as a whole. 5.
Caolan McColgan
Part of such a testing, intense Donegal defence, McColgan only lasted until half-time when he was replaced by Hugh McFadden. 5.
Caolan McGonagle
Brought in to the named 15 as a more defensive option, obviously with the David Clifford threat in mind. You would have to wonder if the choice of that extra security blanket fed subconsciously into the collective's minds. Either way, it didn't work. 5.
Michael Langan
Had 1-23 to his name from play up to this decider but this wasn't Langan's day. Made some brilliant high catches but his failure to get on the scoreboard was symbolic of Donegal's day with only six doing so when 10 or 12 is their norm. 5.
Shane O'Donnell
Worked his socks off all day. Covered a huge amount of ground and was one of those whose dirty work gave Donegal something of a foothold after their slow start. The St Eunan's man also claimed two points. No regrets. 7.
Ciarán Thompson
You work and you work and you work for years on end through the dirty days and dirtier nights and then you come off injured on All-Ireland final day after just 23 minutes. Had struggled to get to grips with the game like everyone else on his side up to that. 5.
Ciarán Moore
Man-of-the-match in the All-Ireland semi-final stroll against Meath, this was a very different proposition. Found himself on a bit more ball after the interval but, all told, left little enough imprint on the game over the 70 minutes. 5.
Conor O'Donnell
Donegal's top scorer from play with four points on the day, O'Donnell made sure to bring a season of fine form into the biggest of days. Add his work rate into the bargain and he was superb. He even cleared a shot off his own line. Ends the championship with 3-24 from play. 8.
Michael Murphy
Some big moments from the big man: a huge catch here, a dispossession for one of his own two points from play there. Kicked his dead balls with a minimum of fuss aside from one bad miss off the post but gave away one bad turnover and was quiet in the second-half. 7.
Oisín Gallen
Looked Donegal's most dangerous attacker early on. Scored their first point that looked at the time to be a settler. Added two more before being called ashore with 20 minutes to go. Strange. May be that he was done after a huge amount of work off the ball. 7.
Subs (7)
me very positive input off the bench, even if the cavalry arrived too late. Jason McGee roared into the game. Daire O Baoill made key interventions as he found the pace of the game and Hugh McFadden, like McGee, evened things out in the air when he came on. Captain Patrick McBrearty couldn't match those impacts and the dye was set by the time Jamie Brennan made it inside the white lines.
By Brendan O'Brien