Dan Kearney: Championship exit shouldn't detract from positive year for Kerry ladies
Kerryman
Today at 01:30
Semi-finals are the worst ones to lose. It's a cliché at this stage but still so true.
It is no consolation for the Kerry ladies football team that they were beaten by a better team in Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final. Quite simply, Meath were firing at full capacity while Kerry were nowhere near the level that they set their standards to.
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Irish Independent
7 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
‘Pure heart and determination' – Kerry fans rejoice after epic display to land the Kingdom's 39th All-Ireland
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. ADVERTISEMENT 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.
Irish Independent
7 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: Pure play replaces puke football as shrewd Kerry take All-Ireland football title
Rule changes adopted this season have revived the excitement of the game Puke football is in the past. The era of the blanket defence smothering the opposition was killing off Gaelic football as a spectacle, and is now consigned to history. The phrase, famously coined by Pat Spillane, summed up how football was becoming a turn-off. The excitement of hurling, with its fast-paced scoring, was shining an unpleasant spotlight on Gaelic football. But, all told, this has been a season where Gaelic football was reborn, thanks to the rule changes brought in to liven up the game. The two points for kicks outside the 40-metre arc encouraged long-range kicking. The minimum of three players in each half of the pitch reduced the ability to employ all-out defence. The changes influenced how teams approached kick-outs, scoring and defence, and made the game fairer. The excessive use of the hand-pass and the retention of possession by moving the ball over and back across the middle to the third of the field remain a feature of the game. So it's not perfect. But the new rules have seen an increase in scoring and long-range shooting. The first final under the new system saw Kerry – the traditional artisans of the game – take on Donegal, who had masterminded a whole new form of zonal defence in their last title win, but had adapted best of all to the new rules. The All-Ireland final was full of intriguing subplots. Jack O'Connor versus Jim McGuinness on the sidelines ensured the game would be strategically fascinating. David Clifford of Kerry, establishing himself as a player for the ages, against Michael Murphy of Donegal, the county's greatest player now returned from retirement for one last tilt at the Sam Maguire. In McGuinness's first term as Donegal manager, the county had won the title and were then stopped by Kerry on the way to a second win. O'Connor is back in his third term as Kerry manager and has proven his ability to balance the Kingdom's attacking flair with a steely defence. The two best teams in the country faced off in Croke Park. It wasn't the greatest final of all time, but it was intriguing nonetheless. Kerry won the technical and the tactical battle. The Kingdom used greater degrees of energy, skill and savvy to win. The 10-point margin possibly flattered them a little as Donegal put it up to them at various stages of the game, particularly in the second half when they whittled away at Kerry's lead. But the 10 points is also significant, as it matches the tally from the five two-pointers – from David Clifford and Seán O'Shea – that Kerry scored across the game. O'Connor takes the plaudits for the decisions taken on the touchline. Kerry's masterful performance matched whatever Donegal had to throw at them, but also proved to be a fine example of the new rules in action. Hopefully, it's not a one-off, and teams at club- and county-level alike will see that offensive approaches are the way to go in the coming season. From puke football to pure play.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
David Clifford, Michael Murphy and the burden of brilliance
For 521 seconds, David Clifford did next to nothing. He watched five plays go by for five points. The problem for Donegal is that bulls are reactive animals. Sudden movements are seen as openings to attack. Brendan McCole matched up with the two-time Footballer of the Year just as the countless match previews expected he would. Clifford immediately recognised the conundrum facing Donegal. Their zonal system needs to stay connected and compact. What will they do if he stands out wide or high beyond the arc as Kerry kick five points from five shots? He strolled around, he jumped out of one tackle in fear of being pinged for contact on the kickout mark, he logged a glitch in the Jim McGuinness mainframe, he directed traffic with a series of deft hand signals, all the while waiting for a chance to pounce. He was primed to take that chance. Biology, behaviour, and environment: the major components that shape a bull's attack. As he strolled in the pre-match parade, Clifford's predatory glare filled the Croke Park screens. Nostrils flaring, chest heaving, he looked primed. The 26-year-old pawed the ground and waited for an opportunity to cut loose. Caolan McColgan eventually provided it. It is not a reasonable expectation to eradicate turnovers completely, but McColgan's was of the costliest kind. Paudie Clifford picked it off inside Donegal's half. Now they were vulnerable. Straight away, there was something different in Clifford's demeanour. No longer was this the stance of a decoy. He held up two steady hands. He dropped a shoulder. He did that sleight-of-foot thing that makes a 6'3' man just shy of 15 stone look like a small, jinking corner forward. He collected off the onrushing Mike Breen and lined it up. His left had snapped a shot from outside the arc before McCole could get close. He's doing that Clifford trademark. He's doing untold damage. The horns storm through the china shop. Kerry's David Clifford and his son Ogie, left, and brother Paudie Clifford, right, celebrate with family. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile Now he's in the game. Another touch, a simple handpass. Stand on the Cusack Stand sideline with hands on the hips and bide your time again. 669 seconds, a quick loop around Breen. Another orange flag and the Kingdom contingent find their voice. They continue to be confounded by this generational talent. Three possessions, four points. Wut? Did you know that on the way to his first All-Ireland crown in 2022, David Clifford only had three possessions in the entire championship final? This is a different animal. One scarred by heartbreaking losses in successive years. One wary of the over-praise and questioning whether all the adulation is sincere. One evolving. What a daunting thought. After that burst, there were minor stumbles. A turnover and a two-pointer dropped short. So for his ninth possession of the half, he elected to bring his tally to seven. As soon as Paudie Clifford stopped in the centre of the field and looked to the screen up high, it was clear what Kerry were going to do. Donegal were still powerless to stop it. It was a play that symbolised David Clifford's entire afternoon. Wait. The best things take time. Watch the seconds tick down. Another quick cut, another shot without a play because the swarm was descending rapidly, another two-pointer. How does he do it? 'David has a unique temperament,' said his manager, Jack O'Connor, post-match. 'He just takes it on the stride. 'Of course, he must have felt pressure and he knew he was going to get a lot of heat. But you know, when we spoke about it during the week and he said, look, if I'm double marked and triple marked, he said, I just, I'll just win it and slip it. 'And he's humble enough to create scores for other people and he was a massive part of all we done there, because he kicked three two-pointers and particularly the one on the stroke of halftime was just inspirational for us going in, just get an extra zip ourselves. 'But yeah, how he deals with the weight of expectation, I have no idea.' It is a lofty burden to bear. Michael Murphy is one of the few individuals in the sport capable of comprehending it. Michael Murphy of Donegal stands dejected after the All-Ireland SFC final. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile Despite losing, the 2012 All-Ireland winner was still singled out for a tribute by GAA president Jarlath Burns before he handed Sam Maguire over. Imagine. That can be a heavy load. Murphy missed a routine free into the Hill as Donegal fell into an irrevocable first-quarter hole. It was a marginal miss. A shot that hit the post. He swung over a beauty at the other end when Kerry were penalised for catching a kickout inside the arc, but that miss will bother him nevertheless. And yet, the lesson of this campaign is that solitary stars are not enough. In the showpiece billed as the collective system versus the individual star, it was decided by both. Clifford scored nine points. Murphy scored eight. Kerry had seven different scorers. Donegal had six. The Kingdom's war plan to deal with Murphy was spread across the entire defence. Jason Foley and Paul Murphy lined out beside him and raced to win short kickouts. Foley took him on close to goal. Brian Ó Beaglaoich battled him on breaking ball. Mark O'Shea competed in the sky. This is the worry for all onlooking challengers. Coming into 2025, everyone knew Kerry had an animal. They now know they have a pack as well.
