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Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
The great David Clifford delivers his most complete performance when it matters most
David Clifford shook hands with two Donegal players before he was swarmed by cameras. Two TV cameramen and two press photographers circled him in a dance, as close as they dare. In Croke Park, Clifford's personal space has no boundaries. Brendan McCole had just stepped out. For 70 minutes they occupied a small allotment of common ground. McCole had eyes for nobody else. When the ball was elsewhere on the field he looked into Clifford's face or grabbed his shirt or jostled him and Clifford let everything pass. He had the audacious nerve to wait. Time and again he removed himself from the build-up, taking McCole for a walk to the opposite side of the field, donating the space to others. He didn't need millions of touches, he wasn't needy for the ball, he had no desire to get involved in the dull weave of handpasses. He drifted to the outside. Sometimes he turned his back to the play. When his brother Paudie tried for a two-pointer shortly before half-time, David was the only Kerry forward outside the Donegal 45. Others were making darting movements while the greatest forward of all time ambled across the field, not seeking a piece of the action. READ MORE Defender's worst nightmare since 1999 🥶 — The GAA (@officialgaa) But in Clifford's extraordinary career, this may have been his most complete performance. It was a towering monument to patience and cunning and stunning execution. Everything was measured and timed. His possessions must have crept into double figures in the end, but those numbers had no meaning. He was only concerned about consequences. Clifford's first touch after nine minutes ended in a two-point score. His next touch, three minutes, later ended into another two-pointer. His third possession led to a pointed free. His fourth touch was a point. A quarter of the game had passed, and McCole had not let Clifford move beyond arm's length. Already, he was toast. The build-up had revolved around Clifford. All the what ifs. For Clifford there was no way of brushing that off or wishing it away. Greatness comes with this tax. On the biggest days, there is no allowance for failure, or mediocrity, or retreating into the pack. Whatever he did or failed to do, Clifford's performance would be quoted as the difference. During the week Tony Griffin, the former Kerry performance coach, said that Clifford had 'fallen in love' with the game again. The new rules were designed for freedom of expression and Clifford is the game's most flamboyant artist. Kerry's David Clifford scores two points despite Brendan McCole of Donegal. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho What could Donegal do? In the old rules, suffocation was easier. Space could be compressed. How many players were Donegal prepared to sacrifice? Only once in the game was Clifford gang-tackled by three Donegal players and turned over. Otherwise, his battle with McCole was man-on-man combat. He had the strength of mind to wait. 'David has a unique temperament,' said Jack O'Connor. 'He just takes it all in his stride. Of course, he must have felt pressure, and he knew he was going to get a lot of heat. We spoke about it during the week, and he said, 'Look, if I'm double-marked and triple-marked, I'll just win it and slip it.' 'He's humble enough to create scores for other people and he was a massive part of our win out there because he kicked three two-pointers. Particularly the one on the stroke of half-time was just inspirational for us going in, just giving us an extra pep in our step. But how he deals with the weight of expectation? I have no idea. He has a unique temperament.' When Kerry played Donegal in the 2014 final, James O'Donoghue's role was not unlike the way they used Clifford here. O'Donoghue finished that season as the Footballer of the Year, but in the final a critical part of his role was to take Neil McGee away from goal. Paul Geaney and Kieran Donaghy stayed inside, and Kerry bombed deliveries on top of them. O'Donoghue failed to score but Kerry had budgeted for that. The focus of the threat was shifted. Kerry's David Clifford and Paudie Clifford celebrate with family and friends. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho This time, Kerry had a souped up version of that plan. Clifford stayed away from the square too, allowing their two centre fielders, Sean O'Brien and Mark O'Shea to drift inside. The key difference was that Kerry had set plays to launch Clifford. For five of his six scores he didn't have to beat a defender to get his kick away. The shooting angle was made by the run. The only time he missed was with a harried shot under the Hogan Stand when Clifford should have recycled the ball. It was the only time he lost his patience. McCole didn't touch the ball for an hour; a pass bounced over Clifford's head and he pounced on it. For 70 minutes he didn't leave Clifford out of his sight. What more could he have done? In the 2022 final against Galway Clifford kicked eight points from nine shots; this time, he kicked nine points from eight shots. In the last few minutes, he beat Shaun Patton with a bouncing shot that Conor O'Donnell somehow deflected around the post and in five finals, including a replay, Clifford has yet to score a goal. There are always new frontiers. Clifford kicked Kerry's last point. He burst into space on the left flank, cut inside, and on his right foot, thumped it over the bar. He turned to the stands, waving his arms in exultation. Of his great days, none was greater.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Clifford proves impossible task for Donegal as Kerry coast to All-Ireland No 39
Kerry 1-26 Donegal 0-19 Not the vintage final to round out a memorable football Championship, but plenty of landmarks all the same. There may not have been any ebb and flow as Kerry took the lead after 11 seconds and, bar a period of a minute or so after Donegal equalised, never relinquished it before going on to win handsomely in the end, but the new rules meant that there was still plenty to savour from it, if not from a Donegal perspective. Kerry's winning tally of 1-26 was the biggest posted in an All-Ireland ever. Donegal's total of 0-19 has only been matched twice (Mayo's 1-16 in 2017 and Galway's 2-13, over 80 minutes, in 1973) by a losing team in a final and never bettered. With that, it's hardly a surprise that this was the highest-scoring ever All-Ireland final with an aggregate of 48 points, three more than that 1973 final in which Cork beat Galway, the only one that comes close. It was 21 points more than what was scored in last year's Armagh-Galway final, a turgid affair that was low on entertainment despite it being a far closer game than this one. Admittedly, the closing stages of this Championship have been disappointing in that the final and both semi-finals were rather one-sided but, at this remove, you could argue that there is more to be said for a runaway victory under the new rules than a closely-fought game under the old. Much of the pre-game debate surrounded David Clifford and whether Donegal could limit his influence to manageable proportions. Ultimately, they couldn't and, indeed, the damage was effectively done by the 17th minute, by which time Clifford had already scored 0-5 (including two two-pointers) and been fouled by Brendan McCole, his marker, for a converted two-point free. Donegal simply couldn't recover from that eight-minute window that saw Kerry's lead swell from one point to nine. They were always toiling to keep pace with Kerry who, it must be said, won their 39th All-Ireland in something of a canter in the end with four successive wins over Ulster opposition in Cavan (nine points), Armagh (eight points) and Tyrone (six points), followed by most comprehensive dismissal of the provincial champions. And it came just six weeks after Meath, whom Donegal had 20 points to spare on in the semi-final, had beaten them by nine. A fifth All-Ireland title for Jack O'Connor puts him one clear of Seán Boylan's tally with Meath and behind only Mick O'Dwyer (eight) and Jim Gavin (six). Remarkably, each of those five were prefaced by a League title earlier in the season. Broadly speaking, there was a school of thought that this would be a close final that Donegal would edge, but there seemed to be something a bit too cosy about that group think given Kerry's pedigree, and so it proved. Michael Langan, Conor O'Donnell and Michael Murphy had their moments for Donegal, but the outstanding performers were all in blue, a colour that Kerry won the All-Ireland in for first time since 1970, against Meath. Brendan McCole stuck to his task with Clifford but it was largely an impossible one. He kicked his first two-pointer from the smallest of openings in the eighth minute and if it was going to require a group effort to keep tabs on him, then that was fatally undermined by Caolán McColgan spilling possession leading to his second a minute later. In the 15th minute, McColgan bundled Clifford over and was fortunate to avoid a booking as Sean O'Shea slotted the resulting two-point free. It was so early in the game and Clifford was already well in credit. There was a white flag after O'Shea's fee and a critical two-pointer on the stroke of half-time that pushed Kerry's lead out to 0-17 to 0-10 after Donegal had worked hard to narrow the deficit. There were another couple of Clifford singles in the second half but he fell just short of perfection for the fact that he was turned over in the first half, leading to a Murphy point, while his goal late effort was taken off the line by O'Donnell. Simple arithmetic points to him being directly involved in 0-11 in a game that Kerry won by 10 - but there were others to rival his display, not least his brother Paudie, who ran the game, with Donegal unable to get a handle on him at all. Arguably highest among his many key contributions was a foul drawn from Peadar Mogan, allowing O'Shea to kick another two-point free to make it 0-25 to 0-18 in 59th minute, effectively killing Donegal off. Captain Gavin White was magnificent too, putting Donegal on the back foot literally from the throw-in and finishing with 0-3, and was roughly on a par with the Clifford brothers, though that triumvirate was backed by a star cast, not least Joe O'Connor who capped another fine display by firing in the game's only goal late on. Kerry's Joe O'Connor celebrates scoring a goal (Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) Donegal boss Jim McGuinness said recently how the 2014 final loss to Kerry pained him on a daily basis until he came back to the job almost two years ago. Given how so many of his players failed to perform to a reasonable standard, this one will ache for some time yet. KERRY: Shane RYAN; Paul MURPHY, Jason FOLEY, Dylan CASEY; Brian Ó BEAGLAOICH, Mike BREEN, Gavin WHITE (0-3); Seán O'BRIEN (0-2), Mark O'SHEA; Joe O'CONNOR (1-0), Seán O'SHEA (0-6, 0-1f, 2tpf), Graham O'SULLIVAN; David CLIFFORD (0-9, 3tp), Paudie CLIFFORD (0-3), Dylan GEANEY (0-3). Subs: Diarmuid O'Connor for O'Brien (50), Killian Spillane for Geaney (54), Evan Looney for Ó Beaglaoich (63), Tadhg Morley for Breen (65), Micheál Burns for O'Sullivan (69). DONEGAL: Shaun PATTON; Caolán McCOLGAN, Peadar MOGAN, Brendan McCOLE; Eoghan Ban GALLAGHER, Finnbarr ROARTY, Ryan McHUGH; Caolán McGONAGLE (0-1), Michael LANGAN; Ciarán Moore, Ciarán THOMPSON, Shane O'DONNELL (0-2); Conor O'DONNELL (0-4), Michael MURPHY (0-8, 0-6f), Oisín GALLEN (0-3). Subs: Dara Ó Baoill (0-1) for Thompson (23), Hugh McFadden for McColgan (HT), Jason McGee for McHugh (41), Paddy McBrearty for Conor O'Donnell (50), Jamie Brennan for Gallagher (59). REFEREE: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).
Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Five key moments: Blistering start by Kerry blew Donegal away
1. The ferocious start by Kerry Donegal appeared to be obsessed about their warm-up, twice ignoring calls to join the prematch parade, then breaking off early before the teams turned back in front of the Hogan Stand. Despite all this, it was Kerry who hit the ground sprinting, up 0-12 to 0-4 after 15 minutes. During that period, David Clifford scored a two-pointer with his first shot on goal, after nine minutes. Two minutes later, with his second kick on goal, Clifford scored another two-pointer. All this despite the close attention of Brendan McCole, who like many before him would find Clifford virtually unmarkable. The heat was already firmly on Donegal. Kerry's David Clifford and Brendan McCole of Donegal. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho 2. A mild reply by Donegal When Michael Murphy hit the post in the 21st minute, slightly misjudging a free that came back off the post, Donegal hearts sank just a little deeper. Chasing Kerry's 0-13 to 0-4 advantage, they needed something to turn, and to turn fast. Donegal quickly conjured a counterattack, and Oisín Gallen finished that off with a point. Conor O'Donnell added another point moments later, and that momentum was carried through when Donegal hit two more without replay – Murphy scoring two in succession from play, bringing the score back to 0-13 to 0-8. It just wasn't enough to test Kerry hearts, who responded with two of their own. READ MORE Donegal's Michael Murphy. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho 3. The last first-half word by Kerry Most teams would be delighted to head into the half-time break in an All-Ireland final leading by five points. Especially against opposition such as this Donegal team. Kerry however instinctively felt something more was needed, playing down the last 60 seconds of the hooter as if they knew exactly what they were doing. Maybe they did and maybe they didn't, but along came David Clifford, having somehow ghosted off McCole once again. He was ideally positioned just outside the arc to kick another two-pointer, which is exactly what he did. Another lovely fillip for Kerry, another gentle blow for Donegal. Kerry's David Clifford scores despite Brendan McCole of Donegal. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho 4. The final hope of a Donegal comeback Kerry started the second half the way they finished off the first – Seán O'Shea scoring his first point from play, before David Clifford promptly added another, set up by his brother Paudie. That pushed Kerry's lead back out to nine, 0-19 to 0-10, and suddenly it was now or never for Donegal. Michael Murphy did get things moving again, scoring a tricky free from the corner of the Cusack and Davin Stands, and then added another from close-range. This inspired the first notable momentum shift, and after Murphy converted two more frees, that helped reduce the gap to four, 0-22 to 0-18, after 54 minutes. Kerry's Jason Foley and Joe O'Connor with Michael Murphy of Donegal. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho 5. Kerry's endgame masterclass With their lead whittled back down to four points, the nerves of the Kerry supporters were further tested when goalkeeper Shane Ryan slipped before attempting a long-range free, his shot falling well short on 57 minutes. The next score would likely prove critical, and it felt that way after Seán O'Shea stepped up with a two-point free attempt, calmly taking his time before slotting it over. Kerry were in the ascendancy again, and there was no let-up this time, as Paudie Clifford added another point from play, followed by his brother David. Then Joe O'Connor had the last word with his thundering goal in the 69th minute. Game truly over.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Conor McManus on the Donegal team: Profiling the men tasked with avenging 2014 All-Ireland final loss
1. Shaun Patton Age : 29 Club : St Eunan's SFC debut : 2018 v Cavan Cornerstone of everything with the speed, distance and variety of his restarts and he has also made some decent stops. Injured for Donegal 's one defeat. Never gets flustered if one or two kickouts go astray but the 4-4-4 press has caused occasional trouble. READ MORE 2. Finbarr Roarty Age : 19 Club : Naomh Conaill SFC debut : 2025 v Derry Young Footballer of the Year candidate, he has everything in his locker – physically strong in the tackle, pace to carry the ball, great footwork and has got on the end of a few scores. Composure of someone who is playing at this level for significantly longer. 3. Brendan McCole Donegal's Brendan McCole is likely to be marking David Clifford, which is as tough as it gets. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho Age : 27 Club : St Naul's SFC debut : 2019 v Kerry Top man-marker who tends to pick up the opposition danger man. This weekend, that means David Clifford. McCole has strength, pace and aggression. Very diligent in how he covers off space and will have support in what is a daunting task. 4. Peadar Mogan Age : 26 Club : St Naul's SFC debut : 2020 v Tyrone Prolific number four, as befits a natural forward. Maybe not as spectacular this year but just as effective. Pace and dynamism going forward but also as one of the hunting pack, turning over ball and getting it quickly up the field. 5. Ryan McHugh Age : 31 Club : Kilcar SFC debut : 2013 v Down Playing a much more conventional role than the go-go-go associated with him in recent years. Integral part of their defensive and sweeping system. Generally, in the vicinity of turnovers. Give him the ball and he'll keep it moving. 6. Eoghán Bán Gallagher Age : 29 Club : Killybegs SFC debut : 2016 v Monaghan Biggest compliment you can pay is that Caolan McGonagle hasn't been badly missed. Brings solidity and is very comfortable on the ball. He is also a good man marker from days in full-back line. Likely to take Seán O'Shea or Paudie Clifford. 7. Caolan McColgan Donegal's Caolan McColgan always puts in a big shift. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Age : 23 Club : Naomh Pádraig, Muff SFC debut : 2023 v Down Deployed as a utility player. Man-marked Mayo's Aidan O'Shea in the final round-robin game, more to put O'Shea on the back foot than to stay in the full back line. Very busy and will do his shift until replaced around 45 or 50 minutes. 8. Hugh McFadden Age : 31 Club : Killybegs SFC debut : 2015 v Armagh Knows his job. Gives everything for 45 or 50 minutes and Jason Magee will finish off the job. Not sure he would have the same impact coming on but it's not just about finishing strong. McFadden is a massive leadership figure. [ How Kerry or Donegal could win or lose the All-Ireland final Opens in new window ] 9. Michael Langan Age : 29 Club : St Michael's SFC debut : 2017 v Antrim Over Donegal's 10 games, he's probably been their best player. Pops up with big scores, wins a lot of ball and distributes well. Also has the ability to kick two-pointers. Very languid style but hugely effective. Potential Player of the Year. 10. Shane O'Donnell Age : 23 Club : St Eunan's SFC debut : 2022 v Armagh A massive addition to the team's game over the last couple of years, he's very pacey and makes more than his share of scoring assists. Ticks every box for Donegal in how they're set up and how they play. 11. Ciarán Thompson Donegal's Ciarán Thompson has a habit of coming up with big moments when the team needs him most. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Age : 30 Club : Naomh Conaill SFC debut : 2016 v Dublin Another hugely prominent presence, he has played every single minute of the 10 games to date. Drifts in and out around the middle and shot important two-pointers against Monaghan in the All-Ireland quarter-final when Donegal really needed scores. 12. Ciarán Moore Age : 23 Club : St Eunan's SFC debut : 2024 v Derry Move to half forwards has transformed his game, which has been better this year and he has been physically stronger. Moore is one of the weapons when Donegal turn you over. He has the constant pace to hurt teams, no matter how late, as Mayo found out. [ Patrick McBrearty is the golden thread running through the Jim McGuinness era Opens in new window ] 13. Conor O'Donnell Age : 24 Club : Carndonagh SFC debut : 2021 v Down For all Donegal's impressive spread of scoring, he's consistently getting on the board. Popped up with 1-3 the last day from five shots, untypically missing one on his right foot from the 13-yard line. Hugely efficient use of the ball. 14. Michael Murphy Michael Murphy has been outstanding in Donegal's march to the final. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Age : 35 Club : Glenswilly SFC debut : 2007 v Leitrim Despite talk of Murphy being an impact sub, it should have been obvious that he would be picking up where he left off. To get to this level, having been out of intercounty for two years, is incredible. Precision, ball winning and leadership all still intact. 15. Oisín Gallen Age : 25 Club : Seán Mac Cumhaills SFC debut : 2019 v Tyrone His return to form has been massive for Donegal and their chances of winning the All-Ireland. He hadn't been hitting top notes in the early rounds of the championship but shot 1-2 the last day, which creates a problem for Kerry. Bench This is potentially the big difference in the two teams. Donegal can spring Jason McGee on 50 minutes as well as Patrick McBrearty, Dáire Ó Baoill and Caolan McGonagle. Outstanding options going down the stretch. Management Donegal manager Jim McGuinness will have worked through every possibility with his players. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Jim McGuinness (manager), Colm McFadden, Neil McGee, Luke Barrett. This simply wouldn't be happening unless Jim McGuinness was back. Has everyone hanging on his every word. They're going into this with every box ticked, every angle covered and every small detail worked on.
Irish Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
What time, TV channel is Donegal v Tyrone on today in All-Ireland Championship?
A bug in the camp ahead of the Armagh Ulster semi-final encounter didn't help Tyrone. They have more to give than they showed that day. This is a very difficult game for Donegal. Having seen off the best in Ulster in Armagh, Down, Monaghan and Derry, they now face another battle with an ambitious Ulster outfit looking for a scalp. Donegal beat Tyrone twice in last year's championship. Expect a kick in Tyrone in such a scenario. Darragh Canavan will be sharper after injury. Brendan McCole, a serious man marker, might tag him. Darren McCurry hit 10 points against Armagh, with the two point arc certainly suiting him general sharpness in terms of pulling the trigger. Oisin Gallen found his All Star form against Armagh in Donegal's Ulster Final win. Donegal have the greater range of scorers, but this could go anyway with Tyrone looking for that signature big win to mark their arrival as serious contenders under Malachy O'Rourke. Where is the game being played? The game is being played at MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey. What time is throw-in? Throw in is at 7pm. Can I watch the game on TV? No, the game is not on TV. Is the game being streamed online? The game is being live streamed on GAA+ Betting Odds: Donegal: 4/7 Draw: 8/1 Tyrone: 9/5
