Kerry SFC Final: David Clifford’s 1-9 secures East Kerry a third title in four years

East Kerry 1-16 Mid Kerry 0-10

East Kerry are champions of Kerry for the third time in four years, and no surprise that David Clifford – the freshly minted Footballer of the Year after Friday night – had a huge part to play in his divisional team’s success over a gutsy but limited Mid Kerry team. at Austin Stack Park in Tralee

Indeed, Clifford’s tally of 1-9 was good enough to beat Mid Kerry on its own, but this was very much a complete team effort from the 2019 and 2020 champions who were back to atone for a shock first-round defeat in last year’s knock-out county championship.

A little shy of 6,000 came to Austin Stack Park hoping for fireworks on the eve of Halloween, or at least a bit of a scare for the pre-championship favourites. But East Kerry quickly exorcised the ghosts of 2021, while Mid Kerry couldn’t avenge their 2020 county final loss to East Kerry, who produced their best football since the group phase of the championship.

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Less than 48 hours after being named Footballer of the Year, and winning his fourth All Star, David Clifford and his All Star brother Paudie led the East Kerry attack, and it was David’s goal in the 45th minute that was the title-clinching score.

Mid Kerry were still stubbornly hanging in there nearing the three-quarter mark, trailing 0-12 to 0-8, but refusing to fold as they sought a first title for the district since 2008.

The game’s goal was a highlight in an otherwise fairly mundane contest, such was the eventual winner’s complete control from start to finish, finally bringing to bear their strength in depth after unconvincing quarter-final and semi-final wins.

James O’Donoghue, Ruairí Murphy, Jonathan Lyne and Paudie Clifford were all involved in a sharp build-up, transferring the ball through the hands like All Blacks, before it came to the right man in the right place, David tapping the ball to the net from five metres out.

If most of those names sound familiar it’s because all bar Murphy are All-Ireland senior title winners with Kerry, and the general expectation is that Murphy will be called in for a closer look in the coming weeks.

It was Murphy who got the game’s first score, a fifth-minute point, and East Kerry were never behind after that in a contest that bubbled along entertainingly enough, but which never quite took off in the way the big crowd would have hoped for.

East Kerry were three points ahead – David then Paudie raising the flags – before Mid Kerry wing back Pa Kilkenny cut a dash forward to kick his team’s first score in the 10th minute.

Éanna O’Connor – son of the watching Kerry manager Jack – cut the deficit to the minimum, 0-4 to 0-3, after 20 minutes. But East Kerry then started to open their shoulders and at half-time they led 0-9 to 0-5, with David Clifford adding three and Dara Roche converting a free as well as being denied a goal after a smart save from Seán Coffey.

Coffey was to Mid Kerry’s rescue early in the second half, denying James O’Donoghue with a fine save, but David Clifford scores from play and a free pushed East Kerry six clear as an air of inevitability began to descend on the game.

Mid Kerry were five behind, battling hard but lacking real penetration in the attacking third, and the hammer blow arrived with Clifford’s tap-in goal, a measure – finally – of what this East Kerry team is capable of.

Thereafter the game petered out, with David Clifford embellishing a weekend to remember with three more points to finish with 1-9 and the man of the match crystal.

As for East Kerry they are back on top of the pile again, and who’s to say there won’t be more county titles to come in the next few years. With David Clifford in the team you wouldn’t rule it out.

EAST KERRY: Shane Ryan (Rathmore); Pa Warren (Gneeveguilla), Jack Sherwood (Firies), Chris O’Donoghue (Glenflesk); Jonathan Lyne (Legion), Paul Murphy (Rathmore), Dan O’Brien (Glenflesk); Darragh Lyne (Legion) (0-1), Ronan Buckley (Listry); Ruairí Murphy (Listry) (0-1), Paudie Clifford (Fossa) (0-2), Cian Gammell (Legion); David Clifford (Fossa) (1-9, two frees, one mark), Dara Roche (Glenflesk) (0-3, one free), James O’Donoghue (Legion).

Subs: Patrick Darcy (Glenflesk) for R Murphy (49), Dónal O’Sullivan (Kilgarvan) for J O’Donoghue (53), Paul O’Shea (Kilcummin) for J Lyne, Kieran Murphy (Kilcummin) for D Lyne (both 56), N Donohue (Firies) for P Warren (57).

MID KERRY: Seán Coffey (Beaufort); Pa Wrenn (Milltown/Castlemaine), Nathan Breen (Beaufort), David Mangan (Laune Rangers); Eoin Clifford (Laune Rangers), Mike Breen (Beaufort), Pa Kilkenny (Glenbeigh/Glencar) (0-1); Colin McGillicuddy (Glenbeigh/Glencar), Ronan Murphy (Beaufort); Darren Houlihan (Cromane), Eanna O’Connor (Milltown/Castlemaine) (0-3, two frees), Keith Evans (Keel) (0-1); Kieran Dennehy  (Beaufort) (0-2, one free), Liam Carey (Beaufort), Fiachra Clifford (Laune Rangers) (0-2, two frees).

Subs: David Roche (Milltown/Castlemaine) for D Houlihan, Seán O’Brien (Beaufort) for R Murphy (both h-t), Gavan O’Grady (Glenbeigh/Glencar) (0-1) for P Wrenn (43), Gearóid Hassett (Laune Rangers) for C McGillicuddy (49), Caolim Teahan (Glenbeigh/Glencar) for L Carey (57).

Referee: Brendan Griffin (Clounmacon)