Cliffords fire 2-9 from play as East Kerry signal intent

An attacking masterclass from the Clifford brothers was too much for Rathmore

David Clifford of East Kerry in action against Dan Murphy of Rathmore during their Kerry Senior Football Championship Round 1 game at the Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday.

Kerry SFC: East Kerry 4-16 Rathmore 2-12 

An attacking masterclass from the Clifford brothers, with able assistance from a flourishing Luke Crowley, propelled East Kerry to an impressive start to the defence of their Kerry SFC title with this Round One victory over a gallant Rathmore at a sunny Fitzgerald Stadium.

Aiming for a fifth Bishop Moynihan Cup in six seasons, the divisional side didn’t get into their stride for most of the first half. However, a David Clifford 18th-minute goal, created by his older sibling, gave them a two-point lead at the interval (1-8 to 0-9).

Rathmore had been hugely competitive up to that juncture, with Mark Reen, Ciaran Collins, John Moynihan and Shane Ryan all troubling the champions’ rearguard at different times, but the holders showed a ruthless edge to their play on the changeover.

In the space of six second-half minutes, three green flags – courtesy of Crowley, Emmett O’Shea and skipper Paudie Clifford – to a superb individual reply from Collins down the other end, had East Kerry home and dry entering the last 20 minutes (4-10 to 1-11).

The goals were all brilliantly created and clinically dispatched, the unselfishness of David Clifford providing two of the assists, and Paudie Clifford, with a trademark arrowed delivery from deep, setting up O’Shea for the most sublime of top corner bullets.

By the game’s conclusion, the Fossa siblings had 2-10 between them (just a single point from a placed ball), while Crowley, back from a summer spell in New York, looked particularly hungry for road, his tally of 1-3 from play showing he isn’t out of place alongside his more exalted team-mates.

Elsewhere, the tireless work of Darragh Lyne and Ronan Buckley was evident in the middle of the park all through, and though the Rathmore forwards certainly asked questions of the winners’ defence, the likes of Paudie O’Leary performed very solidly.

With Darragh Roche and Jack Sherwood potentially to return at a later stage in the competition, and on the evidence of this display, East Kerry are, yet again, going to be the toughest of nuts to crack, heading into Round Two next weekend.

For a persevering Rathmore, Shane Ryan coolly buried a second goal in the 54th minute, and they showed enough to suggest that they can bounce back in the losers’ round. Putting it up to such a star-studded outfit, for a lengthy period, was proof of their overall credentials.

Scorers for East Kerry: D Clifford 1-7 (0-1f), P Clifford, L Crowley 1-3 each, E O’Shea 1-1, R Buckley, D O’Sullivan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Rathmore: S Ryan 1-5 (0-4fs), C Collins 1-1, M Reen, J Moynihan 0-2 each, B O’Keeffe, F Holohan 0-1 each.

EAST KERRY: B Kelly (Killarney Legion); C O’Leary (Kilcummin), D O’Brien (Glenflesk), N Donohue (Firies); C Gammell (Killarney Legion), C Lynch (Glenflesk), P O’Leary (Gneeveguilla); M Rennie (Fossa), R Buckley (Listry); D Lyne (Killarney Legion), L Crowley (Glenflesk), D O’Sullivan (Kilgarvan); D Clifford (Fossa), E O’Shea (Fossa), P Clifford (Fossa).

Subs: R Murphy (Listry) for Rennie (42), K O’Sullivan (Fossa) for Donohue (44), F Murphy (Killarney Legion) for O’Shea (44), S O’Leary (Kilcummin) for O’Sullivan (48), D O’Callaghan (Kilcummin) for C O’Leary (52).

RATHMORE: W Casey; C Dineen, A Moynihan, T Holohan; A Dineen, P Murphy, F Holohan; B O’Keeffe, C Ryan; D Murphy, F Murphy, C Collins; M Reen, S Ryan, J Moynihan.

Subs: D Rahilly for A Moynihan (40), Cian O’Connor for C Dineen (42), C Spiers for J Moynihan (47), P Moynihan for O’Keeffe (47), T O’Doherty for A Dineen (60+1).

Referee: S Mulvihill (St Senan’s).