Fogarty Forum: David Clifford-mania shows the power of players
20 March 2022; David Clifford of Kerry with supporters after the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Armagh and Kerry at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Like a murmuring, the youngsters swarmed around David Clifford seconds after the full-time whistle for selfies and signatures.
With the aid of a couple of Armagh stewards, he eventually made his way off the field. Those who were unable to get to the star were not to be disappointed as he later reappeared from the dressing room for more photographs.
It was easy to believe the 10-minute delay to Sundayâs throw-in had everything to do with the news that Clifford was a late addition to the panel. Of course, it didnât but Cliffmania, not to be mistaken for the adulation once shown to a now octogenarian singer with a penchant for Christmas No1s, is a real thing.
For almost two years, Clifford had been spared the attention but he has realised in this league that it was merely dormant. In his own Killarney and twice in the lashings of rain in Tralee, he has been stampeded. Only the fence prevented the same happening in Newbridge, while in Inniskeen his earlier substitution allowed him to make a dash down the tunnel before he could be surrounded.
What began as a curiosity in him as a barnstorming teenager when he was reason for the average fan to take in more than just the second half of the minor game has become a full-blown craze. And whatâs just as impressive as the speed of the legions to get to him and other inter-county players at the final whistle is their readiness to look into a smartphone and smile.
Even if he doesnât take part against Tyrone this Sunday in what could be Kerryâs last home game of the season, Clifford is incredibly accessible. Like so many other GAA heroes before him, the likes of Cooper and Canning, and now, and far more than any similarly admired Irish sport stars.
There were often games when Canning couldnât leave the pitch for over an hour under the avalanche of pleas for his signature. Towards the end of his career, he benefitted from the slightly less time-consuming request for a selfie although unlike a pen everyone seems to have a phone. Kerry manager Jack OâConnor realised that in the Athletic Grounds when he was caught for a snap with a steward in the stand a few minutes before throw-in.
In what could also be their last home game of 2022, Armagh players spent time standing and signing for supporters on Sunday as Tyrone did the previous evening in Omagh, a long-standing tradition in normal times after their final home game in the league.
Last Friday, Wexfordâs senior hurlers had a meet and greet with their supporters, the first since 2019. The event in Chadwicks Wexford Park made the headlines because manager Darragh Egan and the players were also supposed to speak to the media before that element of the day was postponed as a form of protest in the expenses stand-off.
The press can and will live without such opportunities. Becoming rarer and sanitised by the season, interviews with players are so often mundane experiences. Just as much as managers are responsible for much of the current GAA-GPA row, they are guilty of not allowing the public to get to know players as persons thereby making it easier for them to be regarded as subjects.
To the kids with whom they strike a pose, they are hardly that. Lose that human touch and the Gaelic Players Association could kiss goodbye any hope of garnering public support as they clash with the GAA over money. At the same time, the players donât give such time to fans as an expression that they warrant something in return or to virtue signal.
Populist opinion providers may believe they are only out for themselves but scenes such as those in Athletic Grounds serve as a reminder that they are not while they are undoubtedly the attractions. Clifford is an exceptional draw but the inundations for moments of his and his contemporariesâ time these last eight weeks illustrate the release of excitement that had been pent up during the lockdowns.
Maybe the GAA momentarily forgot the playersâ worth when they chose not to restore their 65 cent per mile rate as soon as crowd restrictions were lifted. Whatever about the rights and wrongs about restricting the number of fully-expensed training sessions per week, the delay in increasing it from the pandemic rate of 50c per mile was an oversight.
It was these footballers and hurlers who shortened that long winter of 2020, whose deeds heartened people when they were restricted to their own counties. Some gratitude for what they did illuminating that period of gloom and uncertainty wouldnât have gone astray. At least the next generation are showing it now.
There is more than one rule of thumb in judging how cut-throat a league table is. Obviously, the lower the number of dead rubbers in the final round, the better. In the case of footballâs Division 1, there are none. Kerryâs round work is done but Tyroneâs is not. Equally, the lesser the number of promotion/relegation spots confirmed the better. Just one of the four positions in Division 1, two in Division 2, one of the quarter in Division 3 and neither of the two in Division 4 have been filled going into the final weekend. Another determination is counting the difference in points between the team in second (promotion/final) and seventh (relegation). Itâs just three in Division 1, seven in Division 2 and five in Division 3. And if score difference, which comes into play when three or more teams are level on points, decides final positions then you know the fare has been competitive. Across the four divisions, 16 of the 32 teams are on the same points total as one or more other counties. Five years ago, Kerry qualified for a final on the score difference having been tied on the same points as three other teams. The same could happen for one of Armagh, Donegal, Kildare, and Tyrone this weekend after a fierce top flight. Next year, when there are championship spots at stake in Division 1, should be ferocious.
