Minding and marking Kerry's teenage star David Clifford

One hundred and ten metres down the Páirc Ui Rinn pitch from where Cork minor Evan Murphy was blasting an opening goal after nine seconds of their knockout duel with Kerry on Wednesday night, David Clifford was shaking the shock out of his green and gold colleagues.

Pointing to his temple, pushing his hands in a downward motion to tell his fellow inside attackers, Brian Friel and Donnchadh O’Sullivan, to take a chill pill. Everything was going to be fine.

Two goals and eight points later, Clifford’s point was well made. There was an unusually large crowd there to witness his latest tour de force. The fine evening accounted for some of it. How many of them were there to check out this teenage phenom is a moot point, but no-one left the old ground pouring cold water on the hype. Kerry is old money in the ways of managing stellar talents, but they’ve got a job on their hands with this one. Clifford’s prodigious abilities are front and centre and the professional and beady eyes of the AFL lurk around every corner.