David Clifford: Kerry ability to take 'punch in the face' and keep fighting is better than ever

David Clifford believes the Kerry team of previous years would have lost the Munster semi-final against Cork. 

DEPTH: David Clifford said building a stronger squad has been a "big focus" for Kerry. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Such was their breathing space on the Fitzgerald Stadium scoreboard, Jack O’Connor could afford in the final quarter of an hour to shoehorn in three championship debutants. A first summer taste for Mark O’Shea, Evan Looney, and Keith Evans.

Players for future campaigns, absolutely, but no harm either to throw them in on a stress-free afternoon just in case, for argument’s sake, there is a midfield requirement for Mark O’Shea on a more stressful afternoon deeper into this championship.

Jack was taking advantage of not only their dominance inside the white lines of the Munster final to study his options, but of the many absent figures sitting above in the stand.

Shane Murphy, while repelling the small few goal chances the Banner engineered, will likely revert to the bench when Shane Ryan returns to full fitness.

Suspension served, Paudie Clifford will resume his place in the half-forward line against Roscommon and, in the process, create a Dr Crokes contest between Micheál Burns and Tony Brosnan for the final spot in that line. Or would management be tempted to put in-form midfielder Joe O’Connor back at No.10, as was the original plan, when Kerry's form midfielder from the League, Diarmuid O’Connor, returns in the coming weeks.

And who in defence is under pressure from Paul Murphy and Graham O’Sullivan, two starters from the Cork game who didn’t start on Sunday because of niggles picked up at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Options, options, and more options. They’re all needed. There wasn't enough of them, suggested David Clifford, when last year’s All-Ireland semi-final against Armagh got right sticky.

“You’re just trying to build a squad,” said the two-time footballer of the year. “Everyone knows our semi-final last year with Armagh went to extra-time and they probably finished stronger than us, so yeah, just to build a bit of a squad and have more options is a big focus of ours. Thankfully, that looks to be what we’re doing.” 

The one Kerry line of the field that appears cast in stone, no matter how plentiful the options grow to, is the one housing Clifford. For the seventh game in succession on Sunday, Kerry’s inside line contained Clifford and the two Geaney's, Paul and Dylan. Not since the League defeat to Dublin on February 15 has Jack gone with a different inside three.

In Kerry’s two Munster championship outings, Clifford and the Geaney cousins have contributed 3-25. And that’s before you count what they’ve cooked up but did not themselves finish.

In the first half of the Munster final alone, Dylan Geaney provided the assist for Micheál Burns’ goal. David assisted Seán O’Shea’s opening two-pointer and won a converted free. Paul Geaney won the free for O’Shea’s second two-pointer of the half, caught the Tom O’Sullivan delivery that set in train Kerry’s second goal, and forced the turnover and laid off the final pass for their fourth.

“Paul doesn’t get the credit he deserves, especially in terms of how good an athlete he is,” David continued.

“Everyone knows in terms of skill but he’s an unbelievable athlete. There’s no surprise he’s still doing what he’s doing. So yeah, enjoying the make up of [the inside three] and just developing the relationships.” 

He’s enjoying the new rules too. He’s enjoying quick ball being kicked into him. And why wouldn’t he, says you. For the seven games he’s started in 2025, David has posted 5-44. Within that have been three two-pointers and 18 frees. For Kerry’s two-game-old championship, he’s already at 2-14.

“It’s something that any team will look to do,” he said of their direct approach. “It probably suits us naturally. But we’re well aware of the fact that there are games where we won’t be able to do that. So it’s about developing your Plan B, your Plan C.” 

Those plans won’t likely need calling upon until the end of June. Kerry’s reality is that unless Cork unsettle them for a second time at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on the June Bank Holiday weekend, they will once again land into the last eight of the championship significantly less examined than their fellow Sam Maguire frontrunners.

Whatever about the second Kerry-Cork instalment of the summer, 26-year-old Clifford believes the original showed how the green and gold class of 2025 are different to recent iterations.

“We kicked 3-21 against Cork. How much can you actually score, whether they’re twos or ones or goals? So it’s probably more about preventing two-pointers than scoring them maybe.

“I’m not too sure we would have won that game in previous years. Dealing with setbacks, getting a punch in the face in the middle of a game, we might have struggled with that in previous years. We feel like we’re better at that this year.” 

They’ll have to be if it is to be them emerging from a most open race for Sam.

“We’ve only won the All-Ireland once in my eight years so judging by that, we’ve lost tight games. We’ve won plenty of tight games too.

“You’re probably looking at it now that there are seven or eight teams that could win the All-Ireland.”