The clash of styles: Donegal’s bid to quench David Clifford’s fire

This showdown will have a crucial say in the destination of Sam Maguire. That’s as it should be. Sport is meant to be a meeting ground of contrasting styles.

STOP CLIFFORD: Donegal and Kerry play two different styles of football but will Donegal be able to stop David Clifford.  Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

The man who engineered his own seismic breakthrough had concerns about the influence of another. It was 2014 when Eugene McGee offered his verdict on Jim McGuinness and speculated on what his legacy might be.

The Offaly All-Ireland winning manager’s book had a weighty title: The GAA in My Time: Ireland's Foremost Analyst Reflects on 50 Years of GAA Activity - on and off the Field. McGee acknowledged that McGuinness did “amazing things” in his native county, organising entire structures and formulating a new system of play.