AS per usual David Clifford was in hot demand among fans after Kerry ended Armagh’s reign as All-Ireland champions.
Like the entire team, he really kicked into gear in the second half as his haul of 0-7 was second only to Sean O’Shea’s 0-12 total.
The clamour for Clifford was something to behold[/caption]
Kerry walloped Armagh by 0-32 to 1-21[/caption]
After booking their spot against Tyrone in the semi-finals, fan footage showcased the Fossa sharpshooter thronged by supporters as the panel made their way out of Croke Park.
Former county player John Joe O’Neill captioned his cheery video: “The Beatles did not get as much attention as this KID.”
Among the replies one Cork fan hailed: “Deserves it all, great role model for the GAA and its youth.”
Meanwhile Darren quipped: “The Beatles were good but you would never see John Lennon kicking a two-pointer in Croker when the game is there to be won!”
On a similarly comedic note, Con added: “And there was four of them JJ. Top top player.”
On a day when pundits who labelled Kerry a one-man band were given cause to change their tune, Armagh were the ones left to face the music.
The Kingdom hit all the right notes during a blistering second half that saw them dump the Orchard out.
Trailing by five points after 40 minutes, Kerry hit an unanswered 14 points over the following 15 minutes to end the game as a contest.
It was sweet revenge for Kerry following last year’s semi-final defeat.
But more importantly for boss Jack O’Connor, it was a display that laughed in the face of the criticism his men have faced since the defeat by Meath a fortnight earlier.
O’Connor said: “A Kerry team written off in Croke Park are dangerous because it just takes a bit of the heat off.
“It allows them to play with a kind of freedom and abandon. That’s what you saw there.
“Our mantra this morning was we have to flip the script. The script has been written that Armagh have this game won and we have to flip that script.
“Every breaking ball you win, every turnover you win, every score is a chip off the block and it’s a way of flipping that script. We did it block by block.”
ABSENT STARS
No part was played at Croker by Paul Geaney, Mike Breen, Tadhg Morley, Diarmuid O’Connor, Tony Brosnan or Barry Dan O’Sullivan.
Tom O’Sullivan limped off in the first half and Paudie Clifford was only fit enough to be subbed on at the break.
Still, O’Connor acknowledged that his introduction ‘gave everybody a lift’ and the Fossa man had a big impact as the Munster champions seized control.
In his post-match press briefing, the Kerry gaffer also referenced a mention of Clifford’s younger brother David in an article penned by Joe Brolly.
He underlined: “One of the great motivators in life is trying to prove people wrong. We were being portrayed as a one-man team.
“I saw somebody writing this morning that said the only Kerry player worthy of being called a Kerry player was David Clifford.
“Now, David is a great player but David will tell you that there was a fair supporting cast there today.”
