David Clifford to surpass the Gooch?

[BuzzCagney]

Clifford will be first player since JACK o'Shea to win back to back player of year awards since Jack O'Shea.  Has it in the bag.
Matt Connor, Maurice Fitzgerald  and Peter Canavan 3 best forwards I ever saw. Clifford is above them now and not in his prime yet.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41193340.html?fbclid=IwAR11-r9CbIng2ULXISzafucj3QP2r1dqa9LtzSimvwwiaYFIvF7rxKPhsbs

[Blowitupref]

Clifford will be first player since JACK o'Shea to win back to back player of year awards since Jack O'Shea.  Has it in the bag.
Matt Connor, Maurice Fitzgerald  and Peter Canavan 3 best forwards I ever saw. Clifford is above them now and not in his prime yet.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41193340.html?fbclid=IwAR11-r9CbIng2ULXISzafucj3QP2r1dqa9LtzSimvwwiaYFIvF7rxKPhsbs

remains the best forward I've seen and a real shame his career ended so soon.

David Clifford  scored 12-128 (164) in 28 championship games. Clifford currently aged 24
Matt Connor Scored 13-142 (181) in 26 championship games.  24 years old his career ended

[Armaghtothebone]

Matt Conor a different class.

[BennyHarp]

Clifford will be first player since JACK o'Shea to win back to back player of year awards since Jack O'Shea.  Has it in the bag.
Matt Connor, Maurice Fitzgerald  and Peter Canavan 3 best forwards I ever saw. Clifford is above them now and not in his prime yet.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41193340.html?fbclid=IwAR11-r9CbIng2ULXISzafucj3QP2r1dqa9LtzSimvwwiaYFIvF7rxKPhsbs

I think Clifford is an absolute genius, the best in the land by a country mile but none of the 3 lads mentioned would have missed the opportunities he had at vital moments yesterday. The lad is human and the pressure placed on him by Kerry and the wider GAA public is immense. All this GOAT nonsense and expectations placed every time he laces his boots are beginning to become unrealistic to live up to. He didn't play well yesterday and they lost. Had he played well they would most likely have won - that's the burden he carries every time he walks in a pitch. Yesterday showed that the burden of responsibility can grow as you get older and it can weigh heavily. Canavan was a master at carrying that burden and he did it for years without ever failing in those most vital of moments. I'm not specifically referring to the post I quoted here as Buzz didn't refer to Clifford as being the greatest of all time but it's been said very often in recent weeks. I reckon we let Clifford's career pan out before anointing him, there'll be plenty more clutch moments for him and I'm pretty sure he'll be up to the task.

[SaffronSports]

Think Kerry have had an over reliance on him this season. Others never really stepped up. He didn't have a great game yesterday but there were still moments in the game that if someone playing in another county put in the performance he did they'd be raving about them. He had a bad game by his own standards but there were still some bits of play that were fantastic and he pretty much took on the Dubs backs on his own those last 10 mins. He put it all on his back and unfortunately for him and Kerry he missed the chances that he pretty much created on his own.

In terms of legacy, we're about 10 years injuries permitting from really placing him in the right place among the greats but right now he's box office and in a time when Gaelic football isn't at it's best, he's the one the kids want to be like and I think he's great for the game.

[Cunny Funt]

From Kerry GAA stats

Top ten Kerry scorers in the championship

1.Colm Cooper 85 games Scored 23-283(Dr. Crokes) 352pts (4.1 pts per gm)

2.Mike Sheehy 49 games Scored 29-205(Austin Stacks) 292pts (6 pts per gm)

3.Maurice Fitzgerald 45 games Scored 12-204(St. Mary's, Cahersiveen) 240pts (5.3 pts per gm)

4.Sean O'Shea 31 games  Scored 6-173(Kenmare) 191pts (6.1 pts per gm)

5.Dara Ó'Cinneide 54 games Scored 11-150(An Ghaeltacht)183pts (3.4 pts per gm)

6.Pat Spillane 56 games Scored 19-122(Templenoe)179pts (3.2 pts per gm)

7.Bryan Sheehan 66 games Scored 6-161(St. Mary's, Cahersiveen)179pts (2.7 pts per gm)

8.Paul Geaney 53 games Scored 14-134(Dingle)176pts (3.3 pts per gm)

9.David Clifford 29 games  Scored 12-131 (Fossa) 167pts (5.7 pts per gm)

10.Mike Frank Russell 56 games Scored 8-130(Laune Rangers)154pts (2.8 pts per gm)

[yellowcard]

Clifford is the best forward in the game but he misfired on Sunday. It had very little to do with Fitzsimmons, on another day he would have scored 1-6. The constant talk of being the goat or a genius is just over the top hyperbole used by pundits to grab headlines but it sets a standard that he is judged against every time he plays. So far he has coped very well but it can't be easy for any amateur sportsman to deal with that level of scrutiny on his every performance.

[yellowcard]

Paul Flynn doubling down on his tweet claiming that Fitzsimmons got the better of Clifford. Originally he stated that he got smoked! Which wasn't actually true at all, I thought Fitzsimmons was fairly poor but then Clifford will make most defenders look poor. Fitzsimmons was no better than McKaigue in the semi final (in actual fact McKaigue probably got closer to him), the only difference being that Clifford shot the lights out that game. I don't understand why Kerry didn't land a few longer balls in on top of Clifford similar to the Galway final last year. I think he had the beating of Fitzsimmons one on one inside and at the very least it would have made them think.

It took a late night tweet for Flynn to drop the David Brent style management speak and give an actual opinion even it was done through blue tinted glasses.     

[NotedObserver]

Paul Flynn doubling down on his tweet claiming that Fitzsimmons got the better of Clifford. Originally he stated that he got smoked! Which wasn't actually true at all, I thought Fitzsimmons was fairly poor but then Clifford will make most defenders look poor. Fitzsimmons was no better than McKaigue in the semi final (in actual fact McKaigue probably got closer to him), the only difference being that Clifford shot the lights out that game. I don't understand why Kerry didn't land a few longer balls in on top of Clifford similar to the Galway final last year. I think he had the beating of Fitzsimmons one on one inside and at the very least it would have made them think.

It took a late night tweet for Flynn to drop the David Brent style management speak and give an actual opinion even it was done through blue tinted glasses.     

Hampsey did better than the pair of them. Tyrone smoked on all other fronts

[imtommygunn]

Paul Flynn usually very PC and never seems to want to say a thing out of place too but I suspect he did that when boozing.

All things considered Fitzsimmons was ok but had plenty of backup too. That plus an off day.

As you say Hampsey probably did the best job.

[Armamike]

Clifford is an unbelievable talent but to label him the best player of all time is a bit over the top at the minute imo. The expectations set for him game in game out are are very high. 

[imtommygunn]

There is too much pressure put on him - he's only human. The level he was at against Derry you just can't reach every day.

[bennydorano]

Fitzsimmons is one of those players whom I've always thought isn't that super, a potential weaklink and could be easily exposed by the right man, when you look back now, it's never really happened and he's very very rarely had a poor game, solid as they come.

Clifford is obviously a huge talent but I've never understood the GOAT talk for such a young fella with the majority of his career ahead of him.

[shark]

Fitzsimmons is one of those players whom I've always thought isn't that super, a potential weaklink and could be easily exposed by the right man, when you look back now, it's never really happened and he's very very rarely had a poor game, solid as they come.

Clifford is obviously a huge talent but I've never understood the GOAT talk for such a young fella with the majority of his career ahead of him.

I have a friend who was an intercounty forward for 10 years. Says he is the best player he's ever been marked by. Make what you will of that.

[passedit]

Paul Flynn doubling down on his tweet claiming that Fitzsimmons got the better of Clifford. Originally he stated that he got smoked! Which wasn't actually true at all, I thought Fitzsimmons was fairly poor but then Clifford will make most defenders look poor. Fitzsimmons was no better than McKaigue in the semi final (in actual fact McKaigue probably got closer to him), the only difference being that Clifford shot the lights out that game. I don't understand why Kerry didn't land a few longer balls in on top of Clifford similar to the Galway final last year. I think he had the beating of Fitzsimmons one on one inside and at the very least it would have made them think.

It took a late night tweet for Flynn to drop the David Brent style management speak and give an actual opinion even it was done through blue tinted glasses.     

A look at the conditions the two games were played in would probably tell you why. Weather did neither set of forwards any favours on sunday but probably effected Kerry more as it took the long ball out of their armoury. Also when operating in the tightest of spaces, as Clifford has to, a greasy ball is gonna reduce the cleanness of the strike of the ball and hence your accuracy.