Colm 'Gooch' Cooper: Lose again to Tyrone and you'd have to review everything
The thing is, Colm Cooper, the man who previously carried the mantle of forward of his generation, reckons 'there's more under the bonnet' to come from Clifford.
"To me, he seems revitalised this year, he seems hungrier," said AIB ambassador 'Gooch'.
"Mentally, I think he's in a stronger place, I think he'd got a little bit drained. He had a season there at one point where Fossa went to Croke Park and he was dealing with the passing of his Mam, it was a difficult time for him but he looks to be really enjoying his football again.
"He's beginning to mature as a footballer I think, he's making other players better around him. His ability has never been in question, he can do anything, but he's now making the team a better team as well and that comes with maturity. He's living up to the hype, living up to the expectations and I think there's more under the bonnet too."
Cooper pulled down the shutters on his Kerry career in early 2017, a year before Clifford's senior debut. So they never played together but they do meet occasionally around Killarney. Cooper is a Dr Crokes man from the town while Clifford's native Fossa is only a few kilometres out the road.
"He's living in Killarney, I'm living in Killarney, we bump into each other with the kids," said the eight-time All-Star.
"It's very casual chats, never a deep-down conversation about football, it's more casual and low-key. Like everybody else, I sit back in the stands and admire and gasp at some of the stuff he does."
Clifford's top form has remained a constant throughout 2025 though he is undoubtedly even more of a handful with his brother Paudie in the team, supplying the ammo and diverting attention.
Cooper expects that Paudie will be returned to the team for Saturday's All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone after his powerful half-time introduction against Armagh.
That would mean leaving Cooper's Crokes clubmate Micheál Burns on the bench again, despite his excellent impact against Armagh when he came on.
Jack O'Connor has stated that Tony Brosnan could be an option too, Paul Geaney less so. And there's Dara Moynihan and Killian Spillane to consider as well.
"If Paudie starts, they might hold Micheál and bring him in, that would be my initial expectation," said Cooper. "From Micheál's point of view, he's probably saying, 'I can't do any more to force my way in'. But if you were to ask me, I'd say they'll start Paudie Clifford and look at Micheál Burns being an impact off the bench.
"That's going on the presumption that there's 70 minutes in Paudie Clifford and I don't know that for sure. He's missed a lot of football, particularly over the last two months, so it's a big decision for them."
Cooper's gut feeling is that whatever way Kerry arrange the furniture, they'll always feel at home in the big house, Croke Park.
"There's a year that sticks out in my mind, 2009, we were struggling big time in the qualifiers," said Cooper. "I think Antrim nearly beat us, Sligo nearly beat us and Longford gave us a real test up in Longford. We were just sauntering along, we couldn't find that gear and we just needed to get to Croke Park. All of a sudden it was the Dubs on a Bank Holiday weekend in 2009 and it certainly got the juices flowing for the players. It took Croke Park to bring the best out of us and I think maybe it's the same for the lads now.
"Injuries have hampered Kerry in terms of finding their rhythm a little bit. But certainly the second-half display against Armagh would indicate that they've been looking to Croke Park all year and they've been ready to pounce."
Failing to show up and losing to Tyrone doesn't bear thinking about. If it happens, then Kerry will have been knocked out of each of the flagship football championships - minor, U-20 and senior - by Tyrone teams this year.
"Certainly for the general public and supporters like myself, it is a concern if we're driving down the road to Kerry on Saturday night if Tyrone have beaten you again, and have beaten you at every grade," said Cooper. "You would have to have a review of everything that's going on."
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