Kerry player ratings: The Clifford brothers star as Kingdom lift Sam Maguire
Had some wobbles in the second half, unlucky to slip before his long-range free effort, but kept enough variety and accuracy in his kickouts to ensure Kerry won enough of the midfield battle.
Rating: 7
2. Paul Murphy (Rathmore)
Proved himself Kerry's Mr Dependable once again, helping to restrict Oisin Gallen to just two points. Not far off his man-of-the-match display against Donegal in 2014, ferocious in his tackling as always, excellent reading of play.
Rating: 8
3. Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue)
Stood up admirably against Michael Murphy, ensuring zero goal threat throughout. Brought his usual pace and energy to the position, never losing sight of his task at hand, fighting hard for every ball.
Rating: 8
Donegal's Michael Murphy tackled by Jason Foley of Kerry. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
4. Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks)
Completed the full-back line of resistance with his ceaseless commitment, even if Conor O'Donnell caused him trouble at times. Displayed great energy and courage throughout, utterly committed to every ball.
Rating: 7
READ MORE
5. Brian Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht)
Once again brought his unlimited reserves of football ability, attacking with sheer intent with every chance he got. Sent one shot wide, but that just reflected his attacking mood. Helped keep the Donegal half backs quiet.
Rating: 8
6. Mike Breen (Beaufort)
Went about his business with all his trademark focus and sharpness, central to Kerry's running game, in both attack and retreat. Ran himself into the ground too, gave it his absolute all.
Rating: 8
7. Gavin White (Dr Crokes)
Played his captain's role to the glorious limit, leading from the start and playing wonderful football throughout. Finished with three points from play, a performance almost entirely without fault.
Rating: 9
Donegal's Finnbarr Roarty and Gavin White of Kerry. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
8. Seán O'Brien (Beaufort)
Capped off his remarkable season in style, scoring two first half points in his first All-Ireland final debut, Battled hard for every kick out, superb particularly under the high ball.
Rating: 7
9. Mark O'Shea (Dr Crokes)
Brought all his club form to the county table when needed, once Diarmuid O'Connor was injured, and stuck to his job with now trademark coolness and courage, in his senior debut season.
Rating: 8
10. Joe O'Connor (Austin Stacks)
Rose to the challenge here with all his style and substance, repeatedly orchestrating and inspiring the Kerry attacks, and showing brilliant skill in possession. His blazing goal at the death, majestically finished, was utterly deserved.
Rating: 9
Kerry's Joe O'Connor celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
11. Seán O'Shea (Kenmare Shamrocks)
Kerry needed another big game from him and he didn't disappoint, twice scoring two-point frees when Kerry needed them, his role in setting up scores equally critical. Donegal couldn't contain him.
Rating: 8
12. Graham O'Sullivan (Dromid Pearses)
A big influence around the middle third throughout, tracking back when needed, but also playing a central role going forward. Tactically outplayed the Donegal half backs too, cool and committed.
Rating: 7
13. David Clifford (Fossa)
Wow. Under all the pressure any All-Ireland final could bring, Clifford calmly did what he does best, his three two-pointers in the first half spreading confidence throughout the team. Finished with 0-9, adding to his 8-53 already scored in this championship.
Rating: 9
Kerry's David Clifford. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
14. Paudie Clifford (Fossa)
Saved the best game of his season until last, running ceaselessly, scoring three points from play, winning frees when Kerry needed them. Plenty of sibling intuition with David too, a joy to watch.
Rating: 9
15. Dylan Geaney (Dingle)
Took on the game with aggression from the start, finishing with three points from play, always dangerous when running at goal, even if a little off target with one of his first efforts.
Rating: 8
Substitutes:
None of them were required to make anything like a match-turning impact, but Diarmuid O'Connor helped bring some added energy to midfield, Evan Looney also getting on some ball in his debut season. Tadhg Morley had the honour of setting up the icing on the cake, Joe O'Connor's late goal.
Rating: 7
Management
An eighth All-Ireland final for Jack O'Connor, this time flanked by Aodán Mac Gearailt, James Costello, Cian O'Neill, O'Connor steps away after one of his finest, his fifth win. After an emotionally draining season, the team were in absolute peak condition, dominant winners over a highly rated Donegal team.
Rating: 9
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
25 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Kilcummin off to winning start as they overcome intermediate debutants Firies
It was a rather low key start to the Kerry Club Football Championships over the Bank Holiday Weekend in the wake of the county's All-Ireland SFC title win the previous Sunday. No matches involving players on the Kerry senior panel took place as only one Intermediate match went ahead that being the meeting of East Kerry sides Kilcummin and Firies on Saturday evening in Fitzgerald Stadium. Firies were making their Intermediate debut as last year's Junior Premier winners in the county and made a good start in going into a 0-6 to 0-3 lead after 10 minutes. Firies missed a scoreable free to go further ahead though as Kilcummin got motoring in the second quarter through Paul O'Shea. The Division 1 side took a 0-12 to 0-9 lead at half-time as the score that gave them eventual control of the game was a 38th minute goal from Kevin Gorman as he was let with a far too simple finish to the net in putting his side 1-15 to 0-10 in front. Kilcummin would go on to win by 1-18 to 0-14 in the finish as they wait to see the result of the Clifford brothers' first outing for the year with Fossa next Saturday night against John Mitchels in learning who their Round 2 opponents will be. The Junior Premier Competition saw only three games played with the most dramatic being an encounter between the last two winners of the fourth tier Junior Championship Reenard and Duagh. After not featuring with the Kerry U20's this year due to injury, Cormac Dillon has returned to action with Duagh in recent months and scored a personal total of 0-14 on a night his side conceded five goals. Reenard actually led by 3-2 to 0-5 at half-time with Sean Teahan, Fintan O'Sullivan (penalty) and Aodhan O'Neill getting their goals. Teahan added a further two for himself in the second period to finish with 3-3 on the day but his side lost out after Joey Maher and substitute Joe O'Connell goals in the second period for Duagh as the North Kerry side ran out 2-20 to 5-7 victors at the end of a crazy encounter in Killarney. Ballymacelligott meanwhile overcame a 0-9 to 0-7 deficit to Castlegregory at half-time in their game in Keel to win by 2-14 to 0-15 after Daire Keane and Vinny Horan goals for them in the second period Annascaul and Brosna were involved in a cracker in Connolly Park but the game lacked quality and despite Annascaul emerging 0-18 to 1-13 winners it was too close for comfort. Annascaul can thank their sharp shooters in Jason Hickson who scored 0-7 from placed balls including a two pointer from a free Jason Hickson who scored 0-7 from placed balls including a two pointer from a free while Killian Falvey kicked six points from play. In fact, Brosna might have stolen the game at the death when Kieran O'Donnell got a deft flick to a floater from out the field, but James Hannifin was the hero for his side when he plucked the ball off the line and cleared the danger. Brosna's main man was very much Adam Barry and he finished with 0-6, with two pointers from play and frees, a one point free and another point from play. The first half was truly forgettable with Jason Hickson and Danny Moriarty traded scores, before the last act of the half fell to Hickson as he pointed a handy free after Brosna breached the three up rule to see the blues take a 0-7 to 0-4 lead in at the half time break. Sean Kennedy punched over a beauty with the outside of his right to push his side four ahead early in the second but Brosna enjoyed purple patch as Conor Lane from an acute free, Adam Barry with a beautiful two pointer and Maurice Lane got on the scoresheet to level matters five minutes into the second half. It was score for score with Annascaul just one ahead but Timmy Finnegan equalised for Brosna in the 56th minute and the game really was in the melting pot. Annascaul went on another scoring burst with Flahive punching over and a Hickson free. Brosna almost stole it through O'Donnell, but in the end they just about survived to claim the spoils. The Senior Club and Intermediate events get going in earnest next weekend with the rest of the Round 1 fixtures as all bar one of the Round 1 games in the Junior Club Championship were played last weekend with runners-up of the last two years Tarbert narrowly avoiding defeat to Sneem/Derrynane in their first Group game in winning by a single point at 0-12 to 1-8.
Irish Times
25 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Dublin turn up the heat on Meath and emerge as deserving champions
All-Ireland women's senior football final: Dublin 2-16 Meath 0-10 It ended with a pitch invasion that had to be called back, the Dublin subs and selectors rewound to the sideline like the flex on a vacuum cleaner. As Carla Rowe stood over a free at the Hill 16 end, she alone among the Dublin contingent seemed to know that the hooter wouldn't go until she kicked it dead. It was about their only misstep of the day. Dublin racked up their seventh All-Ireland here with a display of intensity and hard-nosed belligerence that burned Meath to a crisp. They attacked the final from the get-go and got their business done early, putting the game out of reach well before half-time. When Niamh Hetherton buried their second goal on 22 minutes, they were 2-8 to 0-2 ahead and Meath were goosed. All around the pitch, Dublin players hit their own personal bullseye. Rowe was a menace in attack, insistent and clinical all day. Wing-forward Orlagh Nolan ran a marathon of ball through the Meath rearguard, Sinéad Goldrick was an iron presence around the middle third. Leah Caffrey held Emma Duggan to three shots from play in the whole game. 'We knew when we met them this morning that they were ready for it,' said Dublin co-manager Paul Casey. 'They'd pep in their step and they probably came in here bouncing. But it's nothing like the way they're going to leave here because it's absolutely fantastic. You're hoping that all your big names and stars will turn up and give a performance. I think that they went over and beyond that.' READ MORE For Meath, the winter's regrets will be rooted in the fact that they came to the biggest game of the year and left so few footprints in the sand. All the vim and ruthlessness of their semi-final display against Kerry deserted them here. They didn't land their first score from play until five minutes into the second half, by which stage they were 10 points behind. Nothing Meath tried worked out. Vikki Wall had a golden chance of a goal after three minutes but hurried her shot, presuming she had an advantage after being pulled back by Caffrey. Not only did she not get her free, she wasn't set properly for the shot and pulled it well wide. It was that kind of day for Wall, who seemed to get on the wrong side of referee Gus Chapman and cut a frustrated figure all afternoon. A goal then might have settled Meath. As it was, they could never get that close to the whites of Abby Shiels's eyes again, with Dublin repeatedly fouling them any time they came into the scoring zone. Meath finished the day with 10 frees inside the men's 40-metre arc – Dublin weren't above a healthy dollop of naked cynicism when it suited them and Chapman never looked minded to produce a yellow card to warn them off it. Dublin's Niamh Hetherton scores a goal against Meath in the first half. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho And so Meath went the whole of the first half without scoring a point from play. Not all of that was down to the threshing machine of the Dublin defence. The Meath attack was nothing like as slick or organised as Dublin's, with too many players frequently drawn towards the ball and acres of space left in front of goal. By contrast, Dublin's attack was layered and sophisticated, with Rowe and Hannah Tyrrell constantly pulling into space in the inside forward line before laying off to runners coming through. Rowe was particularly elusive in that devastating opening quarter, putting the first goal on a plate for Nicole Owens, drawing a foul for a Tyrrell free and slaloming through for a score of her own. Dublin led by 1-4 to 0-1 after 10 minutes, by which time the only thing that seemed to be in reliable working order for Meath was Robyn Murray's kickout. Time and again, she was able to get the ball away and beat the Dublin press, only for the Meath attack to malfunction up ahead of her. Duggan dropped a couple short, one from play and one from a free, while the busy Ciara Smyth shanked one wide. All those misses meant that Meath had no disaster insurance. Murray's kickouts were magnificent right up until they weren't. She barely missed one for the first 18 minutes and then she coughed up two in 90 seconds. For the first, Rowe put Kate Sullivan away and Murray had to pull off a diving save. Meath players Aoibhín Cleary and Vikki Wall after their side's defeat in the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC final. Photograph: Seb Daly/Sportsfile She didn't get away with it a second time though. This time it was midfielder Éilish O'Dowd who snapped onto possession and fed Niamh Hetherton. All it took from there was a quick sidestep and she gave Murray no chance. It meant that with only 22 minutes gone, Dublin were 2-8 to 0-2 ahead and all six of their starting forwards scored from play. Can't ask for much more in an All-Ireland final. After that, the rest of the game was like an election night count when the tallies have already told everyone who's going to fill the seats. Meath scored the last two points of the half and the first three after the restart to bring the gap back to eight points in the 36th minute. But Dublin knuckled down and rattled off the next three on a row, with Rowe, Tyrrell and the impish Sullivan pushing them out of sight again. They saw it out like champions. Ruthless, relentless, imperious. The class of 2025. Dublin: Abby Shiels; Jess Tobin, Leah Caffrey, Niamh Donlon; Sinéad Goldrick, Martha Byrne, Niamh Crowley (0-1); Éilish O'Dowd, Hannah McGinnis; Nicole Owens (1-0), Niamh Hetherton (1-1), Orlagh Nolan (0-1); Carla Rowe (0-4, 0-2 frees), Hannah Tyrrell (0-5, 0-3 frees), Kate Sullivan (0-4). Subs: Sophie McIntyre for Owens, 49 mins; Aoife Kane for McGinnis, 51 mins; Hannah Leahy for Donlon, 54 mins; Laura Grendon for Tyrrell, 55 mins; Chloe Darby for Sullivan, 56 mins. Meath: Robyn Murray; Áine Sheridan, Mary Kate Lynch, Shauna Ennis; Aoibhín Cleary (0-1), Sarah Wall, Karla Kealy; Orlaigh Sheehy, Marion Farrelly; Megan Thynne, Niamh Gollogly, Ciara Smyth (0-1); Emma Duggan (0-7, 0-5 frees), Vikki Wall (0-1), Kerrie Cole. Subs: Katie Bermingham for Farrelly, 25 mins; Farrelly for Ennis, 42 mins; Ella Moyles for Sheehy, 42 mins; Niamh McEntee for Cole, 49 mins; Ciara Lawlor for Kealy, 51 mins. Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo).
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Luke McCowan's late deflected strike secures Celtic win over St Mirren
Luke McCowan's deflected strike earned Celtic a 1-0 victory in their Scottish Premiership opener after St Mirren had frustrated the champions for 87 minutes at Parkhead. The substitute collected Daizen Maeda's square pass on the edge of a crowded penalty box and fired a shot which appeared to spin off Mark O'Hara's leg and nestle into the bottom corner of the net. Celtic had earlier hit the frame of the goal through Benjamin Nygren, Reo Hatate and Republic of Ireland international Adam Idah , while Callum McGregor had a goal disallowed following a VAR intervention. The Hoops were not at their free-flowing best but they ended the first weekend of the season two points ahead of Rangers, just like last season, when they remained above their rivals throughout the campaign. READ MORE Former Celtic captain Paul McStay performed the duties as the home side unfurled the league flag for the 13th time in 14 years and fourth season in succession, and fans sang 'Here we go, 10 in a row' as the game drew to a close. However, manager Brendan Rodgers' assertion that they need new attacking options was backed up by a performance that lacked inspiration in front of goal. Rodgers had warned even before the latest title triumph was wrapped up that a freshness was needed in terms of players. And he delivered a public message on Friday that he would only consider extending his contract beyond next summer if the board met his need for them to show ambition to move the club forward. Rodgers had two summer signings in his starting line-up in left-back Kieran Tierney and midfielder Nygren. His front three was led by Idah, with Yang Hyun-jun on the right wing and the left wing occupied by Maeda, who was so effective in a central role following the January exit of Kyogo Furuhashi. Adam Idah in action for Celtic. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA Yang struggled to make any sort of impact before being replaced by James Forrest just before the hour mark and it was Celtic's midfielders that offered the biggest goal threat. Celtic's early creativity came from Tierney on his return to competitive action with his boyhood club six years on from leaving for Arsenal. The Scotland international twice delivered crosses for Idah, who failed to trouble goalkeeper Shamal George, and saw a strike diverted over by Alex Gogic. Maeda rounded the keeper after McGregor's quickly-taken free-kick but could not overcome the tight angle and O'Hara threatened at the other end with a curling strike that was beaten away by Kasper Schmeichel. Celtic came closest to a first-half breakthrough in the closing seconds when George pushed Nygren's shot on to the bar and saved the Sweden midfielder's headed rebound. The St Mirren keeper did well to stop McGregor's low drive just after the break and was relieved to see the ball bounce wide off his body after Hatate's speculative effort had deflected off Marcus Fraser's boot and the bar. McGregor charged down O'Hara's clearance and fired home midway through the half but the VAR team disallowed the strike for handball, after the ball appeared to hit the Celtic captain's upper arm, without referee Don Robertson being called to the monitor. Idah then volleyed a shot off the post from eight yards after chesting down a Liam Scales cross. St Mirren were occasionally posing a threat on the break. Mikael Mandron forced a save and Oisin Smyth fired straight at fellow sub Austin Trusty from a good chance. The key moment then came at the other end as McCowan kick-started Celtic's title defence.
