All-Ireland SFC final: Three key Donegal-Kerry matchups

Irish Examiner

a day ago

Brendan McCole versus David Clifford
Humour us with a quick exercise. If you are in the Donegal dressing room this week, what is acceptable for David Clifford to score?
It was seven from play against Armagh. It was eight against Tyrone. What constitutes a good day out?
The two-time Footballer of the Year is in sensational form. Brendan McCole's reward for a terrific run is the greatest test of his season the biggest day of his career. Already he has bested Sam Mulroy, Ryan O'Donoghue, Conor Turbitt and Darragh Canavan.
'He works very hard at his game,' said Jim McGuinness after their semi-final triumph over Meath.
'He wants to know as much as he can about opposition forwards. He trains really well. He is focused in his own training and he wants to defend. That is the bottom line.
'He wants to defend. He wants to really, really defend.'
In the buildup to Sunday, the Donegal boss also referenced the 'attacking aggressiveness' Clifford has brought to the contest recently.
This has been evident on and off the field. He called for supporters to get to Croke Park for their quarter-final and celebrated directly to them as he lite it up. It has also led to a reversion to his tried and trusted.
That outstanding goal against Tyrone was his first on his right foot all year.
The reliable left has accounted for the majority of scores. McCole will have studied this closely in recent weeks. Stopping it is another matter entirely.
Shane Ryan versus Shaun Patton
In the new rules, no element of the game is as important as kickout. A staggering stat from the semi-final was that Donegal won 18 kickouts and sourced 14 scores from that, 2-1-11.
Their retention was 67%. When the Ulster champions get hands on ball, they maximise it.
Kerry's figures are more concerning for Jack O'Connor. They retained just 52% against Tyrone. From 12 kickouts, they hit six scores, one two-pointer and five points.
Patton has more range than Ryan does, but the Kerry number one has big-game composure that can prove invaluable.
Despite conceding a goal from a short kickout against Armagh, albeit one that wasn't exactly his fault, Ryan managed to get his restarts off super quickly in the second half and consistently found short options.
Their use of the bunch and break provided the platform for that success.
How both outfits press will be as important. Kerry have become one of the best teams in the country at winning the opposition's kickout. This creates an intriguing battle for Sunday. The Kingdom can press aggressively.
Patton can boom it long and few players are better at breaks and flick-ons than Michael Murphy. One side trying to squeeze, the other trying to crack their way through. The pressure is coming. Who will break first?
Joe O'Connor versus Michael Langan
Jim McGuinness versus Jack O'Connor. Michael Murphy and David Clifford. After that, there are two decisive players in this All-Ireland final. They are also the third and fourth favourites for Footballer of the Year.
Midfielders Joe O'Connor and Michael Langan have enjoyed immense campaigns so far. They are similar players for their teams. Both can create, score and win kickouts. Midfield powerhouses.
Langan has scored 1-23. He marked his 100th appearance with a goal in the quarter-final against Monaghan. O'Connor has hit 1-7. No player has won more long kickouts for the Munster champions than the Austin Stacks man.
Their tackling ability is excellent, O'Connor has made that armpit punch strip tackle a trademark.
The old-school battle for centrefield is less prevalent in the modern game. What will decide this matchup is who can win more kickouts and how accurate can they be with each attack.
It is not about how they make their mark on each other as much as it is make their mark on the match. At times, O'Connor lines out at wing-forward rather than midfield but the ask is similar.
Kickouts, collisions, finishes: this is the engine room.