Clifford’s in at the deep end for Kerry debut

PRODIGIOUS Kerry teenage star David Clifford has been thrown straight in at the deep end by manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice after being selected in the number 13 jersey for tomorrow’s Allianz Football League opener against Donegal at Fitzgerald Stadium. The Fossa player who set the world on fire at minor level is part of a much-changed line up as he makes his senior bow. A look at the central spine of the team — with Jason Foley at three, Gavin Crowley at six, Jack Barry and Brendan O’Sullivan at midfield, Sean O’Shea at 11 a — shows Paul Geaney the one regular at fullforward. Footballer of the Year Andy Moran isn’t in the Mayo starting 15 to face Monaghan but the team still includes 11 players who featured in the All-Ireland final against Dublin. The new additions are Eoin O’Donoghue, Michael Hall, Jason Gibbons and Evan Regan. After scoring 1-13 in the Walsh Cup final, Alan Murphy is named at corner-forward on the Kilkenny team to face Cork this evening. It appears the Cork management have backtracked on the decision to name Anthony Nash in goals against Kilkenny for the glamour floodlit meeting at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. He is set to line out for his club Kanturk in

today’s intermediate club All-Ireland semifinal and plenty of eyebrows were raised over his initial inclusion for Cork. Steven O’Brien is a notable inclusion on the Tipperary football team to face Cork in the opening League match at the same venue after his sabbatical with the hurlers. All-Star full-back Daithí Burke is one of eight players who featured in last September’s All-Ireland victory who make the starting team for Galway against Antrim in Division 1B. In a surprise development, the Gaelic Players Association announced yesterday that chief executive Dermot Earley has decided to step down and resume his career with the Defence Forces just 11 months into the role. He replaced long-time CEO Dessie Farrell last February and launched the body’s three-year strategic plan only last June. That came after a testing introduction when the GAA pushed through major football championship reform in the shape of the Super 8 round-robin format for the All-Ireland series, despite Earley vocalising the players’ opposition at annual congress. GPA Chairman, Seamus Hickey, will take on the role of Interim CEO until a successor to Earley is appointed. ‘I had taken leave of absence from the Defence Forces to take on the GPA role,’ explained Earley. ‘And after almost one year in the job I felt I had a decision to make. ‘Despite having enjoyed the past year with the GPA I have come to a view that my career is with the Defence Forces.’