Clifford can let football do talking after maiden season to forget as Kerry captain

WHEN David Clifford was nominated as Kerry captain for 2020, there was a growing expectation that he would be the last skipper chosen by the reigning county champions. Clifford (pictured) had been put forward by East Kerry, an honour that came as the cherry on top of the district’s first Kerry SFC success in 20 years. Once a popular way of choosing captains around the country, the practice has all but fallen away. A motion to Kerry convention looked set to leave Kilkenny as the last remaining bastion of the practice.

In the days before the vote, Kerry chairman Tim Murphy revealed it was the preference of county football manager Peter Keane, and that of Keane’s predecessor Éamonn Fitzmaurice, that managers be allowed choose their own captain.

Indeed, Keane himself had expressed concern with regard to the pressure that came with the role when Clifford, still only 20, was handed the job.

“(The pressure) is always something you’d consider and worry about, especially with a young man, but that’s the system we have in

Kerry at this moment in time,” Keane said early last year.

“I know there’s hopes to change that, if it can be changed, but it’s something that’s handed on sometimes to a young player. It has been a young player who has had it over the last couple of years.

Control

“But look, that’s not something I can control and all I’d say is I wish him the best with it.

“It’s a huge honour for David himself and his mom and dad, Dermot and Ellen. From my own perspective, he’s a member of the team and it’s about the team and we’ve been treating it accordingly.

“He has a great temperament, that’s probably the best way I could describe him. Things rest lightly on his shoulders which is a great trait for any person, no matter what age they are.”

The clubs went against Keane’s wishes and voted against changing the system. Roughly speaking, delegates were split down the middle, which was more than enough to maintain the status quo.

And so, the system came under scrutiny once more with the news that East Kerry had put forward experienced defender Paul Murphy as captain for 2021, rather than handing Clifford the role once more.

It’s easy to see the move as an attempt to relieve pressure from the Fossa star’s shoulders after a disastrous year for the county that has seen a typically painful post-mortem.

It’s tempting to conclude that some of his miscues in the defeat to Cork – in particular that close-range missed free – were a result of the extra burden, even if it was on a night where Kerry suffered a complete underperformance in almost every sector.

Outside of the Cork game, there was little to suggest Clifford struggled under the burden. He hit 2-32 in seven league games from an expected return of 0-32. That effectively means that the quality of each

of his chances were measured and he exceeded what would be expected. Whether the captaincy affected him in Cork that night is hard to know.

And while Kerry and Keane will likely be happy that their star threat can focus solely on the job of playing, the practice from repeat county champions has been to move the honour around their players.

Different

Dr Crokes won seven Kerry titles in the 2010s and nominated five different players for the role (Colm Cooper, Eoin Brosnan, Johnny Buckley, Fionn Fitzgerald and Gavin White).

When considering their options for the 2020 captain, East Kerry officials were short. Clifford was the only player from the district to start the previous season’s All-Ireland final (Jack Sherwood and Dara Moynihan

came off the bench). This time around, East Kerry had the added option of the Rathmore contingent, bringing goalkeeper Shane Ryan and Murphy into the picture. Given his age (29) and the depth of his experience (he’s one of the surviving members from the 2014 All-Ireland win), Murphy was a logical choice for the role.

“It’s a great honour for me, it’s a great honour for my club, Fossa, and for my family,” Clifford said last year when asked about the role.

“I suppose there’s not a whole pile involved, to be honest. There’s very, very powerful leaders in our dressing-room so they’re going to keep doing what they’re doing.”

With or without the captain’s role, there’s short odds on Clifford getting back to doing what he does best in 2021.

The clubs went against Keane’s wishes and voted against changing the system