There was a moment during the All-Ireland minor semi-final between Kerry and Cavan when you thought the Kerry seniors could do with David Clifford on the pitch against Mayo.
The Fossa forward stroked over a 45 with plenty to spare. The Kerry seniors had no one in the starting team who could do such an essential part of the game with the ease and accuracy of the 18-year-old.
Clifford is the most exciting prospect to hit Kerry football in years. That they might not get to see him in the green and gold of a senior jersey, that he might be lured to Australia to play professional sport, is a real wrench for Kerry fans.
On the morning of the All-Ireland minor final between Kerry and Derry, the AFL website reports on the player. Clifford today captains Kerry as they aim to win a fourth consecutive All-Ireland minor title.
The website has word from an unnamed 'expert' on the 'Gaelic-to-AFL route'. This expert says that it may prove a challenging convincing Clifford that leaving GAA and moving to Australia is the right decision.
Is David Clifford the best Gaelic player for his age in the country? Probably. But does the first pick in the AFL always turn out to be the best player? Not necessarily.
There are Irish players who've been successful here who weren't the best player in Ireland. There's more to it than that.
So right now, he stacks up as a pretty enticing prospect, that's for sure, but convincing him that (playing AFL is) the right thing to do for what arguably is going to be the best Gaelic footballer for a long time is the challenge.
It was reported by the Irish Examiner following Kerry's semi-final win against Cavan that Australian scouts has been spotted at Croke Park watching Clifford.
If Clifford was to join the AFL ranks, he would not be the first Kerry minor of recent years to be lost by the Kingdom. Mark O'Connor - earmarked as a likely Kerry midfield star of the future - joined Geelong last year. Just seven months after moving to Australia, O'Connor had made his senior debut for the Cats.
Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
