The hottest young talent in Gaelic football, Kerry’s David Clifford, has assured fans that he’s got no interest in an Aussie Rules switch.
Clifford lit up the minor ranks with back to back All-Ireland wins and captained Kerry to the 2017 title, scoring a remarkable 4-4 in the final.
The inspirational form prompted a Tweet from the official AFL account that the ‘18-year-old Gaelic footballer will come onto the radar of several AFL clubs’.
The suggestive comment infuriated Kerry fans and county legend Tomas O Se remarked at the time that ‘there obviously is interest out there’.
Speaking at an Avonmore Protein Milk promotion yesterday, Clifford acknowledged the AFL links at first before insisting that he had no engagement with any club, scout or agent at all.
The 2018 All-Star said: “I was very focused. As soon as Eamonn Fitzmaurice gave me the call, I was very focused on trying to break into the Kerry team. I didn’t want to be....not that it was a distraction, because I didn’t even let it become that, but I didn’t want it to come in the way of me getting my place with Kerry.”
Probed on what the exact level of engagement with AFL clubs or scouts actually was, Clifford shook his head.
He replied: “Very little, to be honest nothing at all, nothing at all. I’d say a lot of it was just talk, word just kind of got around then, I don’t know where from. But no, there was nothing at all really to be honest.”
Clifford is still just 20 and after a terrific first season for Kerry’s seniors may still be on the radar of AFL sides.
He missed six league games this season following shoulder surgery but has started three games since including last weekend’s Munster semi-final win over Clare.
The Fossa talent dismissed the notion of heading Down Under and joining 2015 Kerry minor star Mark O’Connor in the oval ball game.
Clifford said: “It’s not something I’ve put too much thought into to be honest. I’m fairly focused on what I’m doing at the moment. So I don’t think it’s (a possibility), not in the near future anyway I wouldn’t see it happening.”
Clifford said he’s kept tabs on O’Connor’s career in Australia.
He said: “He’s flying it this year, in fairness to him. He seems to have made a great decision. Like I said, I was just focused on trying to break into the Kerry team.”
Reigning Young Footballer of the Year Clifford admitted he is more interested in soccer and ‘played a load of soccer’ before focusing fully on Kerry.
He said: “I played some Kennedy Cup soccer and everybody in the Kennedy Cup thought they were going to be signed up! Actually there was a player with us, Rian O’Sullivan, who went to Brighton and he was unbelievable. But after that settled down we saw the reality. Kerry was always the focus, yeah.”
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