Marc O Se thinks David Clifford can be the man to take Dublin down

Marc O Se believes that David Clifford is the man most likely to take Dublin down.

The Kingdom’s boy wonder is the talk of the country as inter-county action gets set to resume next month after his five-star display in East Kerry’s county final win over Mid Kerry last weekend.

The Fossa starlet struck 1-4 on the night, the goal a jaw-dropping strike that has gone viral over the past few days.

“I was chatting to James McCarthy last year just before Christmas, congratulating him on the five-in-a-row win and all of that and asking him about the final and all of that and the replay,” said former Kerry star O Se.

“I said, 'Are ye going to share the love and let any team in?' Straight away the conversation broke towards David and how impressed he was, how good this fella is.

“I think he was the one player that really worried the Dubs last year. If you look at the drawn match, I think that in terms of scoring he didn't score that much yet he had a huge influence.

“He was the cause of the penalty, he kicked two points, missed two earlier shots and of course Jonny Cooper got sent off. Also, you look at the replay, I think it was four points.

Kerry’s David Clifford celebrates scoring a point (©INPHO/James Crombie)

When asked if he’s the man most likely to stop Dublin’s six-in-a-row bid, O Se added: “I definitely think so. Sure haven't we given enough to the Dubs, we've given them the Brogans, we've given them Cian O'Sullivan, we've given them Brian Fenton, we've given enough at this stage.”

Meanwhile, O Se reckons that Kerry will look to hit the ground running when they resume with League games against Monaghan and Donegal before the crunch knockout Munster semi-final clash with Cork on November 8.

“I think winning games breeds confidence and I think Peter Keane will want his players winning all the games.

“He’s been looking at the county championships, and he’s already done it, brought in a few players, the likes of Joe O’Connor from Austin Stacks who did very well with the Kerry under-20s and the Stacks.

“I know training is in full swing at the moment, he had the East Kerry and Mid Kerry players back last night for the first night so it is all systems go and there will be huge emphasis on the National League.

“Because, if you think about it, it is a short season. October, November, December, there is only three months of a season there. I think he’ll want to get off to a good start.”

AIB and the GAA’s Official Photographers, Sportsfile, have teamed up to create a picture book, The Toughest Season, and are looking for Gaelic games communities nationwide to contribute with pictures of their own club and community from the past few months. Fans can submit their photos by uploading them to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #TheToughest. 

“Even if you look at the county final last weekend, Peter Crowley was marking him for the goal, you couldn't say Peter did much wrong but what David did do was the running off the ball. “If Peter was the cause of anything, it was that David was running behind him, he ran right and then he'd double back left, lovely pass in and from a defender's point of view you're saying, 'Worst case scenario here, a point with the right leg'. “But it was that bullet of a shot. It was phenomenal. We're so lucky to have him down here. “I teach with his uncle Fergus and by all accounts they were living in Dublin for years so he could have been lost to the Dubs. We're very blessed to have him down here.”