Kerry impressing most among All-Ireland contenders

There have been plenty of talking points in GAA in the last few days, though God knows, the provincial football finals didn't provide us with many.

Ten minutes into the second game, I looked across at poor David Tubridy and he had his head in his hands. He knew it was going to be a long day. The whistle couldn't have come early enough for Clare.

I'm sure Colm Collins and his team will feel they didn't give the best account of themselves. But it was a sobering reminder of the gap between a relatively good team and an elite team.

It was more or less a similar story in Castlebar. Sligo kicked some nice scores but they are still very much a team in a developmental stage and it was all too easy for Galway after the opening 20 minutes.

First thing to say is that Clifford brothers handled themselves so admirably on a tough weekend. You only get one mother and they are rightfully getting all the plaudits for how they conducted themselves.

Of the two All-Ireland contenders we watched last Sunday, I was probably more impressed by Kerry.

Partly because we didn't know what to expect from them as much. Unlike Galway, they've had a fairly low-key 2023 until now.

I was so impressed with their attacking play. From our makeshift studio behind the goal, we were watching the Kerry full-forward line closely. Their movement off the ball was so good and it is so difficult to defend against. They were really slick, their patterns of play were wonderful.

Watching Clare, from a defensive point of view, at some stage corner-backs are going to have to be better at anticipating the 'backdoor cut'. That's possibly the difference between a top team and a good team. That fourth goal was beautifully finished by Clifford but as a defender, you should be reading