League run for David Clifford leaving him in good shape for championship

On and off the pitch, it has been a busy time for Kerry's David Clifford.

The 2025 Footballer of the Year expanded his brand, as he entered an agreement with McKeever Sports to launch the Clifford Collection – a range of sportswear featuring training tops, hoodies, shorts, zip tops and socks all branded with a personalised logo based on his distinctive kicking style.

A first for a GAA player; it was a decision that was not taken easily by Clifford.

"McKeever came to me with the idea, I suppose it’s a good few years ago now, and I kind of put it off and put it off.

“And then they came to me again, and look, obviously you were taking a bit of a chance in the sense that how was it going to look? I suppose I’d be conscious of not wanting to appear, ‘who does this fella think he is?’ kind of stuff.

“But it was probably getting to the stage where it was being done anyway, and there were [unofficial] jerseys appearing that I had nothing to do with, if that makes sense.

“So this was probably just a way to kind of regulate that, and obviously the fact that it sold so well was probably a nice addition, that you were maybe justified in making the decision.”

In previous years, Clifford would have been slowly eased back to action during the league campaign.

However, he started six of Kerry's eight games, and came on in another, as Jack O'Connor's side were defeated in the Division One final by Donegal.

Having also scored 1-7 against Clare in last weekend's victory, the 27-year-old is not looking for minutes as we enter the crucial stage of the season.

“I suppose I was available, so I played. That’s the long and short of it, really. What was I going to say to Jack, ‘I need another break’. You can’t really do it every year.

“You have a