Spending most of spring living in a forwards' paradise

We're past the halfway point in the league and it's clear that the predictions that the enhanced rules would create a forwards' paradise are bearing out.

No more was this evident than in Pomeroy and Salthill on Sunday where the two stars of the 2022 All-Ireland final had a ball.

David Clifford cut a dejected figure in the aftermath of last year's semi-final defeat to Armagh. In the previous game against Derry - where Kerry did manage to get over the line - he'd almost been used as a decoy, there to attract markers towards him and leave space for the likes of Tom O'Sullivan and Diarmuid O'Connor to pour through and get shots off.

But that was under the old game, where he was forever hounded by a cluster of defenders.

At the weekend, operating as one of the three up-top, he looked like a man reborn. He made little impression in his cameo against Dublin, only coming on when the Kingdom were struggling to play into a very stiff breeze. But in Pomeroy, he showed that he has the capacity to absolutely run riot in the post-FRC era.

His three goals were taken with such style and swagger - the usual little bounce and shimmy - and he could have had five. He linked up especially well with Paul Geaney, who laid on two of the goals, as well as another attempt, which slammed off the crossbar. It was exhilarating stuff, if possibly a little frightening for the rest of the country.

In contrast to last summer, practically the only time he was smothered all afternoon was when the local kids ran onto the pitch to grab a feel of his jersey.

This was all despite spending 10 minutes in the bin for a pretty harsh black card - under the letter of the law, it was a foot-trip, although it looked like a genuine attempt to win the loose ball rather than a