David Clifford pays tribute to his late mother Ellen: ‘She would have done everything for us’

“She would have done everything for us,” he revealed.

Clifford made history tonight when crowned PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year for 2023, making Kerry’s prolific talisman the first player to win the accolade two years running.

But in many ways it has been a profoundly difficult year for the Fossa clubman, not just on the pitch where Kerry narrowly failed to defend their All-Ireland SFC crown against Dublin in the final last July, but even more so away from the public glare.

Their mother passed away last May - after a long battle with illness – on the eve of the Munster final against Clare. Her two sons bravely took to the field in Limerick that Sunday to honour her memory in the best way possible, David shooting 2-6 in a Man of the Match performance while Paudie chipped in with a goal.

The two siblings were tonight announced as All-Stars for the third consecutive season – for David it was a fifth gong in just his sixth year as a senior Kerry footballer.

And in an interview to mark his latest Footballer of the Year award, as voted by his playing peers, the 24-year-old spoke of how Ellen is still in his thoughts every time he pulls on a Fossa, East Kerry or Kerry jersey.

“Absolutely, absolutely,” he stressed. “It's been a very tough year and it still is tough, but I suppose you're just trying to go out and give your best and obviously for Kerry because that's what she would have wanted us to do.”

Ellen was a “huge” influence but not in an intrusive way. “She would have done everything for us. In terms of advice or talking about matches, that wasn't her thing,” he outlined.

“She didn't want to be that kind of a mother. I suppose it was the support she always gave us that was the big thing. No matter what we were doing, she would have always backed us. Even if were wrong in different situations, we were always right in her eyes. So it was always great to have that sort of support.”

Clifford also acknowledged how his Kerry teammates offered such a protective shield on the day of the Munster final.

“Look, we always knew we were a very close group with Kerry,” he reflected, “but just seeing the support that the lads gave us on that day and since that day, it's very special and it makes us feel very connected to the group. I'm vastly thankful to all the lads and to Jack (O’Connor) and all the management too.”

For Clifford, being voted Footballer of the Year – again – was a “nice honour” but not one that will eradicate the pain of last July.

“Ultimately, we didn't win the All-Ireland and that's all that will stick out from 2023. But it's something that's probably nice for your family and something to maybe look back on yourself at the end of your career,” he suggested.

“I wouldn't say the disappointment (of losing to Dublin) goes away, it's just that other things come to the forefront such as club games and work that takes your mind off it.

“But, look, different things happen throughout the course of a week and you kind of get drawn back to it. So, ultimately the disappointment is still there and probably will always be there. But there's also a strong feeling of wanting to get back at it and right the wrongs of this year.”

Kerry have had a “couple of meetings” since the All-Ireland, but it will only be when they return as a group for pre-season that they can “really try to address and work on things we need to.”

Clifford also alluded to his own final frustration. He kicked three points including two from play against Dublin while setting up Paul Geaney for a first half goal via a sublime defence-splitting assist – but ultimately his day will be remembered for a succession of late misses.

“If you ask any sportsperson about any part of their career, they'll probably remember the losses more,” he pointed out.

“When you don't perform in a game or miss chances as it was in my case there's a lot of frustration with it, you know what I mean? A lot of frustration and there's nothing you can really do about it apart from keep working at it and keep practicing and try to be better the next day.

“The great thing about football is that there's always another game, there's always a club game, so you probably get plenty of opportunities to work on it those games and in club training. So, yeah, it's probably how I got back at it. I just got back down to club training and playing the club games.”

On that front, the two Cliffords face into a massive weekend, coming down from Friday night’s All-Star high in the RDS and immediately focussing in on Sunday’s Kerry intermediate football final at Austin Stack Park, where Fossa take on Milltown/Castlemaine.

Beyond that, the 2024 season is looming on the horizon, Kerry and the Cliffords consumed by thoughts of redemption.

“Everyone needs a down-time in the off-season and needs a bit of a break away from the whole thing,” he concluded, “but I suppose we're really, really anxious now to get going and have a good full pre-season and hit the ground running next year.”