Sunday July 2

Electric Ireland Munster MFC Final

Kerry v Clare, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, 12pm

By William Dunne

Kerry’s minor footballers are no strangers to success. If they win on Sunday, they will rewrite history by winning five consecutive Munster Minor Football Championships for the second time ever.

In fact, between 1945 and 1951, Kerry captured seven provincial crowns at the minor grade - a feat achieved by no other county since the beginning of the minor championship in 1929.

The Kingdom’s opponents on Sunday will be Clare, a team they have already beaten in this year’s Championship, and will be heavy favourites to enter the All-Ireland series as the standard bearers in Munster.

The two sides met in early April and Kerry outclassed their opponents, with the game finishing on a scoreline of 2-16 to 1-6.

Clare somewhat rallied after that game, and beat Tipperary in a low scoring play-off to advance to a semi-final with Limerick.

Crucial goals for the Banner men booked their place in this year’s final - which will be their first since 1994 - to give Clare’s minor footballers their own chance to earn glory.

The man who will lead the underdogs into Sunday’s decider in Seamus Clancy, the only Clare man to ever win an All-Star in Gaelic football.

Clancy collected his All-Star in 1992 - the same year Clare shocked Kerry to claim only their second ever Munster Senior Football Championship.

“We’ve been with this group since under 16 and there’s a nice bit of talent,” Clancy told GAA.ie. “But realistically Kerry are a step above and they have proven that in the past.

“I’ve seen this Kerry team, I’ve watched this Kerry team and they are unbeatable.

“But have to meet this challenge head on. Put what we have done into practice, and meet them head on.

“The players have worked so hard, and trained so hard, that they probably will put pressure on themselves, but we have to look at it, that it’s a bit of fun too.

“There is far more pressure on Kerry and there is an expectation that they’ll win by 10 points.”

Kerry, who have reached the final with certain ease, have a lot to thank star player David Clifford for.

Clifford was outstanding as Kerry collected their third successive All-Ireland minor title last September, and has picked up where he left off in this year’s Championship - he scored a combined 3-12 in Kerry’s wins over Clare and Cork.