Fossa (Kerry) 0-19
Stewartstown Harps (Tyrone) 1-13

Paul Keane reports from Croke Park

A REMARKABLE ALL-Ireland club junior football final ended just about as everyone had predicted, with a David Clifford-inspired Fossa walking away with the silverware.

That Clifford finished with 11 of his team’s 19 points, and was comfortably the man of the match, surprised nobody though a red card for the reigning footballer of the year, one of six brandished by referee Thomas Murphy, was a shock.

Tyrone and Kerry teams traditionally love to hate eachother and it was no different this time with Stewartstown finishing with just 11 players on the pitch following red cards for Darren Devlin, Kyran Robinson, Gareth Devlin and Anton Coyle.

For Fossa, both Clifford brothers, David and captain Paudi, both 2022 All-Star recipients, were sent off while the Kerry representatives also lost Cian O’Shea to a black card late in the second-half.

It told a tale about David Clifford’s display that it was still more memorable than the half a dozen dismissals with the full-forward torturing the Harps defence throughout, kicking points for fun off right and left.

Darren Devlin man marked David Clifford, until his dismissal, while Robinson swept in front of the duo but it still couldn’t stop the Kerry man from filling his boots, eight of his points coming from play.

David scored five first-half points though former All-Ireland winning Tyrone minor Gareth Devlin was even more prolific with 1-3 in the opening half, his goal a 24th minute punched effort, to leave the Ulster side 1-7 to 0-7 clear at the break.

Fossa took over in the third quarter and reeled off four points in a row to take the lead for the first time at 0-11 to 1-7.

Dan Lowe levelled it up for the Harps but it was all about Fossa from there on and David Clifford in particular as he picked off a series of points to secure the silverware, consigning Stewartstown to their second defeat at this grade.

A number of skirmishes broke out around the field at various stages in the closing 20 minutes or so though it wasn’t until stoppage time that Stewartstown lost their last three players in what was a dramatic conclusion as both Cliffords also walked.

Fossa scorers: David Clifford 0-11 (0-3f), Emmett O’Shea 0-3 (0-1f), Harry Buckley 0-3, Paudie Clifford 0-2.

Stewartstown Harps scorers: Gareth Devlin 1-5 (0-3f), Dan Lowe 0-3 (0-2f), Stephen Talbot, Macauley Quinn 0-2 each, Conor Quinn 0-1.

FOSSA

1. Shane O’Sullivan

2. Bryan Myers
3. Fintan Coffey
4. Kevin McCarthy

5. Daniel O’Keeffe
9. Paddy Sheehan
7. Daniel O’Connell

6. Paudie Clifford

8. Eoin Talbot
12. Cian O’Shea

10. Harry Buckley
11. Matt Rennie
17. Ruairi Doyle

14. David Clifford
15. Emmet O’Shea

Subs:
18. Rian Colleran for McCarthy (h/t)
13. Tadhg O’Shea for Doyle (55)
23. Killian Buckley for Harry Buckley (63)
22. Cian Doyle for Paudie Clifford (63-64, blood)
20. Mark Dennehy for O’Keeffe (67)

STEWARTSTOWN HARPS

1. Greg Kelly

2. Jason Park
3. Darren Devlin
4. Connor Quinn

5. Kyran Robinson
6. Mark Rooney
7. Gerard O’Neill

8. Stephen Talbot
9. Macauley Quinn

10. Dylan McElhatton
25. Cumhai O’Neill
12. Tiernan Rush

13. Dan Lowe
14. Gareth Devlin
15. Theo Lowe

Subs:
24. Anton Coyle for Theo Lowe (47)
11. Cathal Devlin for Dan Lowe (53)

Referee: Thomas Murphy (Galway).