Historic GAA match in Portlaoise as David Clifford returns to Laois with champs Kerry to face Louth

It's not often that Laois people will have the chance to see the kingpins of Gaelic football Kerry play in the county but that's going to happen later in June.

Local GAA fans enjoyed a New Year treat in January when David Clifford played a club game in Portlaoise. On Sunday, June 18 he'll be back in Laois Hire O'Moore Park with a team of All-Ireland champions when Kerry play Louth in Round 3 of the All-Ireland Qualifiers. 

Coincidently, this season marks the 70th anniversary of the last Championship match between the Kingdom and the Wee county.  Kerry won the 1953 All-Ireland semi-final in a decade when Louth would win their most recent senior crown.

The Kingdom won their 38th All-Ireland in 2022 when they defeated Galway in Croke Park. Louth has three titles, the last won in 1957 when they saw off Cork to claim the Sam Maguire.

Kerry's superstar forward Clifford and his brother Paudi played for Fossa in the All Ireland Junior Club semi-final in early January in Portlaoise. He was mobbed by supporters, many from Laois, at the end of the game. Fossa went on to win the Junior All-Ireland title in Croke Park.

Curiously Clifford and co will know some of the Louth lads as he was part of a Kerry minor team that defeated Louth in the All-Ireland GAA Football Minor Championship Quarter-Final match between the two counties in 2017.

Louth has enjoyed a resurgence under the multiple All-Ireland-winning coach Mickey Harte who seems to have been able to harness some of the young talents from 2017. As Tyrone's manager, he got the better of Kerry teams coached by current coach Jack O'Connor in two All-Ireland Finals.

Harte's troops have been competitive in 2023 in League and Championship losing out to Dublin in the Leinster Final.

They lost by just a point to a highly fancied Mayo, the Division 1 champions, on their home turf of McHale Park, while in round 1 they will have felt very unlucky not to have at least bagged a draw in Navan when falling to a two-point loss against Cork.

Kerry need to beat Louth to be certain of their place in the next round. Having lost to Mayo and needing a penalty to beat Cork, Kerry will be a tough ask for Louth.

GAA facts on KERRY v LOUTH
Kerry have won one and lost one of their first two games; Louth have lost both of their games.

CHAMPIONSHIP 2023
KERRY
• Kerry 0-25 Tipperary 0-5 (Munster quarter-final)
• Kerry 5-14 Clare 0-15 (Munster final)
• Mayo 1-19 Kerry 0-17 (All-Ireland Group 1)
• Kerry 1-14 Cork 0-15 (All-Ireland Group 1)

Top Scorers
1. David Clifford 3-21 (0-10 frees, 1-0 pen)
2. Sean O’Shea 0-17 (0-9 frees, 0-3 ‘45s’)
3. Tony Brosnan 1-6
4. Paul Geaney 0-6
5. Dara Moynihan 1-3
6. Tom O’Sullivan 0-6
7. Paudie Clifford 1-3

LOUTH
• Louth 2-10 Westmeath 1-11 (Leinster quarter-final)
• Louth 0-27 Offaly 2-15 aet (Leinster semi-final)
• Dublin 5-21 Louth 0-15 (Leinster final)
• Cork 1-19 Louth 1-17 (All-Ireland Group 1)
• Mayo 0-14 Louth 1-10 (All-Ireland Group 2)

Top Scorers
1. Sam Mulroy 1-31 (0-20 frees, 1-0 pen, 0-1 ‘45’)
2. Ciaran Downey 0-12 (0-1 mark)
3. Conor Grimes 0-9
4. Liam Jackson 2-2
5. Conor Early 0-6

* This will be their first championship meeting since the 1953 All-Ireland semi-final when Kerry won by 3-6 to 0-10.
* Louth manager Mickey Harte led Tyrone into six championship games against Kerry, winning the 2005 and 2008 All-Ireland finals and the 2003 semi-final and losing in 2012 (qualifier), 2015 and 2019 All-Ireland semi-finals.
* Kerry have conceded only one goal in their last five championship games (four this year, plus last year’s All-Ireland final)

The game throws in at 2pm.