During Kerry's All-Ireland minor semi-final victory over Cavan last month, former Dublin footballer Tomás 'Mossy' Quinn was sporting enough to wish their star attacker David Clifford a long and - crucially - well remunerated career.
"Watching David Clifford so far here in Croke Park just reaffirms my hope he has a long & successful Aussie Rules career," he tweeted.
Watching David Clifford so far here in Croke Park just reaffirms my hope he has a long & successful Aussie Rules career...#GAA
— Tomás Quinn (@mossyquinn) August 20, 2017
His performance in today's All-Ireland minor final against Derry prompted Mossy to retweet his own tweet from the semi-final.
Clifford's haul of 4-04 helped Kerry become the first county to win four All-Ireland minor titles in a row - the abolition of the grade means no drive for five - as they trotted to a 24-point win over Derry in today's final.
Clifford was part of the later two successes, captaining the team to victory today. His scoring stats en route to those minor titles are fairly mind-boggling.
In 12 minor championship games in 2016 and 2017, he has racked up a dizzying total of 10-68, with all bar 0-18 coming from play (stats courtesy of Fintan O'Toole).
4-4 for David Clifford today, that makes 10-68 for Kerry in 12 minor champ games across 2016 and 2017. 10-50 of that from play. Some talent.
— Fintan O'Toole (@fotoole13) September 17, 2017
Well before the final whistle in both semi-final and final, he trended on twitter - obviously an important achievement in the modern world and a rather rare and semi-worrying one for a minor footballer.
The word 'messiah' is sprinkled liberally around the place. Those with a distaste for hyperbole satisfy themselves with the word 'genius'.
Look out for this @Kerry_Official minor on Sunday! Did you know David Clifford has 4-37 in the @ElectricIreland Minor Championship so far? pic.twitter.com/gDybMg8mfg
— The GAA (@officialgaa) September 14, 2017
Frequent comparisons are drawn with Maurice Fitzgerald. Like Fitzgerald, Clifford is a purist's delight. A two-footed, wonderfully stylish footballer, he is also a cool finisher with a great eye for a pass. Crucially, Clifford is a physically dominating presence in the full-forward line.
Clifford is from Fossa, a small village just outside Killarney most famous for being the home of Michael Fassbender.
The club is subsumed into the East Kerry divisional team in the county championship.
When he is ushered into the senior ranks - as is inevitable and probably imminent - he will arrive as the most hyped teenager in the GAA since Joe Canning.
His hall of fame performances aren't confined to the inter-county minor scene. In April 2016, he scored a match-winning 2-05 as St. Brendan's of Killarney claimed their first Hogan Cup title in 24 years, as they beat St. Pat's of Maghera in Croke Park.
However, the hype and hope is accompanied by fear. Two years ago, Dingle's Mark O'Connor was heralded as the future of Kerry football after captaining the minors to their second All-Ireland title in a row. Earlier this year, he made his debut for Geelong in the AFL.
It is generally presumed that the AFL recruiters are sniffing around Clifford. Rumours of a trial sparked alarm among Kerry supporters and provoked a spat between Tomás O'Sé and Tadhg Kennelly.
As the AFL's international talent co-ordinator, a big part of Kennelly's job is plucking talented Gaelic footballers that might be of use to Aussie Rules franchises.
Ah here for god sake!!!!😡😡😡😡 pic.twitter.com/3khOPeVIny
— Tomás Ó Sé (@tomas5ky) September 17, 2017
O'Sé famously wrote in the Irish Independent: "If I met him tomorrow I’d say straight up: ‘Tadhg, I’ve nothing against you personally. But I hate what you’re doing’... I think Clifford leaving would be the straw that broke the camel’s back."
Those who know Clifford say his family are Gaelic football fanatics and there will a very strong emotional incentive to remain in the country and play for Kerry will be strong. But the lure of professional sport can be hard to resist.
Those Kerry supporters who've watched Clifford gleefully rip defences apart at underage level will join with Mossy Quinn in wishing him a long career. Although they may have a different country in mind.
