David Clifford struck for 3-7 as Kerry saw off Cavan in Killarney this afternoon to move into Monday morning’s All-Ireland senior football championship quarter-final draw.

A crowd of 9,040 spectators turned up at Fitzgerald Stadium, where it finished 3-20 to 1-17 in favour of the Munster champions who were troubled for a period in the second-half before Clifford killed off the game by completing his hat-trick in the 61st minute.

The Kingdom’s star had the ball in the Breffni men’s net after just seven minutes of this preliminary quarter-final, busting past marker Niall Carolan before rolling a cool finish past ‘keeper Liam Brady.

After sailing over a sublime two-pointer that stretched his side’s lead to 1-6 to 0-2, Clifford would have the ball in the visitors’ net again in the 23rd minute, leaving Cavan with a mountain to try and climb.

Paddy Lynch grabbed a couple of two-pointers for the Blues, including one at the end of the first-half, to leave the scoreboard reading 2-12 to 0-8 at half-time.

Kerry would see a couple of goal chances squandered after the change of ends and it allowed Raymond Galligan’s men back into the game, with a Lynch free being backed up by an Evan Crowe goal and scores via Oisin Kiernan (two-pointer), Padraig Faulkner and substitute Ryan O’Neill making it a six-point game with 11 minutes to go.

Lynch sailed over a mighty two-pointer after that to keep the heat on Jack O’Connor’s men, but they’d respond by cutting through again and this time Killian Spillane provided the assist for Clifford to tap in and complete his hat-trick to all but seal Kerry’s place in the last eight for next weekend.

FT HIGHLIGHTS 🚨@Kerry_Official 3-20@CavanCoBoardGaa 1-17 #KERVCAV pic.twitter.com/zhDfexlD2S

— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 21, 2025

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