Sunday might turn out to be the only occasion David Clifford and Kobe McDonald share the Croke Park pitch. The king and the prince, and all that.Or, if the years ahead unspool differently and McDonald doesn’t spend his 20s kicking ball in Australia, this weekend might eventually prove to have been the opening bout of an era where two seminal forwards duelled in the GAA’s big house. Either way, despite the possibility they might not even rub jerseys in Sunday’s All-Ireland final, there is no getting away in the build-up from Clifford vs McDonald, David vs Kobe. A league game in Tralee in March is one thing, Gaelic football’s biggest day at Croke Park in late July is quite another.But are they similar players or do they terrorise defences with different tools? Do they always take the right option? Are they predictable in what foot they like to kick with or which side they prefer to use for a popped hand-pass? Are they ever blocked down? The Irish Times went through both All-Ireland SFC semi-finals to examine the role and impact of both players in helping their respective teams progress to this year’s decider.David Clifford of Kerry in action against Dublin in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final, Croke Park, Dublin, on July 12th. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho No two games are ever the same and Mayo’s 17-point victory over a somewhat overawed Louth was far more comprehensive than Kerry’s four-point win over a resilient Dublin. David Byrne barely left Clifford’s side all afternoon in Kerry’s semi-final, while Louth’s rearguard often resembled a group of men sent to the beach with a sieve tasked with keeping out the tide.Still, there were some striking similarities and differences in how Clifford and McDonald influenced the outcomes of their respective semi-finals. Both had a very similar number of possessions – McDonald with 36 and Clifford with 34.McDonald completed 26 passes, Clifford completed 23. They both had nine efforts at goal.However, the devil is in the detail. Pretty much everything McDonald attempted was off his right – 15 hand-passes, 10 foot-passes and eight shots at goal from his dominant side, plus one fisted effort.He took zero shots at goal with his left foot, had zero left-footed kick-passes and played just one short, popped hand-pass with his left. His dad, Ciarán, was a natural ciotóg – remembered as one of the sweetest left-footers in the history of the game.Clifford mixed it up a little bit more. He had 14 hand-passes with his right and three with his left – though all six of his kick-passes were with his left.Seven of his nine efforts at goal were off his left, one with his right, and there was also a fisted effort.Mayo's Kobe McDonald celebrates after his side's defeat of Louth in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final, Croke Park, Dublin, on July 11th. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho In relation to creating scores and setting up chances for teammates, McDonald delivered the last pass, or won the free, for 1-6, on top of his own scoring tally. He was involved in passages of play that ultimately produced 3-11 from his Mayo colleagues.Clifford was involved in delivering the last pass for 0-2 of Kerry’s scores while overall had involvement in 0-8 of the scores registered by his teammates. However, the context of how Dublin played is important – with Clifford marked tightly, the space was often away from the pocket he occupied, and those areas is where Kerry often tried to make hay.Dublin’s tactical decision not to mark Paudie Clifford allowed him to orchestrate so much of Kerry’s attacking play.Over one third of Clifford’s passes during the game (eight), went to his brother. They both had several efforts at goal blocked down too. Clifford had a left-footed penalty saved at the start of the game, a left-footed shot blocked down by Byrne early in the second half and a right-handed attempt at a fisted point knocked out for a 45 by Brian Howard soon after.McDonald had two shots blocked and also dropped a pair of efforts short. But the metric that forwards live and die by remains their scoring tally.Clifford finished with a total of eight points (1-1-3), or 1-5 in old money. Five scores from nine efforts – one wide, three blocked/saved including an early penalty.McDonald scored 0-4 from nine efforts – three points scored with his right and one from a punched effort over the crossbar. He also had two shots blocked down, two dropped short and there was also one wide.TALE OF THE TAPE, ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINALS: CLIFFORD v McDONALD DAVID CLIFFORD AGE: 27HEIGHT: 6’ 3”CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT: 2018KERRY 2-18 DUBLIN 0-20INVOLVEMENTPossessions: 34SCORED(1-1-3)VISIONDirectly involved in the creation of scores for teammates either with the last pass assist or winning a free: 0-2Total involvement during passages of play that ended with teammates scoring: 0-8PASSINGPass attempts: 23Completed passes: 23Right-handed hand-pass: 14Left-handed hand-pass: 3Right-footed kick-pass: 0Left-footed kick-pass: 6SHOOTINGEfforts at goal: 9Right-footed shots: 1Left-footed shots: 7Punched/fisted efforts: 1Successful shots: 5 (1-1-3)Successful punched/fisted efforts: 0Wides: 1Blocked/Saved efforts: 3Shots dropping short: 0POSSESSION WON FROM KICK-OUTSOwn kick-out: 0Opposition kick-out: 1FOULED WHILE IN POSSESSION: 0DISPOSSESSED/LOST POSSESSION: 1*Clifford had possession at the end of the game and kicked the ball into the stand at the sound of the final hooter. ********KOBE McDONALD AGE: 18HEIGHT: 6’ 3”CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT: 2026MAYO 3-23 LOUTH 0-15INVOLVEMENTPossessions: 36SCORED(0-0-4)VISIONDirectly involved in the creation of scores for teammates either with the last pass assist or winning a free: 1-6Total involvement during passages of play that ended with teammates scoring: 3-11PASSINGPass attempts: 26Completed passes: 26Right-handed hand-pass: 15Left-handed hand-pass: 1Right-footed kick-pass: 10Left-footed kick-pass: 0SHOOTINGEfforts at goal: 9Right-footed shots: 8Left-footed shots: 0Punched/fisted efforts: 1Successful shots: 3 (0-3)Successful punched/fisted efforts: 1 (0-1)Wides: 1Blocked/Saved efforts: 2Shots dropping short: 2POSSESSION WON FROM KICK-OUTSOwn kick-out: 1Opposition kick-out: 1FOULED WHILE IN POSSESSION: 1DISPOSSESSED/LOST POSSESSION: 0