David Clifford is big fan of new rule after hat-trick on return against Tyrone

"It's hard to know until you come to the heat of the battle"

After a lengthy break from the game following the end of the club season, Kerry's talisman David Clifford returned to inter-county football with a starring performance against Tyrone in their NFL Division 1 clash at Plunkett Park in Pomeroy.

He scored 3-3 as the Kingdom edged out the O'Neill county 3-13 to 2-13, getting their league campaign back on track after losses to Donegal and Dublin.

However, they were heading for a third loss in a row, as they trailed by five points and were down two men after black cards - including Clifford - approaching the 60-minute mark.

But on his return to the pitch, Clifford's third goal of the game set Kerry on their path to victory.

After the win he singled out the new rule that means kick-outs must travel past the 40-metre arc, believing that it has added further excitement to the game.

Clifford said: "I suppose after an enjoyable break, you're not sure where you are, even after doing a lot of training by yourself. It's hard to know until you come to the heat of the battle where your form is, so it’s great to be back, and it's great to get a win up here.

"It was different the last couple of weeks. It has been a straight downwind in either goal, but this was a crosswind, so it wasn’t easy to kick into either goal. Obviously, a right-footed kicker where we were playing in the second half seemed more straightforward, but we still didn’t get that many.

"Pressing on that kick-out makes a massive difference to the game's drama; it's excellent.”