The Stephen Cluxton complex. Perceptions of a man can overwhelm his true personality, certainly when the man refuses to reveal his actual self in any public forum.
The right of an amateur sportsman, a science teacher in fact, who has denied any accurate reflection by the fourth estate with a shield of silence.
Seems like he does not give a damn. Also seems like he takes little joy from it all. Even lifting Sam Maguire could only elicit a thin grimacing smile.
Even Kieran McGeeney’s eyes squeezed tight as praise went towards a higher power. Not Cluxton, no; 34 already, the Dublin captain leaves it to others to untangle his demeanour and sketch a persona.
Others, in this instance, being Cluxton’s Parnells club mate Conor Mortimer. Mayo’s all time leading scorer is off the inter-county scene since 2012 but Kilmacud Crokes and Volkswagen produced him to flag the All-Ireland Sevens taking place in Glenalbyn this Saturday.
“Anyone can be rattled,” said Mortimer. “I think mentally he is very strong. Go back to the free he kicked against Kerry (in 2011).
“The thing with Clucko is it is the same every time. The process, be it at training in Parnells or in Croke Park.
“But if you get in and get at them, get under his skin enough, you can rattle any person.”
Hard to get a laugh out of him? “Ah no, just on the pitch. It’s like anybody, if you don’t know them you have an opinion of them. I don’t know Joe Bloggs so he’s a clown whereas you might know him and he’s a lovely fella.
“It’s opinions from people. When he came off [after the 2013 final] and went straight to the dressing room people didn’t like what he did and were thinking he is odd, he is weird and all this kind of stuff.
It is what people do. Some people like being out on the pitch some don’t.”
Nitpicking is all that can be done with Cluxton and so his kick-outs become an obsession. Particularly for Éamonn Fitzmaurice. One theory has it that a Cluxton weakness can paradoxically be his supreme confidence to always find a Dublin paw off the tee.
Darran O’Sullivan plundered that Kerry goal in the 30th minute of last month’s All-Ireland semi-final directly from Cluxton’s curling left footed kick-out. Aimed for John Small near the right sideline, Paul Geaney nabbed it and fed Donnchadh Walsh who set up O’Sullivan.
“We might of just caught him on the hop,” said O’Sullivan, also on Volkswagen duty. “But you see City at the weekend, United pushed up on Claudio Bravo because that’s where Guardiola wants his team to play so (United) made him put it out.
“That’s easier said than done because (Cluxton) is so quick.”
Who is more reliable, Cluxton or Bravo? “Ah, Cluxton all day. Bravo is useless!”
Perspective is everything. The next kick-out after O’Sullivan’s goal went out over the left sideline. “Cluxton was spooked (Twitter whirred).” He went long after Gooch Cooper’s point in first half injury-time put Kerry in front. David Moran soared above Paul Flynn and Brian Fenton. Anthony Maher carried the ball across Dublin’s blue line until accepting that a swing of the boot was all that could be done.
Geaney jumped over Cluxton to steal a goal that made Dublin seem mortal, and certainly wounded.
“Sometimes you have to stop a team at source and Dublin’s source is Cluxton,” went O’Sullivan. “Different years we have tried different things but he always finds a way around it.”
During this Kerry blitz, amidst the pandemonium, Philly McMahon then Small took yellow cards. Walsh picked off Cluxton’s next kick-out.
Crisis in the shadow of the Hill was accepted by everyone not playing for Dublin as a Gooch free made it 2-8 to 0-9.
“Cluxton in meltdown,” screamed the invisible unknowing gallery.
Mortimer told us: “I was only talking to him the day after and in fairness to him he didn’t even see the Kerry fella when he kicked the ball. When he puts the ball down he is expecting a Dublin payer to be either side every time. That’s how they train. Bang. [Geaney]just happened to be standing there.
“He had a nervous two or three minutes with those kicks but as far as going into the next game, no [problem]. As a goalkeeper his level is so high his mistakes he makes are scrutinised a lot more.
“He made a couple of bad kicks and effectively had a poor game but he didn’t really. The majority of the game was good. He lost three kick outs out of the whole game, that’s phenomenal kicking from any standard. The fact is they got two goals from the mishaps, but other teams won’t punish you like the Kerry forwards.
“I think he will have to go long at the weekend, I think Mayo will push up. Not the whole game, maybe ten minutes here, ten minutes there, change it up because the thing with pressing Dublin’s kick outs is the fact they are so fit, so mobile, they are always moving, you will tire very easily trying to keep up with their corner backs, centre back, wing backs.
“They might start (Denis) Bastick in midfield and bang it out there.
We have forced them to go long before and had joy from it. We probably should have beaten them twice last year.”
Believe what you need to. Cluxton does, presumably. Of course we do not know what he is thinking at all.
The right of an amateur sportsman.
