A colossus of a man.
David Moran may not have had his best game against Mayo on Sunday, kicking three uncharacteristic wides in the first half, but true to his style, he thundered into the thick of it when it mattered most.
The Kerins O Rahilly’s man is the most imposing midfielder in the game, with his bustling direct running style, and his man mountain physique.
Moran’s journey with the Kingdom seniors began nine years ago as a 20-year-old.
He appeared late on as a substitute in the 2008 All-Ireland final defeat to Tyrone and he also came on in the 2009 final, when Kerry beat Cork.
He was about to make his mark.
It was then when he fell victim to not one, but two dreaded cruciate injuries on his left leg, and he didn’t make a single appearance for Kerry between 2010 and 2013.
Many would have given up, many would have thrown in the towel. Moran stared adversity straight in the face and said, ‘I will not be defeated’.
Now, he’s one of the best in the game.
The most notable aspect of Moran’s game is his confidence. He exudes it in everything he does.
When he gets the ball, he runs straight, he runs direct. While most players change direction when they meet a tackler, the Kerry maestro doesn’t even flinch.
He was at it from the second minute on Sunday, but in reality, he always does it.
He’ll run through a wall like it’s not even there.
He swats his opponents aside nonchalantly. He bullies them, he runs straight out over them with his head in the sky like he doesn’t even notice their presence.
The 28-year-old’s raw power and ignorance came up for discussion on The GAA Hour show on Monday, and Colm Parkinson was blown away by his gung-ho style.
“It’s the disrespect David Moran shows to the fella that’s tackling him,” Wooly said.
“I saw on Sunday, David Moran was being tackled, and he was continuing on and shouting at Maurice Deegan that he was being fouled, while he was being tackled.
“Usually when he’s being tackled, he’s still looking towards the full forward line. He doesn’t even entertain the man that’s tackling him. It’s like there’s no-one even there. He has no problem going into contact.
“Many managers tell players not to go into contact with the ball. He can be getting tackled by two lads and he won’t pay any attention to it.
“You could use this eye-shine cam on David Moran, and it would never shine down to the ground. He’s always looking to see what’s going on inside, he’s funny to watch.”
He’s not just fearless in his running with the ball. It’s very rare you’ll see this man give a hand pass, and Meath man Cian Ward emphasised his willingness to take on a long kick-pass.
“He’s obviously a very powerful man. He’s always looking to do a positive thing with the ball.
“There are so many players nowadays who have the hand passing disease. With David, no matter where he gets the ball, he’s looking to see what the best pass is.
“He’s saying to himself, ‘can I hit the half forward line now, or do I have to go past this little flea, this little bloody nuisance in my way before I can kick it.'”
The other Kerry players have a hard time of it marking Moran in training, claimed Ward.
“You can just imagine what his mentality is in training, because he’s just like: ‘don’t even bother tackling me, you don’t have a hope of getting the ball.'”
He’s his own man, he’s his own player. Try stop him.
You can listen to the Moran discussion in the AIB Performance of the Weekend section of the show from the 1 hour mark.
