Malcolm O Kelly Retires

durkadurka

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/newsroom/4738.php




Leinster second row Malcolm O'Kelly has announced that he will retire from competitive action at the end of the season. O'Kelly, 35, made his Leinster debut in February 1995 and is Leinster's most capped player with 186 (including 10 tries). The Templeogue man made 92 Ireland appearances and is included in the extended panel for Saturday's interprovincial derby.


The man's a legend.....

Great career. He was genuinely world class there for a few years.

anonymous_joe

First Girve. Then Mal. And I've exams. What a shít week.

cityman 18

Good player and a great servant to both Leinster and Ireland.


Good luck to him.

irishbucsfan

One of my favourite athletes of all time. I don't know what made him special to me, but I think it was just his "gentle giant" nature, he was always a hero to me. I was lucky enough to meet him a few times and I have a picture with him which I love.

Big Mal was the last Irish player to have played for Ireland as an amateur. I think apart from one Argentinian player he's the last player any of the top 10 nations to have played as an amateur as well.

My favourite memory of meeting him was one night in late 2008 when we were out and I'd played a game that day. The Leinster guys had just come back from Castres and everyone was out for Jamie Heaslip's birthday. In my game that day we had lost our second rows to injury so I had to fill in there (and I'd be quite small even for the back row, only nudging 6'). I was talking to him and told him, very enthusiastically, that I'd played a bit of second row that day and he just looked down at me from on high, and laughed!

What a man. Thanks for the memories, Mal. Can't see myself ever forgetting him.

MikeHoncho

Good luck Mal. Thanks for the memories. Pity he never got his 100 Ireland caps. He was an absolute work horse in his prime.

durkadurka

I always thought he was one of the first really modern second rows. He was lucky enough to arrive at around the same time as when they changed the laws around lifting in the lineout and it suited him perfectly.

Also lucky enough to be a giant too I suppose...

One great moment was the try saving tackle against Mark Regan in Twickenham 2004 to save a most famous of victories against England..

And remember when he was right at the front of the lineout and just nicked the ball from the opposing hookers throw against Scotland (i think) and just ran over the line.

As for retiring, the recession must be over or something.....

Gracelessly Tom

Well done big Mal, many a great game for Ireland and Leinster. Any chance you'd give club rugby a season or two, reckon we could squeeze you in the team.

I'd be considered tall enough and met him on a few occasions. Neck was always sore afterwards from looking up at him, giant of a man!

Best of luck in the future Mal.

Eoin

durkadurka wrote: »

And remember when he was right at the front of the lineout and just nicked the ball from the opposing hookers throw against Scotland (i think) and just ran over the line.

I think I remember that - they got the call completely wrong and just threw it to O'Kelly who just had to fall over and his height brought him over the line.

I also remember a very timely intercept from him in our own 22 (a RWC game?) and he made a good few yards before he got knackered.

thomond2006

Great player. Good luck to him.

bamboozle

Best of luck Mal, he alway struck fear into me when taking the ball into contact but there are very few locks that have the engine he had in his peak

Oisinjm

eoin wrote: »

I also remember a very timely intercept from him in our own 22 (a RWC game?) and he made a good few yards before he got knackered.

does anyone remember the Leinster game when he somehow found himself galloping for the line? I think it was against wasps. Even the commentator was shouting "Go on Big Mal!" Best rugby moment I can remember

PhatPiggins

Am I being overly harsh in saying that he has under achieved some what?

themont85

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Am I being overly harsh in saying that he has under achieved some what?

With 90 odd caps, was at one time our most capped player. 15 year career, a Heineken Cup and 2 Lions tours, I'm sure he's happy with his lot.

CatFromHue

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Am I being overly harsh in saying that he has under achieved some what?

id have to say yeah to the harsh bit

wasnt he part of the most successful irish and leinster teams

remember were ireland were in 1997 when he won his first cap. a 66 to 20 (i think) drubbing by the all blacks was his first cap (again, i think)

in respect of lions tours you may have a point but it was fairly obvious who graham henry wanted in 2001 and in 2005 didnt he get injured

durkadurka

Imo he massively overachieved. A huge cv of achievements and milestones.

Plus he was by no means a star at school level. He went to templeogue for jaysus sake!

PhatPiggins

themont85 wrote: »

With 90 odd caps, was at one time our most capped player. 15 year career, a Heineken Cup and 2 Lions tours, I'm sure he's happy with his lot.

Fair enough. He was unlucky with injury on th 05 Lions tour as he was the standout lock of that years 6N's.

smurphy29

I was talking to a former Mary's coach recently, who coached Mal when he first came into the side. He'd fallen by the wayside in school, and was a beanpole with hair down to his backside! He said they didn't know what to do with him, he was so awkward, but he worked out that if you gave Mal one specific thing to work on in a match he would do that one thing to the letter, and after a couple of years he developed into a great lineout forward who could really get around the pitch.

Chucky the tree

I kind of agree with Phat, when you consider most of his best achievements came at the twight of his career when he looking on from the bench or only getting to play in the final few minutes of games it must be a take the gloss of it a bit for him. Donnacha O'callaghan will probably finish his career with similiar achievement but his GS and HEC win game when he was close to his prime and plyaed the majority of games during this time.

durkadurka

He played all 80 mins in the HEC final last year. He only became 2nd choice in leinster this season.

PhatPiggins

durkadurka wrote: »

He played all 80 mins in the HEC final last year. He only became 2nd choice in leinster this season.

But Leinster have only been good for two seasons

chris85

durkadurka wrote: »

Imo he massively overachieved. A huge cv of achievements and milestones.

Plus he was by no means a star at school level. He went to templeogue for jaysus sake!

ah come on leave the school out of this

He has had a great careers. Pity about injury for the 2005 lions tour. He has been immensely consistent over provincial and internation career. Even in the last year/18 months when he has been jumping on from the bench he is the guy you know will get on and play well. He does the basics great, he gets the job done and his team have depended on that at times.

Great servant to the game.

3DataModem

Great player, went to school with him, sound fella too.

durkadurka

3DataModem wrote: »

Great player, went to school with him, sound fella too.

Me too, memories of smoking behind the swimming pool with him...

anonymous_joe

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Am I being overly harsh in saying that he has under achieved some what?

I can understand where you're coming from. He could have been the world's best in his position.

themont85 wrote: »

With 90 odd caps, was at one time our most capped player. 15 year career, a Heineken Cup and 2 Lions tours, I'm sure he's happy with his lot.

I think he could have been better. Infinitely more talented than O'Connell and O'Callaghan, who are both up there at the top of the game in their own right. More naturally talented than Johnson too, in my opinion.

Still, he's no Neil Francis. :pac:

phog

durkadurka wrote: »

And remember when he was right at the front of the lineout and just nicked the ball from the opposing hookers throw against Scotland (i think) and just ran over the line.

and remember Leinster's defensive lineout in Edinburgh, ball thrown to Mal, Edinburgh rob the lineout and and barge over to score a try and win the game in the dying moments of the game.

BTW, I always liked Mal he was a great servant for Irish rugby, he had a lazy look about him be he could get around the field. He leaves with a lot of success under his belt.

durkadurka

anonymous_joe wrote: »

I can understand where you're coming from. He could have been the world's best in his position.


I think he could have been better. Infinitely more talented than O'Connell and O'Callaghan, who are both up there at the top of the game in their own right. More naturally talented than Johnson too, in my opinion.

Still, he's no Neil Francis. :pac:

If you saw him at schools level, talent wouldn't be the first thing that springs to mind.

PhatPiggins

anonymous_joe wrote: »

I can understand where you're coming from. He could have been the world's best in his position.


I think he could have been better. Infinitely more talented than O'Connell and O'Callaghan, who are both up there at the top of the game in their own right. More naturally talented than Johnson too, in my opinion.

Still, he's no Neil Francis. :pac:

Yeah I,m not trying to have a pop at the guy but he reminds me of Simon Shaw a lot. All the natural atributes to have been one of the all time greats but like Shaw we only saw him at his absolute peak sporadically. Unlike Shaw he never hit the low points though, even when average he was good. If that makes any sense.

anonymous_joe

durkadurka wrote: »

If you saw him at schools level, talent wouldn't be the first thing that springs to mind.

Well Mal's what, 35? So he'd have been playing Senior Cup rugby about 17 years ago. I'd have been five or six. So I may not have been in a position to offer analysis on his performance.

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Yeah I,m not trying to have a pop at the guy but he reminds me of Simon Shaw a lot. All the natural atributes to have been one of the all time greats but like Shaw we only saw him at his absolute peak sporadically. Unlike Shaw he never hit the low points though, even when average he was good. If that makes any sense.

Again, both are good players, who weren't quite lucky/whatever enough to be as good as they could be consistently.

PhatPiggins

True, true I think Shaw was bone idle for a lot of his career to be honest where as O Kelly seemed to get injured at exactly the wrong time.

ALH-06

Oisinjm wrote: »

does anyone remember the Leinster game when he somehow found himself galloping for the line? I think it was against wasps. Even the commentator was shouting "Go on Big Mal!" Best rugby moment I can remember

Yeah, that was that great game against Wasps in last year's HC. Great moment alright! Pity he didn't score though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4o0jcCS7fo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4o0jcCS7fo

ch2008

Best Mal moment for me was Leinsrer coming back away to Bath at the rec. After 77 mins Holwell went over against the run of play and then Malcolm popped up on 79mins and galloped in for the winner. Amazing day!

Real FM

Great career. He's done well to last so long in the professional era for someone who supposedly smokes like a chimney!

I saw an earlier post someone saying he went to Terenure. I always thought he went to Marys? Could well be wrong though.

My favourite memory was around 9/10 years ago when Mal was playing for Ireland and he recieved the ball around 10 yards out from the Irish line. Whatever way he ended up with the ball, he had the whole pitch open up in front of him and basically he put his foot down and started on his way up the pitch. I've never seen someone sprint so awkwardly. His legs were all over the place! Made it a solid 8 yards before he was caught!

Eoin

ALH-06 wrote: »

Yeah, that was that great game against Wasps in last year's HC. Great moment alright! Pity he didn't score though...

try this tag - you put everything after v=
[noparse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4o0jcCS7fo

[/noparse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4o0jcCS7fo

durkadurka

Real FM wrote: »

Great career. He's done well to last so long in the professional era for someone who supposedly smokes like a chimney!

I saw an earlier post someone saying he went to Terenure. I always thought he went to Marys? Could well be wrong though.

My favourite memory was around 9/10 years ago when Mal was playing for Ireland and he recieved the ball around 10 yards out from the Irish line. Whatever way he ended up with the ball, he had the whole pitch open up in front of him and basically he put his foot down and started on his way up the pitch. I've never seen someone sprint so awkwardly. His legs were all over the place! Made it a solid 8 yards before he was caught!

He went to Templeogue, then joined Marys, which is across the road from Templeogue, when he left school.

theboss80

Great servant to Irish rugby alrite,

However Ive never liked him though since i met him in the Crowne Casino in Melbourne 2003 during the world cup ater we got knocked out by France, all the team were there and were so friendly , I remember saying well done and hard luck to him and he just completly blanked us, the only one who did out of the whole team.

But best of luck to him all the same.

crisco10

Real FM wrote: »

Great career. He's done well to last so long in the professional era for someone who supposedly smokes like a chimney!

I saw an earlier post someone saying he went to Terenure. I always thought he went to Marys? Could well be wrong though.

My favourite memory was around 9/10 years ago when Mal was playing for Ireland and he recieved the ball around 10 yards out from the Irish line. Whatever way he ended up with the ball, he had the whole pitch open up in front of him and basically he put his foot down and started on his way up the pitch. I've never seen someone sprint so awkwardly. His legs were all over the place! Made it a solid 8 yards before he was caught!

Was that in Lansdowne against France? We were defending the North Terrace end. He intercepted a pass if I remember correctly. Then took off with the most insane "knees up" sprint. I remember reading a quote from him about that, he said he was going to kick it but thought Woody would kill him so he decided to do the forwards thing and run with knees high! lol

thomond2006

eoin wrote: »

try this tag - you put everything after v=
[noparse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4o0jcCS7fo

[/noparse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4o0jcCS7fo

lol at Will Greenwood from 0:49.

conno16

he, above many others, benefitted significantly from the golden generation
fair play to him
hardly a world beater though

Real FM

crisco10 wrote: »

Was that in Lansdowne against France? We were defending the North Terrace end. He intercepted a pass if I remember correctly. Then took off with the most insane "knees up" sprint. I remember reading a quote from him about that, he said he was going to kick it but thought Woody would kill him so he decided to do the forwards thing and run with knees high! lol

Yeah, that's the one. Comedy Gold.

Luckycharm

durkadurka wrote: »

I always thought he was one of the first really modern second rows. He was lucky enough to arrive at around the same time as when they changed the laws around lifting in the lineout and it suited him perfectly.

Also lucky enough to be a giant too I suppose...

One great moment was the try saving tackle against Mark Regan in Twickenham 2004 to save a most famous of victories against England..

And remember when he was right at the front of the lineout and just nicked the ball from the opposing hookers throw against Scotland (i think) and just ran over the line.

As for retiring, the recession must be over or something.....

It was against Italy in a really windy day in Lansdowne road!! I remember him joining Marys as an 18 year old he was very lanky and needed to fill out- he was playing 1sts very quickly. He has got an engineering degree from trinity as well.
He is naturally alot more talented then POC and DOC just didn't have their drive and seemed to have his best performances just after being dropped