Best intermediate clubman to play inter county football?

tossy

Ok here's an interesting one,most senior inter county players obviously play for senior clubs but who is the greatest inter county player to play club football at a intermediate (or even junior if it ever happened) level.

Im guessing he is going to come from a so called smaller county as i can't see cork, Kerry, Tyrone, Armagh etc ever having too many inter club players making it to the county team.

I also don't have an extensive knowledge of the level alot of past inter county footballers played their club football at so i am putting it out there for discussion.

I will get the ball rolling with Anthony Rainbow from Kildare,when he played for the county Suncroft were an intermediate club.

eigrod

tossy wrote: »

Im guessing he is going to come from a so called smaller county as i can't see cork, Kerry, Tyrone, Armagh etc ever having too many inter club players making it to the county team.

Ambrose O' Donovan (Kerry) and Conor Counihan (Cork) were both Junior footballers when winning All Irelands in the 80s.

sendit

From the Kerry at the moment

Intermediate
Marc & Tomas Ó Sé
Bryan Sheehan
Paul Galvin
Séamus Scanlon

Junior
Declan O'Sullivan
Darran O'Sullivan
Donnchadh Walsh
Anthony Maher
Shane Enright

Novice
Killian Young

Over the years some others would have been Maurice Fitzgerald, Éamonn Fitzmaurice, John Egan, Séamus Murphy (for most of his time played at Intermediate) Pat, Mike & Tom Spillane, Páidí Ó Sé, Jack O'Shea to name a few

TopOfTheRight

About half of Cork's all ireland winning team from last year are from intermediate clubs OP, just so you know
plus Alan O'Connor from a junior club

tossy

Ok so my knowledge of Munster football is not what it i thought lol but back to the original question/debate - who is the greatest?

davetherave

Kildare

Junior:
Peter Kelly: Two Mile House
Robert Kelly: Straffan

Intermediate:
Emmet Bolton: Eadestown
Brian Flanagan: J'Townbridge
Micheal Conway: Nerney


Most notable there would be Bolton and P.Kelly, who got an all-star award last year.

TopOfTheRight

Graham Canty (Bantry Blues), Noel O'Leary (Cill Na Matra) and Anthony Lynch (Naomh Aban), all great players and all great intermediate clubmen

liogairmhordain

TopOfTheRight wrote: »

Graham Canty (Bantry Blues), Noel O'Leary (Cill Na Matra) and Anthony Lynch (Naomh Aban), all great players and all great intermediate clubmen

I know Bantry are intermediate now but they won a county senior in 1998 with Canty on the team.
Also, Naomh Abán spent about ten years up senior until they were relegated last year.

tossy

davetherave wrote: »

Kildare

Junior:
Peter Kelly: Two Mile House
Robert Kelly: Straffan

Intermediate:
Emmet Bolton: Eadestown
Brian Flanagan: J'Townbridge
Micheal Conway: Nerney


Most notable there would be Bolton and P.Kelly, who got an all-star award last year.

Being a Kildare man i am well aware of the above but none of them would hold a candle to Anthony rainbow never mind some of the others mentioned in this thread.

Sorry lads im not looking for a list of every inter county player current and past who play intermediate club level - i'm asking who you think the greatest is - might be a dumb question or topic but we were talking about it in work recently and it got me thinking.

So on the basis of some of the names so far a short list...

Anthony rainbow.
Marc or Tomas Ó Sé
Maurice Fitzgerald
Pat, Mike or Tom Spillane
Jack O Shea

sendit

tossy wrote: »

Being a Kildare man i am well aware of the above but none of them would hold a candle to Anthony rainbow never mind some of the others mentioned in this thread.

Sorry lads im not looking for a list of every inter county player current and past who play intermediate club level - i'm asking who you think the greatest is - might be a dumb question or topic but we were talking about it in work recently and it got me thinking.

So on the basis of some of the names so far a short list...

Anthony rainbow.
Marc or Tomas Ó Sé
Maurice Fitzgerald
Pat, Mike or Tom Spillane
Jack O Shea

Well the Se's only really started playing at Intermediate last year

tossy

sendit wrote: »

Well the Se's only really started playing at Intermediate last year

drop them boys so!

sendit

tossy wrote: »

drop them boys so!

It's the only thing to do really

ontheditch2

For me, Maurice Fitzgerald.

As long as i started watching Football about 20 years ago nobody named has a patch on him.

Before that, i honestly couldn't say.

liogairmhordain

ontheditch2 wrote: »

For me, Maurice Fitzgerald.

As long as i started watching Football about 20 years ago nobody named has a patch on him.

Before that, i honestly couldn't say.

but it's not as if fitzgerald was confined to intermediate-standard football - he won 3 or 4 senior co. titles with a group team (south kerry).
even rainbow has got to play senior the last few years afaik.

tossy

liogairmhordain wrote: »

but it's not as if fitzgerald was confined to intermediate-standard football - he won 3 or 4 senior co. titles with a group team (south kerry).
even rainbow has got to play senior the last few years afaik.

He has but his best years were played when suncroft were an intermediate team.

ontheditch2

liogairmhordain wrote: »

but it's not as if fitzgerald was confined to intermediate-standard football - he won 3 or 4 senior co. titles with a group team (south kerry).
even rainbow has got to play senior the last few years afaik.

Correct, but that automatically knocks out every cork and kerry footballer, because they all played senior with divisional teams (don't know what other counties offer this), so are we now taking out them also?

So is the title of the question changing from Best Intermediate Clubman to Best player never to play Senior??
What you reckon OP??

J Cheever Loophole

Would have to give a mention to Paddy Moriarty of Armagh, who played for Derrymacash Wolfe Tones. Wolfe Tones would have been Intermediate / Junior throughout Paddy Mo's career. One of a select band of players to have won All Stars as both a forward and a defender.

tossy

ontheditch2 wrote: »

Correct, but that automatically knocks out every cork and kerry footballer, because they all played senior with divisional teams (don't know what other counties offer this), so are we now taking out them also?

So is the title of the question changing from Best Intermediate Clubman to Best player never to play Senior??
What you reckon OP??

That's a good one and a bit tougher.

Personally i think it should be best senior inter county player who only ever played at intermediate club level or played at the level for the majority of his golden years (which is probably a bit long winded i know)

I think players who played senior level with divisional teams should be ruled out - is this fair?

Cill Dara Abu

davetherave wrote: »

Kildare

Junior:
Peter Kelly: Two Mile House
Robert Kelly: Straffan

Intermediate:
Emmet Bolton: Eadestown
Brian Flanagan: J'Townbridge
Micheal Conway: Nerney


Most notable there would be Bolton and P.Kelly, who got an all-star award last year.

Hugh Lynch of Confey aswell

Who are Nerney?

Bizzum

John Mc Dermott - Curragha - Meath

Rebel1977

Aidan Walsh plays Junior Football for Kanturk in Cork. He is an All-Star, Young footballer of the year and All Ireland winner. Some going for a junior club.

ontheditch2

tossy wrote: »

That's a good one and a bit tougher.

Personally i think it should be best senior inter county player who only ever played at intermediate club level or played at the level for the majority of his golden years (which is probably a bit long winded i know)

I think players who played senior level with divisional teams should be ruled out - is this fair?

So, Anthony Rainbow it is then. Seems to fit the criteria.

A truly class player will usually be able to drag his club up the grades with him, so it will be a hard one. But you are excluding every cork and kerry footballer.

It is a very good question though, and should get a decent input.

tossy

ontheditch2 wrote: »

So, Anthony Rainbow it is then. Seems to fit the criteria.

A truly class player will usually be able to drag his club up the grades with him, so it will be a hard one. But you are excluding every cork and kerry footballer.

It is a very good question though, and should get a decent input.

Well i personally feel they should be excluded,but then again even in the example of Rainbow Suncroft weren't always an intermediate club during his playing days so 'technically' he wasn't always an intermediate club man.

I would ask the simple question of name intermediate club players to win an inter county all star but that is too limiting and the all star awards aren't the be all and end all.

I look forward to the discussion hotting up tomorrow,im off to finish my night shift!

hisholinessnb

The current Dublin captain Brian Cullens club are intermediate

rossie1977

derek savage was playing intermediate when galway reached those 3 all-ireland finals in 1998,2000 and 2001

Opelfruit

What is this thread? Every county panel will have players from junior and intermediate clubs! Any county that restricts itself to players from senior clubs deserves no success!

Frank Spencer

Bizzum wrote: »

John Mc Dermott - Curragha - Meath

Didn't play all his club football with them. Transferred to Skryne.

Hammer Archer

Frank Spencer wrote: »

Bizzum wrote: »

John Mc Dermott - Curragha - Meath

Didn't play all his club football with them. Transferred to Skryne.

About to post that. For Meath, the one that sticks out is Ollie Murphy who played for Carnaross.

ontheditch2

Hammer Archer wrote: »

About to post that. For Meath, the one that sticks out is Ollie Murphy who played for Carnaross.

Now, he was a classy player..

sendit

It seems to happen in football more then hurling players playing with Intermediate and Junior clubs. Alot if not most of the big name hurlers all played with seinor clubs

Bizzum

Frank Spencer wrote: »

Didn't play all his club football with them. Transferred to Skryne.

Yep. Terms and Conditions apply!

davetherave

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

Hugh Lynch of Confey aswell

Who are Nerney?

Nurney even Down there by Kildangan



Yup, Anthony Rainbow it is then :D

paul71

From Meath team of 80s/90s,

Bernard Flynn (Colmcilles -Intermediate)
Bob O'Mally (Colmcilles - Intermediate)
Martin O'Connell (Oldcastle -Junior) (Also made team of Century)
Gerry McEntee (Nobber - Junior)

theoneeyedman

Seamus hayden played for Roscommon in AI and nat league finals in the 70's and 80's riding shotgun to Dermot at midfield having played exclusivly at junior level for his club st Josephs

tossy

Opelfruit wrote: »

What is this thread? Every county panel will have players from junior and intermediate clubs! Any county that restricts itself to players from senior clubs deserves no success!

NO way? is this news just in? Try reading the original post - the question was name the best intermediate clubman to play senior inter county football i.e someone who came from a 'perceived' weaker footballing background and rose above all to become an icon of the game ala A.Rainbow,O.Murphy etc.

Thank you for your useful contribution.

Some great names being added lads and plenty food for thought for the next work place canteen debate

happo

paul71 wrote: »

From Meath team of 80s/90s,

Bernard Flynn (Colmcilles -Intermediate)
Bob O'Mally (Colmcilles - Intermediate)
Martin O'Connell (Oldcastle -Junior) (Also made team of Century)
Gerry McEntee (Nobber - Junior)

Nobber were senior during the 80's and Gerry McEntee actually transferred to Summerhill when Nobber went down to Intermediate. Martin O'Connell played with St Michaels and I think they could have been senior for most of the 80's also.

ondeball

I think Moy in Tyrone were still in Intermediate when they had Sean Cavanagh and Philip Jordan.

Of the current Wexford crop there are quite from few from Intermediate clubs. best of them being: Ciaran Lyng, Graeme Molloy, Brendan Doyle and Ben Brosnan.

sendit

Tommy Doyle All Ireland winning caption in 1986 played with Annascaul who were intermediate at the time

Opelfruit

tossy wrote: »

NO way? is this news just in? Try reading the original post - the question was name the best intermediate clubman to play senior inter county football i.e someone who came from a 'perceived' weaker footballing background and rose above all to become an icon of the game ala A.Rainbow,O.Murphy etc.

Thank you for your useful contribution.

Some great names being added lads and plenty food for thought for the next work place canteen debate

:rolleyes:

The OP states "or even junior if it ever happened". You obviously believed that players from junior clubs may never have played senior inter-county football. Ignorance or what? Stop trying to move the goalposts now.

tossy

Opelfruit wrote: »

:rolleyes:

The OP states "or even junior if it ever happened". You obviously believed that players from junior clubs may never have played senior inter-county football. Ignorance or what? Stop trying to move the goalposts now.

Good man yourself - there isn't a smiley emoticon thingy available to adequately express how impressed i am by you. Keep her country.

Opelfruit

tossy wrote: »

Good man yourself - there isn't a smiley emoticon thingy available to adequately express how impressed i am by you. Keep her country.

:rolleyes::rolleyes:
Well done yourself! Now go and start another <snip> thread!

tossy

I think that is a bit OTT there and a poor choice of words,but well done for making yourself feel big and clever.

Pride Fighter

Calm down everyone.

Mod warning.

sendit

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Calm down everyone.

Mod warning.

Oh no....

shiibata

Martin Shovlin on the Donegal 92 winning All Ireland team has always played at Inter club level. Always gave 100%+ effort on the field.
Even played in a county B final last year:eek:

sendit

Has there been many All Ireland winning captions in who played with intermediate or juniors clubs?