Teams of the Century to date

homerjay2005

so we have 15 championships completed now since the turn of the millennium and i think its a good time to reflect on the best 15 players in both codes, in this time frame.

looking at the football (ill leave the Hurling to the experts in this field, though its perhaps fairly obvious to pick 10+ of those positions without much thought), Kerry have won 6 All Irelands, Tyrone have won 3, Dublin 2 with 1 each then to Galway, Armagh, Cork and Donegal.

of the 30 finalists, Kerry have been in 10, Mayo have been in 4. Cork and Tyrone have been in 3, Galway 2, Armagh 2, Dublin 2, Donegal 2 and Meath and Down 1 each.

of course, there could be plenty of lads in there whose county never made a final, but one would assume that most of the 15 would come from the above counties.

so, what is the team that the boards.ie faithful would pick? ill start with the dead certs.

1 - Stephen Cluxton

2 - Marc O Shea

5- Tomas o Shea

6 - Seamus Moynihan

8 - Darragh O Shea

9 - Sean Kavanagh

10- Brian Dooher

13 - Colm Cooper

thats 8 positions filled, leaving the other 7 wide open. ill have a think about it, but youve got the likes of Ricey and Jordan to fill the two other defensive spots and full back is a hard one to pick.

does Canty deserve a mention? Tom Sullivan or Mahoney?

Midfield is sorted, as are two of the forwards. would people have Paul Galvin at 12?

should Padraig Joyce be included? i think perhaps he could get full forward spot, leaving then the likes of Declan Brown, Peter Canavan, Stevie Mcdonell to fight it out for corner forward, though has Bernard Brogan done enough for inclusion there?

you could go with Joyce at center forward, then that accommodates Canavan at 14 and one of the others at 15.

anybody glaringly obvious that i have left out?

bucketybuck

I'd have to think about my selection, but if it is the team of this century does Canavan really deserve a place? While still influential there's no doubt his best days were in the nineties and he was more of an impact sub in 2003.

P Jordan is an automatic choice, as is Conor Gormley.

Kieran McGeeney should be an automatic pick also, wheras Canty is nowhere near my team.

Stevie McDonnell is also a dead cert for one of the forward spots, how could he not be!

homerjay2005

bucketybuck wrote: »

P Jordan is an automatic choice, as is Conor Gormley.

Kieran McGeeney should be an automatic pick also, wheras Canty is nowhere near my team.

Stevie McDonnell is also a dead cert for one of the forward spots, how could he not be!

where would you put in Gormley? and would you have Mcgeeney over Seamus Moynihan? i dont think there is room for Moynihan, Gormley and McGeeney in that team, unless you put Moynihan at 3 and Gormley at 6. Mcgeeney is not getting in ahead of those 2.

my reference to Canty was only for fullback really, as there are no outstanding candidates there unless you put O Mahoney in there. your reference to Canavan is interesting, would think most people would put him in, though personally i wouldnt if i was picking it myself.

bucketybuck

homerjay2005 wrote: »

your reference to Canavan is interesting, would think most people would put him in, though personally i wouldnt if i was picking it myself.

He is one of the greatest players ever, and he also played in this century. But was he one of the greatest players of this century? I'm not so sure.

TCDStudent1

homerjay2005 wrote: »

where would you put in Gormley? and would you have Mcgeeney over Seamus Moynihan? i dont think there is room for Moynihan, Gormley and McGeeney in that team, unless you put Moynihan at 3 and Gormley at 6. Mcgeeney is not getting in ahead of those 2.

my reference to Canty was only for fullback really, as there are no outstanding candidates there unless you put O Mahoney in there. your reference to Canavan is interesting, would think most people would put him in, though personally i wouldnt if i was picking it myself.

For me, I would have Moynihan at full back. I feel his very best performances for Kerry came at full back against Galway back in 00. And then have McGeeney at number 6.

I would have McGeeney ahead of Gormley to be honest. His reading of the game, his toughness, his distribution of the ball coming out of defence were just brilliant to watch.

TCDStudent1

homerjay2005 wrote: »

so we have 15 championships completed now since the turn of the millennium and i think its a good time to reflect on the best 15 players in both codes, in this time frame.

looking at the football (ill leave the Hurling to the experts in this field, though its perhaps fairly obvious to pick 10+ of those positions without much thought), Kerry have won 6 All Irelands, Tyrone have won 3, Dublin 2 with 1 each then to Galway, Armagh, Cork and Donegal.

of the 30 finalists, Kerry have been in 10, Mayo have been in 4. Cork and Tyrone have been in 3, Galway 2, Armagh 2, Dublin 2, Donegal 2 and Meath and Down 1 each.

of course, there could be plenty of lads in there whose county never made a final, but one would assume that most of the 15 would come from the above counties.

so, what is the team that the boards.ie faithful would pick? ill start with the dead certs.

1 - Stephen Cluxton

2 - Marc O Shea

5- Tomas o Shea

6 - Seamus Moynihan

8 - Darragh O Shea

9 - Sean Kavanagh

10- Brian Dooher

13 - Colm Cooper

thats 8 positions filled, leaving the other 7 wide open. ill have a think about it, but youve got the likes of Ricey and Jordan to fill the two other defensive spots and full back is a hard one to pick.

does Canty deserve a mention? Tom Sullivan or Mahoney?

Midfield is sorted, as are two of the forwards. would people have Paul Galvin at 12?

should Padraig Joyce be included? i think perhaps he could get full forward spot, leaving then the likes of Declan Brown, Peter Canavan, Stevie Mcdonell to fight it out for corner forward, though has Bernard Brogan done enough for inclusion there?

you could go with Joyce at center forward, then that accommodates Canavan at 14 and one of the others at 15.

anybody glaringly obvious that i have left out?

1 - Stephen Cluxton

2 - Marc O Shea

3 - Seamus Moynihan

4 - Keith Higgins

5 - Tomas o Shea

6 - Kieran McGeeney

7 - Jordan /Gormley

8 - Darragh O Shea

9 - Sean Kavanagh

10- Brian Dooher

11- Declan O'Sullivan

12 - Diarmuid Connolly

13 - Colm Cooper

14 - Padraig Joyce

15 - Bernard Brogan


Not sure who to put at 11. Nobody really stands out at 11 for me. I think Declan O'Sullivan was probably the best in that position in the last 14 years.

I'd go with Brogan over McDonnell because I think he has performed at a top level for longer than McDonnell. McDonnell was class though, he was unmarkable at his peak. Michael Murphy is another current player who could have a claim to a place on that team.

DoctaDee

Stephen O'Neill in his heyday was as good as anything out there imo.

bucketybuck

DoctaDee wrote: »

Stephen O'Neill in his heyday was as good as anything out there imo.

He was indeed one of the most talented players out there, but I think in retrospect that he wasn't able to fully make the most of that talent, mainly because of injuries.

Had he remained injury free I have little doubt he would be considered one of the all time greats, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

homerjay2005

i wouldnt have Connelly near that team to be honest, one or two good years shouldnt make people believe that he is up there at the level of others in the past.

keane2097

I might get slated for this but didn't particularly rate Moynihan as a great full back. Did an admirable job there out of necessity but was way better in the half back line for my money.

I would have thought Tomas - McGeeney - Moynihan picked itself if you're looking for purely the best HB line possible and not looking to fit players in. Jordan next in line but he's not ousting any of that three for my money.

keane2097

In line to get his fourth All Star on the trot, I'm not sure I've ever seen a more complete footballer than Paul Flynn. I think I'd be trying to pick my half forward line with three out of four from Dooher, Galvin, Flynn and McDonald.

bucketybuck

Just looking at allstar teams and I see that Canavan actually has 3 all-star awards in the early 2000's. Not sure how deserved all where but it does suggest he still had a greater impact than I remembered in that period.

deadybai

1. Brendan Cummins
2. Michael Kavanagh
3. Noel Hickey
4. Jackie Tyrell
5. Tommy Walsh
6. Brian Hogan
7. Jj Delaney
8. Derek Lyng
9.Ken Mcgrath
10. Ben O’Connor
11. Henry Shefflin
12. DJ Carey
13. John Mullane
14. Eoin Kelly Tipp
15. Eddie Brennan

TCDStudent1

keane2097 wrote: »

In line to get his fourth All Star on the trot, I'm not sure I've ever seen a more complete footballer than Paul Flynn. I think I'd be trying to pick my half forward line with three out of four from Dooher, Galvin, Flynn and McDonald.

Totally forgot about McDonald. Probably put him at number 12 in my team.

TCDStudent1

deadybai wrote: »

1. Brendan Cummins
2. Michael Kavanagh
3. Noel Hickey
4. Jackie Tyrell
5. Tommy Walsh
6. Ken Mcgrath
7. Jj Delaney
8. Derek Lyng Hard to pick the midfielders so went for best partnership
9.Cha Fitzpatrick
10. Ben O’Connor (Cork)
11. Henry Shefflin
12. DJ Carey
13. John Mullane
14. Eoin Kelly Tipp
15. Eddie Brennan

No Tony Browne is a big call!

theoneeyedman

+1 on Ciaran Mcdonald.

No mention of Brian McGuigan....One of the most influential players of the noughties, and crucial to Tyrone success

DoctaDee

keane2097 wrote: »

I might get slated for this but didn't particularly rate Moynihan as a great full back. Did an admirable job there out of necessity but was way better in the half back line for my money.

...

If Moynihan was moved to HB line, I'd give a big mention (thru gritted teeth) to Mordor's Darren Fay at full back. He was a huge presence on the field, I remember he had an unbelievable record of his direct opponent never scoring more than 1 point off him in more than 20 odd championship games (I think) - of course that was until Padraic Joyce in 2001 .. so I suppose the case would be made his better days were in the 90's .. but a majestic defender all the same

homerjay2005

Ciaran McDonald is nowhere near the best 6 forwards in the country in the last 15 years for f*ck sake.

you could pick 3 teams and he wouldnt deserve to be on them.

keane2097

homerjay2005 wrote: »

Ciaran McDonald is nowhere near the best 6 forwards in the country in the last 15 years for f*ck sake.

you could pick 3 teams and he wouldnt deserve to be on them.

You have always had a blind spot/hatred for McDonald. We've all had this argument a few times at this stage. You don't rate him, a lot of other people think he was superb, might be worth leaving it at that.

adrian522

deadybai wrote: »

1. Brendan Cummins
2. Michael Kavanagh
3. Noel Hickey
4. Jackie Tyrell
5. Tommy Walsh
6. Ken Mcgrath
7. Jj Delaney
8. Derek Lyng Hard to pick the midfielders so went for best partnership
9.Cha Fitzpatrick
10. Ben O’Connor (Cork)
11. Henry Shefflin
12. DJ Carey
13. John Mullane
14. Eoin Kelly Tipp
15. Eddie Brennan

Decent team, I wouldn't have either of those in mid field though, certainly not Cha. I'd have to find room for Ollie Canning too.

Most of DJ's best work was in the 1990's but I guess you could make a case for him as he had plenty of hurling between 2000 and 2004.

homerjay2005

keane2097 wrote: »

You have always had a blind spot/hatred for McDonald. We've all had this argument a few times at this stage. You don't rate him, a lot of other people think he was superb, might be worth leaving it at that.

would he deserve a place before Mcguigan, Declan Sullivan or Joyce at center forward?

would you put him in before Galvin, Flynn, Dooher? i have already named 6 forwards that should be in before him and thats without even contemplating moving the likes of Sean Cavanagh to the half forward line to fit in some other midfielders. id even put Alan Brogan, Giles, Crowley, Donnellan and lots of other players ahead of him. theres about 15 players in the full forward line that i could list off that are better than him.

its nothing about hatred, he is just a very overrated player, he got one all star for f*ck sake and theres multiple players better than him. he is put up on a pedastal after 2006, despite being rediculed for years before that by Mayo fans. even players like Mattie Forde and Declan browne were much better than him.

keane2097

homerjay2005 wrote: »

would he deserve a place before Mcguigan, Declan Sullivan or Joyce at center forward?

would you put him in before Galvin, Flynn, Dooher?

its nothing about hatred, he is just a very overrated player, he got one all star for f*ck sake.

I would definitely have him ahead of Joyce at CHF, no question.

McGuigan and Declan Sullivan were different types of players. Depending on who who picked at wing forward you could make a case for any of the three. With two foragers like Dooher and Galvin I could easily imagine McDonald as the most creative of the three being the best foil for your two wing forwards.

If you pushed me to pick I'd probably say McDonald was a "better" player than those other two but "better" is a vague enough accolade.

It's my own fault for bringing up the All Stars re:Paul Flynn but I wouldn't think they're the last word on the matter. I saw McDonald do things that I'd put beyond anyone bar Maurice Fitz.

deadybai

adrian522 wrote: »

Decent team, I wouldn't have either of those in mid field though, certainly not Cha. I'd have to find room for Ollie Canning too.

Most of DJ's best work was in the 1990's but I guess you could make a case for him as he had plenty of hurling between 2000 and 2004.

Yeah I couldnt really think of a standout midfielder since a lot of the time midfielders play in other positions. Perhaps Michael Fennelly or Michael Rice but they still have a good bit of hurling in them.
I think Lyng has to be in the team.

As for Dj yeah I only realised after I posted that maybe he wasn't as good as pre 2000 but still he was some player. He gave one of the best AI Final performances ever in the 2000 final.

It was hard to leave out some players especially from the mid 2000s Cork team. Joe Deane especially.

As for Tony Browne. I never really rated him as a 'world class' player. A great player but not that great compared to Walsh Mcgrath and JJ. Your talking about GOAT with those three.

Moneymaker

homerjay2005 wrote: »

Ciaran McDonald is nowhere near the best 6 forwards in the country in the last 15 years for f*ck sake.

you could pick 3 teams and he wouldnt deserve to be on them.

Don't be daft. Would he get into a XV? Unlikely. Doesn't mean he wasn't a fantastic footballer.

Dirty Dingus McGee

1 Stephen Cluxton
2 Marc O'Se
3 Barry Owens
4 Karl Lacey
5 Tomas O'Se
6 Kieran McGeeney
7 Philip Jordan
8 Dara O'Se
9 Sean Cavanagh
10 Brian Dooher
11 Ciaran McDonald
12 Declan O'Sullivan
13 Colm Cooper
14 Kieran Donaghy
15 Bernard Brogan

---

Paul Flynn will probably be there is a few years time.

Excluded Canavan as he played most of his best football in the 90's and only payed to 05 when he was used mainly as an impact sub.

homerjay2005

keane2097 wrote: »

. I saw McDonald do things that I'd put beyond anyone bar Maurice Fitz.

doing "things" once in a blue moon does not make you a great. McDonald for the first 6 or 7 years of his Mayo career, was a play who was somewhat hated (for want of a better word) in Mayo, he was a figure that people just did not want near their team.

2004 redeemed him and made him a player that became popular and one great point in 2006 seems to have given him a legandary status. the majority of his career however was mediocre.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Hurling

1 Damien Fitzhenry
2 Ollie Canning
3 Noel Hickey
4 Jackie Tyrell
5 Tommy Walsh
6 Brian Hogan
7 JJ Delaney
8 Ken McGrath
9 Tony Browne
10 Eoin Larkin
11 Henry Shefflin
12 Paul Flynn/Ben O'Connor
13 Eddie Brennan
14 Eoin Kelly (Tipp)
15 John Mullane

pajc

cha is a no for me and Eoin Larkin should be there IMO.

Prop Joe

Teams of the Century to date according to the All Stars

Cluxton - 5 All Stars

Marc O Sé - 3 All Stars + FOTY 2007
Seamus Moynihan - 3 All Stars + FOTY 2000
Karl Lacey - 4 All Stars + FOTY 2012

Tómas O Sé - 5 All Stars + FOTY 2004
Phillip Jordan - 4 All Stars
AN OTHER

Mike McCarthy - 3 All Stars
Conor Gormley - 3 All Stars

Darragh O Sé - 4 All Stars
Sean Cavanagh - 5 All Stars + FOTY 2008 + YFOTY 2003

Alan Brogan - 3 All Stars + FOTY 2011
Bernard Brogan - 3 All Stars + FOTY 2010
Colm Cooper - 8 All Stars
Stephen O Neill - 3 All Stars + FOTY 2005
AN OTHER
AN OTHER


Peter Canavan - 3 All Stars
Paul Flynn - - 3 All Stars
Declan O Sullivan - 3 All Stars
Brian Dooher - 3 All Stars

deadybai

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Hurling

1 Damien Fitzhenry
2 Ollie Canning
3 Noel Hickey
4 Jackie Tyrell
5 Tommy Walsh
6 Brian Hogan
7 JJ Delaney
8 Ken McGrath
9 Tony Browne
10 Eoin Larkin
11 Henry Shefflin
12 Paul Flynn/Ben O'Connor
13 Eddie Brennan
14 Eoin Kelly (Tipp)
15 John Mullane

Eoin Larkin is proabably a player who will never get the recognition he deserves. The defending that he does is unbelievable.
As for my team now that I see yours, I will switch Mcgrath to midfield and put Hogan in at CHB and take out CHA

Moneymaker

Anyway;

1 - Stephen Cluxton
2 - Marc O'Shea
3 - Seamus Moynihan
4 - Keith Higgins
5- Tomas O'Shea
6 - Kieran McGeeney
7 - Karl Lacey
8 - Darragh O'Shea
9 - Sean Kavanagh
10 - Brian Dooher
11 - Declan O'Suillivan
12 - Paul Flynn/Paul Galvin
13 - Colm Cooper
14 - Padraig Joyce
15 - Bernard Brogan


1 - Brenden Cummins
2 - Noel Hickey
3 - JJ Delaney
4 - Jackie Tyrell
5 - Tony Browne
6 - Sean Og o'hailpin
7 - Tommy Walsh
8 - Colin Lynch
9 - Micheal Fennelly
10 - Ben O'Connor
11 - Henry Shefflin
12 - DJ Carey
13 - Eddie Brennan
14 - Eoin Kelly
15 - John Mullane

corny

Just gonna throw out a few names.

John Doyle
Anthony Tohill
Declan Browne
Dermot Earley
And just for kicks, Paddy Christie.:)

Oh and i'd pick Alan Brogan ahead of his brother all day. People forget how good a corner forward Alan was back in the day.

keane2097

homerjay2005 wrote: »

doing "things" once in a blue moon does not make you a great. McDonald for the first 6 or 7 years of his Mayo career, was a play who was somewhat hated (for want of a better word) in Mayo, he was a figure that people just did not want near their team.

2004 redeemed him and made him a player that became popular and one great point in 2006 seems to have given him a legandary status. the majority of his career however was mediocre.

Grand, don't pick him so, it makes no odds to me what you think of him. I nearly think you started the thread just to remind everyone how bad you think McDonald was, I've seen the same pontification from you on the subject more than once at this stage.

elefant

Moneymaker wrote: »

Anyway;

1 - Stephen Cluxton
2 - Marc O'Shea
3 - Seamus Moynihan
4 - Keith Higgins
5- Tomas O'Shea
6 - Kieran McGeeney
7 - Karl Lacey
8 - Darragh O'Shea
9 - Sean Kavanagh
10 - Brian Dooher
11 - Declan O'Suillivan
12 - Paul Flynn/Paul Galvin
13 - Colm Cooper
14 - Padraig Joyce
15 - Bernard Brogan

I'd say it's hard to argue too much with that team. Imagine seeing that lot playing together on the same side! It actually looks nice and balanced too.

flasher0030

homerjay2005 wrote: »

doing "things" once in a blue moon does not make you a great. McDonald for the first 6 or 7 years of his Mayo career, was a play who was somewhat hated (for want of a better word) in Mayo, he was a figure that people just did not want near their team.

2004 redeemed him and made him a player that became popular and one great point in 2006 seems to have given him a legandary status. the majority of his career however was mediocre.

Wow, that's a bit strong. Hated?? People didn't want him on their team?? I played county underage with him and from an early stage he was ear-marked as something special. In his early twenties, he was viewed as maybe he didn't reach his potential. But you have to remember that Mayo didn't have the dominance back then that they have now. They didn't win Connacht from 99 to 2004. I think it was more a case of Mayo people expected him to be some sort of Messiah who would take the team through. And that does not happen in real life. When the team did show some form in the mid-2000s, McDonald's talents shone through and he generally showed what he was capable of. Unfortunately (for many reasons), John O'Mahony took over the team in 2007, and there was almost immediate animosity between himself and McDonald regarding invitation to a trial game. And that was the end of his inter-county career.

He's still producing the goods at the age of 39. Scored 6 points in a game in a recent weekend to prevent Crossmolina getting into relegation problems.

http://www.joe.ie/gaa/gaa-news/vine-mayo-legend-ciaran-mcdonald-scored-an-outrageous-long-range-point-for-crossmolina-at-the-weekend/

DoctaDee

corny wrote: »

Just gonna throw out a few names................
And just for kicks, Paddy Christie.:)...............

Still commanding the square for da Muns Inters last time I saw him.. and a huge appointment for Dublin Minors in light of the success he had with Ballymuns U21 set up amongst others

Mountainlad

1. Brendan Cummins
2. Ollie Canning
3. Noel Hickey
4. Jackie Tyrell
5. Tommy Walsh
6. Ken McGrath
7. JJ Delaney
8. Michael Fennelly
9. Tom Kenny
10. Ben O Connor
11. Henry Shefflin
12. John Mullane
13. Lar Corbett
14. Eoin Kelly
15. Eddie Brennan

7 Kilkenny
3 Tipp
2 Waterford
2 Cork
1 Galway

I did a 2004-2014 team recently with a friend and I think the only change I made to this one was putting in Ollie Canning instead of Seamus Hickey. I reckon by the team Hickey retires he'll be in that team, I think Limerick will win an all-ireland in the next 3 years.

Tony Browne is very unlucky not to be included, he was a great player with incredible longevity and if 1998 was included he'd probably in it (worth noting his career started in 1991 so he had 9 seasons hurling before this period in which this team was formed began). I think JJ Delaney is the best wing back I've ever seen and must be one of the best of all time, and Tommy Walsh not far behind him.

Michael Fennelly has had a rough time with injury but he's the best midfielder I've seen when in full flight. If Kilkenny had won in 2010 I think he'd have won player of the year two years in a row, his form up to the final that year wwas better even than what he produce in 2011. The Cork midfield made them what they wore and Tom Kenny was better than Jerry in my opinion.

Up front, Joe Deane is very unlucky to miss out but I just couldn't put him in the half forward line. Ben was a fine player and equally merits a place in a slightly less competitive position. No denying Eoin Larkin's quality either of course, even now he's still playing a different but vital role for Kilkenny.

The other 5 forwards speak for themselves as far as I'm concerned. Most of the team seems cut and dry to me.

Prop Joe

Teams of the Century to date according to the All Stars

Brendan Cummins - 5 All Stars

Michael Kavanagh - 4 All Stars
JJ Delaney - 6 All Stars - HOTY - 2003
Jackie Tyrrell - 4 All Stars

Tommy Walsh - 9 All Stars- HOTY - 2009
Ollie Canning - 4 All Stars
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín - 3 All Stars - HOTY - 2004

Jerry O Connor - 3 All Stars - HOTY - 2005
James "Cha" Fitzpatrick - 3 All Stars - YHOTY - 2006

AN OTHER
King Henry - 11 All Stars - HOTY - 2002,2006 & 2012
Joe Canning - 3 All Stars - YHOTY - 2008

Eoin Kelly - 6 All Stars - YHOTY - 2001,2002
Lar Corbett - 3 All Stars - HOTY - 2010
John Mullane - 5 All Stars

Dan Shanahan - 3 All Stars - HOTY - 2007
Eddie Brennan - 4 All Stars

dastardly00

Here's the team that was chosen recently by Today FM and Liberty Insurance, which is based on the best 15 hurlers in the country over the past 15 years.

1. Brendan Cummins (Tipperary)


2. Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny)
3. Diarmuid O’Sullivan (Cork)
4. Ollie Canning (Galway)


5. Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny)
6. Ken McGrath (Waterford)
7. JJ Delaney (Kilkenny)


8. Derek Lyng (Kilkenny)
9. Colin Lynch (Clare)


10. Ben O’Connor (Cork)
11. Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny)
12. DJ Carey (Kilkenny)


13. John Mullane (Waterford)
14. Eoin Kelly (Tipperary)
15. Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny)

platypus

1. Brendan Cummins
2. Michael Kavanagh
3. Noel Hickey
4. Ollie Canning
5. Tommy Walsh
6. Padraig Maher
7. J.J. Delaney
8. Michael Fennelly
9. Ken McGrath
10. Ben O'Connor
11. Henry Shefflin
12. John Mullane
13. Eoin Kelly (Tipp)
14. Joe Canning
15. Joe Deane

1. Stephen Cluxton
2. Marc O'Se
3. Graham Canty
4. Keith Higgins
5 Tomas O'Se
6. Seamus Moynihan
7. Karl Lacey
8. Dara O'Se
9. Sean Cavanagh
10. Paul Galvin
11. Declan O'Sullivan
12. Paul Flynn
13. Colm Cooper
14. Padraig Joyce
15. Peter Canavan

Poor_old_gill

For me- Donaghy has to be at full forward- he was the key in at least 2 All Ireland wins.
He swung 2 full seasons Kerry's way- not many players can claim that influence- and for the record, I hate the Rockies

bucketybuck

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

For me- Donaghy has to be at full forward- he was the key in at least 2 All Ireland wins.

So was Eoin Mulligan.

realweirdo

On his day Ciaran McDonald was a genius up there with the best of them but a few things count against him being considered an all time great. He was inconsistant and never really done his stuff in really big games such as AI finals. If you gave him time and space he would destroy you. But Kerry always dealt with him handy enough by being in his face.

sammy37

Unfortunately none of us will be around to see the result of this and bar Cooper i would imagine the football team will be completely different. Mind you looking at the quality of the players that are picked that will take some doing.

TCDStudent1

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

For me- Donaghy has to be at full forward- he was the key in at least 2 All Ireland wins.
He swung 2 full seasons Kerry's way- not many players can claim that influence- and for the record, I hate the Rockies

Donaghy is a terrific footballer. But he did go missing a little bit for the last couple of years. I think P. Joyce did it consistently for years in good and bad Galway teams. The year Antrim beat Galway, Joyce was well into his 30's and injured. Galway brought him on when they were struggling and he was still their best player! Joyce just did it a bit more consistently than Donaghy. Interestingly, they are 2 completely different players with very different attributes playing in the same position.

ciarriaithuaidh

First off, the Allstars are not a barometer to judge by when it comes to these things..at all. Example, Peter Canavan was Allstar centre-forward in 2005..he spent the sum total of 10 mins at 11 all year while Brian McGuigan was brilliant there all year including the AI final..yet Canavan gets an award and McGuigan doesn't. Ridiculous, but just one in a litany of terrible calls they've made over the years. Tadhg Kennelly in 2009 was another one. Was ok in semi final, good for 50 mins in final..that's it. Gets an Allstar.

When picking these things, you can go a few different routes depending on your philosophy. Do you pick players who shone the brightest (if only for 1/2 seasons) or the players who were consistently good or better over 5 years +, for example. I have found it impossible to pick the forward line in these things previously.
Trevor Giles, Mike-Frank Russell, Ollie Murphy, Michael Donnellan, Paddy Bradley, Johnny Doyle, Ciarán McDonald, Padraic Joyce...all excellent players, but probably don't even make the top 10 forwards of the period.
One forward who does make that 10 in my eyes, which some people will question, is Niall McNamee. I've seen this guy do things and kick scores, for Offaly and UCD (when being marked by top county players in Sigerson) that were just amazing. I remember when Offaly played Dublin in the Leinster final in 2006, they were actually well in the game before his brother Alan got sent off, it was 12-9 and that was mainly becuase despite having 2/3 Dublin backs hanging off him Niall was just on fire. He probably can't be put in the 15 ahead of Gooch, Canavan, McDonnell or O'Neill because they got to play in multiple AI finals, but he is as gifted as any of them.
Anyway, here's my effort, even though on another day there could be 1-5 changes. It's so hard to choose.

1. Stephen Cluxton

2. Marc O'Sé
3. Darran Fay
4. Seán-Marty Lockhart

5. Tomás O'Sé
6. Seamus Moynihan
7. Philip Jordan

8. Darragh O'Sé
9. Seán Kavanagh

10. Brian Dooher
11. Declan O'Sullivan
12. Paul Galvin

13. Colm Cooper
14. Peter Canavan
15. Stephen O'Neill

Ridiculously harsh leaving Keith Higgins, Mike McCarthy, Karl Lacey, Kieran McGeeney, Brian McGuigan, Stevie McDonnell, Paul Flynn, Bernard Brogan, Kieran Donaghy, Oisín McConville amongst others out of a team..but there's only 15 places!

TCDStudent1

I'd find it hard to put Darren Fay in as the best full back of the last 15 years. His best days were definitely in the 1990's and would probably pick him as my full back in a 1990's team. But he did very little in the 00's to justify his selection here.

ciarriaithuaidh

TCDStudent1 wrote: »

I'd find it hard to put Darren Fay in as the best full back of the last 15 years. His best days were definitely in the 1990's and would probably pick him as my full back in a 1990's team. But he did very little in the 00's to justify his selection here.

He was outstanding in several games that stand out in my mind right up until 2007 semi final. In 2001 he was heading for player of the year before Padraic Joyce ran riot in the second half of the final..and that was down to Meath being destroyed further out the field in fairness.

Yes, he was good in the 90s, but there were few fullbacks to touch him in the early 2000s either. He was only 31 or 32 when he retired in 2008 I think. Not many guys survive 12 seasons at fullback at that level!

FatherTed

We need to do a vote position by position. Also none of this putting players in to a unknown position for the sake of including him.

bucketybuck

One repeated inclusion seems to be Paul Galvin, but is he really one of the greatest footballers of the centrury so far? I'm not so sure.

I appreciate the instrumental role he played for a good Kerry team, along with Dooher he was perhaps one of the first of the new breed of half forwards that played almost box-to-box, getting involved with play all over the field and working like a cart horse while still remaining quality on the ball.

But was he really better at that role than the likes of Dooher and Flynn? We are considering forwards like Canavan and Joyce that transcended the game, and legends like Benny Coulter and Paddy Bradley won't even get a look in yet Paul Galvin does? Oisin McConville has medals and scoring records coming out his hole but Galvin gets a half-forward spot ahead of him?

Not for me.

homerjay2005

FatherTed wrote: »

We need to do a vote position by position. Also none of this putting players in to a unknown position for the sake of including him.

if everybody actually just picks their 15, as opposed to arguing point or just adding in 4 or 5 names, it would make it easier!

however, the majority of the picks seem to be the same, with the same 12, even 13 lads making almost all teams. the full back line appear to be the main issue, with Brogan V Mcdonell being the main dilemma in the ff line.