Football's most beautiful players to watch in past 20 years

seligehgit

Bound to stimulate plenty of debate.

Gaelic Football's most beautiful players to watch of the last 20 years: 10-1

http://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/gaelic-footballs-most-beautiful-players-to-watch-of-the-last-20-years-part-ii/51260

Mod: Moved from All Ireland SFC thread.
Also, secondary discussion (as suggested by Nidgeweasel): "Obscure 90's footballers with big arses and questionable fitness regimes"

robbiezero

seligehgit wrote: »

Bound to stimulate plenty of debate.

Gaelic Football's most beautiful players to watch of the last 20 years: 10-1

http://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/gaelic-footballs-most-beautiful-players-to-watch-of-the-last-20-years-part-ii/51260

Enda Muldoon in that company? Really?

keeponhurling

robbiezero wrote: »

Enda Muldoon in that company? Really?

Strange ok, they're missing Mattie Forde somehow

Jayop

seligehgit wrote: »

Bound to stimulate plenty of debate.

Gaelic Football's most beautiful players to watch of the last 20 years: 10-1

http://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/gaelic-footballs-most-beautiful-players-to-watch-of-the-last-20-years-part-ii/51260

Canavan only at 8 and any derry man in the top ten? I think we know which member of the sportsjoe team decided on those.

yabadabado

Seems sports joe.ie didn't bother looking at anyone bar forwards.Stupid article but not surprised by them.

Jayop

yabadabado wrote: »

Seems sports joe.ie didn't bother looking at anyone bar forwards.Stupid article but not surprised by them.

Have you listened to the podcast they do with Wooly? I've got the last two and I really have to say it was excellent both times. Very Ulster centric given the week that's been in it so there was loads in it for me but I'd say everyone should give it a go.

Stoner

seligehgit wrote:

Gaelic Football's most beautiful players to watch of the last 20 years: 10-1

I saw Peter Canavan at 8 and stopped reading.

seligehgit

Jayop wrote: »

Have you listened to the podcast they do with Wooly? I've got the last two and I really have to say it was excellent both times. Very Ulster centric given the week that's been in it so there was loads in it for me but I'd say everyone should give it a go.

Have you got a link??

Jayop

seligehgit wrote: »

Have you got a link??

Take a look at @SportsJOEdotie's Tweet: https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/755133546944139264?s=09

yop

Stoner wrote: »

I saw Peter Canavan at 8 and stopped reading.

And him behind Muldoon and Connolly! :rolleyes: The guy was superb.

I thought that Mattie Forde would be ahead of Muldoon, that guy was an incredible player but just played for a weaker county.
Anyway, gone off topic!

TCDStudent1

Jayop wrote: »

Have you listened to the podcast they do with Wooly? I've got the last two and I really have to say it was excellent both times. Very Ulster centric given the week that's been in it so there was loads in it for me but I'd say everyone should give it a go.

Yeah I've been impressed with it so far too. He gets some big names on it.

Jayop

TCDStudent1 wrote: »

Yeah I've been impressed with it so far too. He gets some big names on it.

It's probably the most honest and lacking in vanity of any of the GAA spots I've listened to. Wooly is a laugh too. I disagree with him a lot but like what he says too.

yabadabado

Yeah do listen to Parkinsons podcast a bit and enjoy it.Sportsjoe is usually crap articles imo.

yop

yabadabado wrote: »

Yeah do listen to Parkinsons podcast a bit and enjoy it.Sportsjoe is usually crap articles imo.

All their articles do is pull in a load of keyboard warriors. The one on Connolly yesterday had some bunch of idiots commenting.

Few lads there who post regular on the articles you'd wonder if they were once in straight jackets :P

Nidgeweasel

yop wrote: »

All their articles do is pull in a load of keyboard warriors. The one on Connolly yesterday had some bunch of idiots commenting.

Few lads there who post regular on the articles you'd wonder if they were once in straight jackets :P

That 'pundit arena' is laughably shít too.

TCDStudent1

Jayop wrote: »

It's probably the most honest and lacking in vanity of any of the GAA spots I've listened to. Wooly is a laugh too. I disagree with him a lot but like what he says too.

He talks so much rubbish a lot of the time, it's hard to agree with him!

Bold move by him leaving off the ball though. And I've really enjoyed the chats so far. Maybe it's because it's just a fresh set of voices. Second captains seem to constantly have Malachy Clerkin and Oisin mcconville on.

Jayop

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

That 'pundit arena' is laughably shít too.

It's just randomers posting their thoughts like an average gaa boardsie chatting about a game.

Stoner

yop wrote:

And him behind Muldoon and Connolly! And The Mac !! The guy was superb.

Fixed that for you . I agree now !

yop

Stoner wrote: »

Fixed that for you . I agree now !

Mac I rate, but ya Canavan was a level above for different reasons.

harpsman

TCDStudent1 wrote: »

He talks so much rubbish a lot of the time, it's hard to agree with him!

Bold move by him leaving off the ball though. And I've really enjoyed the chats so far. Maybe it's because it's just a fresh set of voices. Second captains seem to constantly have Malachy Clerkin and Oisin mcconville on.

Ah so Woolys left OTB-was wondering where hed gone. Will miss him on OTB- was a nice counterbalance to the pomposity of Joe and especially Gilroy.

Still another podcast good, even if they're multiplying exponentially- see RTE have one called Jones Rd too. Im a bit of an addict-even listened to a couple of minutes of the Marty Squad the other day:eek:. Never again though.

yop

harpsman wrote: »

Ah so Woolys left OTB-was wondering where hed gone. Will miss him on OTB- was a nice counterbalance to the pomposity of Joe and especially Gilroy.

Still another podcast good, even if they're multiplying exponentially- see RTE have one called Jones Rd too. Im a bit of an addict-even listened to a couple of minutes of the Marty Squad the other day:eek:. Never again though.

STOP! I managed to have that turned on Sunday evening! Sweet divine, its worse than his hairline!!!! EARPAIN.COM

ahlookit

yop wrote: »

STOP! I managed to have that turned on Sunday evening! Sweet divine, its worse than his hairline!!!! EARPAIN.COM

Just when you think RTE GAA coverage has hit rock bottom they start to dig.
Awful waste of a good timeslot when a lot of people are in their cars after matches looking for some insightful analysis, instead they serve up Brenda Donoghue yakking away to some eejits.

OldMrBrennan83

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harpsman

yop wrote: »

Mac I rate, but ya Canavan was a level above for different reasons.

Stephen O Neill for me-god he kicked some exquisite points off both feet over the years.

In fairness there are a few defenders there iirc, but Muldoon above ONeill, McDonnell and Murphy not great. And no Bernard Brogan?

yop

harpsman wrote: »

Stephen O Neill for me-god he kicked some exquisite points off both feet over the years.

In fairness there are a few defenders there iirc, but Muldoon above ONeill, McDonnell and Murphy not great. And no Bernard Brogan?

Yes, Stephen O'Neill. And McDonnell from Armagh. There was a Wicklow lad who was pure quality also, can't think of his name.
Michael Meehan who for me was the best player I have seen in the flesh and whose career was ruined by injury, would still rate up there. Against a Cork team around 3 years ago his performance was sublime. Shame it was cut short.

OldMrBrennan83

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ahlookit

yop wrote: »

Yes, Stephen O'Neill. And McDonnell from Armagh. There was a Wicklow lad who was pure quality also, can't think of his name.
Michael Meehan who for me was the best player I have seen in the flesh and whose career was ruined by injury, would still rate up there. Against a Cork team around 3 years ago his performance was sublime. Shame it was cut short.

Kevin O'Brien is probably just outside the 20 year boundary - maybe you're thinking of Leighton Glynn?

O'Neill & McDonnell made the top 20, not the top 10:
http://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/gaelic-footballs-most-beautiful-players-to-watch-from-the-last-20-years-part-i/51230


I always preferred watching Ja Fallon to any of the other Galway forwards of that outstanding team, he was a joy to watch.

And Kieran McDonalds defining moment had to be the point vs Dublin in the 06 semi final surely? As good as any I have ever seen.

Redsoxfan

Let me guess Conan Doherty is behind the Muldoon piece...

OldMrBrennan83

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aidan24326

robbiezero wrote: »

Enda Muldoon in that company? Really?

Slightly odd choice alright. Good player but there would be others more deserving of inclusion on a list like that.

yop wrote: »

Yes, Stephen O'Neill. And McDonnell from Armagh. There was a Wicklow lad who was pure quality also, can't think of his name.
Michael Meehan who for me was the best player I have seen in the flesh and whose career was ruined by injury, would still rate up there. Against a Cork team around 3 years ago his performance was sublime. Shame it was cut short.

The Wicklow player you're thinking of might be Kevin O'Brien? He was a very good player though not quite in the class of some of those mentioned.

And yes it's a pity what happened with Micheal Meehan. He could still be playing now if the ankle had held up (he is 32 afaik). Such a talent who was a bit unfortunate that he came along when Galway football was heading into a low ebb. How we'd love to have a 21 year old Micheal Meehan in the squad right now!

Nidgeweasel

harpsman wrote: »

Stephen O Neill for me-god he kicked some exquisite points off both feet over the years.

He scored two absolutely stupid points in a league semi/final (?) a few years back.

Ridiculous it was. He made a prick of the defender in the process too. You'd be in for some time of it having to mark the likes of him.

BonnieSituation

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

He scored two absolutely stupid points in a league semi/final (?) a few years back.

Ridiculous it was. He made a prick of the defender in the process too. You'd be in for some time of it having to mark the likes of him.

He had a habit of that. Possibly my favourite ever footballer. (Though Paul Flynn is close)

He scored a point in the GAA125 game against us that was from a stupid angle over at the Cusack Davin Corner. Unbelievable stuff.

To a man he got a standing ovation around me.

castletownman

If there's any Derry forward that deserves inclusion, it's Paddy Bradley. Criminally under-rated as one of the best forwards of the last twenty years.

BonnieSituation

Cracking player.

bucketybuck

castletownman wrote: »

Criminally under-rated as one of the best forwards of the last twenty years.

But the list doesn't say its the best forwards of the last 20 years, its something like "the most beautiful players to watch". In that context I can understand why the likes of Muldoon are in there and why its mainly forwards listed.

Sure, Bradley was a better and more effective player, but Muldoon was a fantastic player to watch as he eased around the field. Same with McDonnell, he was a superb player but he was almost too efficient for a list like that, whereas O'Neill may have scored less but he did it with an effortless style that was amazing to watch.

I don't want to defend Joe.ie, people can disagree with their picks if they want, but perhaps they should check what they are actually disagreeing with first.

yabadabado

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Was it O'Brien who was in the same forward line as Colm O'Rourke and Tony McManus for UCD?

MfMan

bucketybuck wrote: »

But the list doesn't say its the best forwards of the last 20 years, its something like "the most beautiful players to watch". In that context I can understand why the likes of Muldoon are in there and why its mainly forwards listed.

Good and all though Ja and Padraig Joyce were, Donnellan was the best and easiest to watch by far. So comfortably two-footed, where the other 2 were predominantly left', and so easy at carrying the ball flat out at pace, jinking left or right and scoring off either foot. Maybe the most physically consummate player of that era. Of the listed 10, I would rate only Gooch as an equal.

Jayop

bucketybuck wrote: »

But the list doesn't say its the best forwards of the last 20 years, its something like "the most beautiful players to watch". In that context I can understand why the likes of Muldoon are in there and why its mainly forwards listed.

Sure, Bradley was a better and more effective player, but Muldoon was a fantastic player to watch as he eased around the field. Same with McDonnell, he was a superb player but he was almost too efficient for a list like that, whereas O'Neill may have scored less but he did it with an effortless style that was amazing to watch.

I don't want to defend Joe.ie, people can disagree with their picks if they want, but perhaps they should check what they are actually disagreeing with first.

You're seriously trying to suggest that in any planet Muldoon was better to watch than Peter the God Canavan.

Also McDonnell should be in any man's top ten in that list. What a wonderful player to watch. The passing of that man is the best I've ever seen.

bucketybuck

Jayop wrote: »

You're seriously trying to suggest that in any planet Muldoon was better to watch than Peter the God Canavan.

No, I'm simply pointing out that fact that the list was never supposed to be a list of the best players of the past 20 years.

intellectual dosser

Its a joe.ie piece, not worthy of further discussion.

While I'll sound like a snob, I berate any friends who send me a link to a joe.ie / balls.ie / unilad article, pure clickbait crap.

Jayop

bucketybuck wrote: »

No, I'm simply pointing out that fact that the list was never supposed to be a list of the best players of the past 20 years.

That's what I said, better to watch. Clearly we all already know Canavan was the best player ever so there's no need to discuss that.

elefant

intellectual dosser wrote: »

Its a joe.ie piece, not worthy of further discussion.

While I'll sound like a snob, I berate any friends who send me a link to a joe.ie / balls.ie / unilad article, pure clickbait crap.

Absolute cesspits of poor grammar and pointless articles.

threeball

bucketybuck wrote: »

No, I'm simply pointing out that fact that the list was never supposed to be a list of the best players of the past 20 years.

I'm with you on this one. Its not a list of the best players/forwards for the last 20yrs, its the most beautiful players to watch. For me the only ones on the list that would be dead certs with that criteria is Gooch, McDonald, and Maurice Fitz. Canavan and PJ have a case but while both were unbelievable footballers I wouldn't have described their movement as beautiful. Donnellan was the best solo runner I had ever seen up until recently but Shane Walsh is just poetry when you see him moving with the ball.

Giles while a beautiful striker of the ball off the ground wouldn't wow you with it in hand. Brogan has that languid style that's easy on the eye but I don't know about top 10. I'd need more time to think about it but I think there are some less obvious players to go on that list other than the top forwards that spring to everyone's mind.

Nidgeweasel

Tomás O Sé was a sight to behold bombing down the wing.

threeball

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

Tomás O Sé was a sight to behold bombing down the wing.

He moved well with the ball, as does Karl lacey. I still think there's another 5 better out there though.

Nidgeweasel

threeball wrote: »

He moved well with the ball, as does Karl lacey. I still think there's another 5 better out there though.

Who?

Dirty Dingus McGee

Kieran McDonald is porobably the most aesthetically pleasing footballer in the history of the game.

His footpassing was ridiculous and he's scored some of the best points I've ever seen.

seligehgit

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

Tomás O Sé was a sight to behold bombing down the wing.

I've never seen a more complete half back and joy to behold than Tomas O Se in my time following GAA,unfortunately I got to see his brilliance up close on far too many occasions.

Jayop

A better one could be who are the top ten excellent footballers who looked awful?

Ill start with Brian Dooher.

seligehgit

Jayop wrote: »

A better one could be who are the top ten excellent footballers who looked awful?

Ill start with Brian Dooher.

Michael Dara McCauley?

JB81

Johnny Doyle