Most overated players to put on the green jersey

Asus X540L · 30-07-2018 3:34pm #1

My picks:

Jerry Flannery
Jeremy Staunton
Kevin Maggs
The Easterby brothers
Isaac Boss
Brian Carney
Conor O'Shea
Donncha O'Callaghan
Geordan Murphy
Tomas O'Leary

pickarooney · 30-07-2018 3:36pm

I would agree with none of those.
Who on earth ever rated Brian Carney as a union international.

The answer is clearly ROG anyway. :pac:

Chico Flores · 30-07-2018 3:41pm

What a petty little thread

Asus X540L · 30-07-2018 3:42pm

pickarooney wrote: »

Who on earth ever rated Brian Carney as a union international.

Eddie O'Sullivan.
Didn't he bring Brian to WC 2007 cause he had "world cup experience" or something.
I think that showed just how much poor Eddie lost the plot.

Cookiemunster · 30-07-2018 3:46pm

So grand slam winners and capped Lions are overrated. OK......

arsebiscuits1 · 30-07-2018 3:49pm

Wow this thread is going to end well...

Jerry Flannery was one of the top hookers this country has ever produced and injury robbed him of his chance.

Less said about O'Callaghan on this list the better...

Mods, can we just lock this thread before it gets out of hand please?

Former Former · 30-07-2018 3:49pm

Asus X540L wrote: »

The Easterby brothers

Simon Easterby was an absolutely brilliant player.
Guy Easterby was not, but then no-one ever thought he was any good, so I don't know how you'd describe him as over-rated.

What a horrible thread.

Podge_irl · 30-07-2018 3:53pm

It is a nebulous concept anyway.

Tomas O'Leary was very good during the grand slam season. He was not as good after it. Acknowledging the former doesn't make him overrated.

Ultimately people probably "overrate" 90% of the players who play for their team.

prawnsambo · 30-07-2018 4:16pm

Over ated? Is that some kind of fat joke?

endacl · 30-07-2018 4:21pm

prawnsambo wrote: »

Over ated? Is that some kind of fat joke?

Rikishi! :pac:

Boscoirl · 30-07-2018 4:37pm

O'Driscoll
Murray
Sexton
O'Connell

Am I doing this right?

Squidgy Black · 30-07-2018 4:42pm

Definitely Paul McShane

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Clegg · 30-07-2018 5:03pm

Ireland's player pool was never large enough for us to have overrated players who didn't deserve caps. We couldn't afford to overlook anyone who was half decent. We certainly had players who werent great but were the best available therefore received a number of caps. Or players who were once great but were still playing long past their peak because there was nobody younger coming through. RoG post 2011 is a good example of the latter.

It's only over the last two years that we've developed depth in every position bar half backs.

Burkie1203 · 30-07-2018 5:04pm

John Hayes

bobbyss · 30-07-2018 5:14pm

Kevin maggs. 70 odd caps.
Can't remember anything constructive or any outstanding moment.
How did he get 70 caps?

Podge_irl · 30-07-2018 5:17pm

bobbyss wrote: »

Kevin maggs. 70 odd caps.
Can't remember anything constructive or any outstanding moment.
How did he get 70 caps?

Dearth of options? Obviously fairly limited but I recall him being useful enough to have BOD running off for example. Worth remembering that Ireland were really, really bad back in the day.

Faugheen · 30-07-2018 5:19pm

Inb4 Jamie Heaslip

amacca · 30-07-2018 5:43pm

Geordan Murphy was justifiably highly rated imo ....oozed class at full back.

Podge_irl · 30-07-2018 6:05pm

amacca wrote: »

Geordan Murphy was justifiably highly rated imo ....oozed class at full back.

hmm...he was the closest on the list I came to agreeing with. Funny how these things work.

The Pheasant2 · 30-07-2018 6:06pm

Asus X540L wrote: »

My picks:

Jerry Flannery
Jeremy Staunton
Kevin Maggs
The Easterby brothers
Isaac Boss
Brian Carney
Conor O'Shea
Donncha O'Callaghan
Geordan Murphy
Tomas O'Leary

Simon Easterby was excellent for Ireland. If anything not rated enough.

padd b1975 · 30-07-2018 6:13pm

Brian Smith.

Podge_irl · 30-07-2018 6:18pm

The Pheasant2 wrote: »

Simon Easterby was excellent for Ireland. If anything not rated enough.

He was less "showy" then Neil Best in a lot of ways and especially after Best's admittedly fantastic showing in the 06(?) AIs it seemed harsh for Easterby to come back in for the 6N. It was absolutely the right call though and I think he proved that.

bobbyss · 30-07-2018 6:44pm

Dick Spring?
But maybe he was never rated any way?

yerrahbah · 30-07-2018 6:51pm

Leinster

30-07-2018 7:20pm

To even get remotely close to the level required to be a provincial player in a sport as competitive as rugby is a huge achievement. To go onto represent your country at the highest level is a huge honour and I'd say each and every player mentioned in this thread, retired or otherwise takes great pleasure in recollecting their time in green.

I think what we think of them really doesn't matter all that much, but even so I think it's particularly mean to denigrate their success by speculating how over rated or perhaps more tellingly - 'undeserving' they were.

Poor thread to be honest.

Podge_irl · 30-07-2018 7:22pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I think what we think of them really doesn't matter all that much

I mean, I agree but at the same time we shouldn't pretend we don't all do it as a matter of course in other threads. We just don't put it forward like this.

Asus X540L · 30-07-2018 7:59pm

Deleted User wrote: »

but even so I think it's particularly mean to denigrate their success by speculating how over rated or perhaps more tellingly - 'undeserving' they were.

.

Oh Gosh I might have even made them cry.

bilston · 30-07-2018 7:59pm

Podge_irl wrote: »

bobbyss wrote: »

Kevin maggs. 70 odd caps.
Can't remember anything constructive or any outstanding moment.
How did he get 70 caps?

Dearth of options? Obviously fairly limited but I recall him being useful enough to have BOD running off for example. Worth remembering that Ireland were really, really bad back in the day.

His partnership with BOD worked a treat in the early noughties when defences were a bit more spread. I'm not sure Maggs would have the same impact nowadays, that said I doubt even BOD would have ripped todays defences apart like he did around 2000-2003.

Quin_Dub · 30-07-2018 8:02pm

I'd agree with others - fairly petty thread..

I don't think that we've ever capped someone that wasn't worthy of the cap at that time and place.

Was every player that ever got a cap for Ireland "Top tier International Standard" ?

Perhaps not , but at that given moment they were the among the best players available to us.

In hind-sight we might all come up with a name or two and wonder how they got capped , but if we ask the question "Who else would you have picked at the specific time?" the answer will , I'm fairly certain be , "Actually , now that I think back , he was probably the best we had fit and available at the time.

As others have said , for long periods of time we were awful....

Podge_irl · 30-07-2018 8:04pm

bilston wrote: »

His partnership with BOD worked a treat in the early noughties when defences were a bit more spread. I'm not sure Maggs would have the same impact nowadays, that said I doubt even BOD would have ripped todays defences apart like he did around 2000-2003.

Not a hope. The classic bosher 12, runner 13 just isn't enough anymore. One of the impacts of professionalism is that size differences aren't as noticeable I think as well. Maggs was a big bloody unit for the time, but they're pretty much all big now. Even in the latter half of BOD's career it was close in strike runs that he did perfectly.

stephen_n · 30-07-2018 8:08pm

Jesus can the season hurry up and start already!

DONTMATTER · 30-07-2018 8:11pm

I suppose you can be really good but still overrated. Like saying someone is the best player ever to play in their position when they're not. I think Ireland's current half back pairing could fit this billing. Murray and Sexton are really, really good but slightly overrated. They both have weaknesses to their game.

thebaz · 30-07-2018 8:11pm

Podge_irl wrote: »

Dearth of options? Obviously fairly limited but I recall him being useful enough to have BOD running off for example. Worth remembering that Ireland were really, really bad back in the day.

always loved Maggs - over-rated ? - ask BOD - obviously limited ability in comparison but he squeezed every last bit out of his abilities , never shirked a challenge and gave 100% every time . Top bloke , and now onto Simon Easterby , nah this thread is just plain stupid.

Tim Robbins · 30-07-2018 8:21pm

Chico Flores wrote: »

What a petty little thread

I'd never slag a Rugby player at any level. It's a game that requires a lot of courage that most people don't have.

Clegg · 30-07-2018 8:27pm

Correct answer is obviously ToH.

30-07-2018 8:47pm

Clegg wrote: »

Correct answer is obviously ToH.

thisonetaken · 30-07-2018 9:20pm

Zebo was massively overrated. His try record for Ireland was atrocious and he was anonymous in most games.

Boscoirl · 30-07-2018 9:41pm

Peter Sagan

Dubinusa · 30-07-2018 9:44pm

Roux, maybe. On the other side though, Toner is underrated?

blinding · 30-07-2018 9:49pm

bobbyss wrote: »

Dick Spring?
But maybe he was never rated any way?

I was going to go for Dick myself two . The ball was like a hot wet soapy potato to Dick . Then he went in to Politics so he could do more damage to Ireland . I think he worked for de Banks after that ........Oh Holy God ...If we didn’t have Dick where might we be ? ? !

Gmaximum · 30-07-2018 9:51pm

Frano

blinding · 30-07-2018 9:54pm

Has Eamon Dunphy or some copy-cat picked one of the very best and said it was him so that he could be ..like...important !

Neil3030 · 30-07-2018 10:05pm

Boscoirl wrote: »

Peter Sagan

Please give this person the thread. They win.

blinding wrote: »

I was going to go for Dick myself two . The ball was like a hot wet soapy potato to Dick . Then he went in to Politics so he could do more damage to Ireland . I think he worked for de Banks after that ........Oh Holy God ...If we didn’t have Dick where might we be ? ? !

Extinct?

mags1962 · 30-07-2018 10:08pm

Simon Zebo for me, didn't score much for Ireland, held onto the ball too long and ran down blind alleys most of the time and not to forget his terrible kicking.
Honourable mention to Paul O'Callaghan in his last few years as he was living off his previous reputation in that he was always "anticipating" contact and going down early so he wouldn't get hurt, protecting himself which I think led to more injuries as he wasn't fully committed.
NOT trolling, just my opinion.

Squatter · 30-07-2018 10:11pm

mags1962 wrote: »

Honourable mention to Paul O'Callaghan in his last few years as he was living off his previous reputation in that he was always "anticipating" contact and going down early so he wouldn't get hurt, protecting himself which I think led to more injuries as he wasn't fully committed.

In fairness Paul O'Callaghan was a far better player than that Donncha O'Connell waster!

Autochange · 30-07-2018 10:18pm

Fergus mcFadden

Dr Devious · 30-07-2018 10:27pm

The claw Peter Clohessy. He enjoyed hurting people and had a mischievous smug demeanor whilst doing so.

mfceiling · 30-07-2018 10:40pm

mags1962 wrote: »

Honourable mention to Paul O'Callaghan in his last few years as he was living off his previous reputation

Not sure I've heard of Paul O'Callaghan...was he a back or forward?

JOHN_70 · 30-07-2018 11:05pm

Davy Tweed

Cork Boy 53 · 30-07-2018 11:25pm

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly

prawnsambo · 31-07-2018 9:02am

mfceiling wrote: »

Not sure I've heard of Paul O'Callaghan...was he a back or forward?

Clearly over-hyped.

Most overated players to put on the green jersey

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