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Smallest ever footballer/hurler

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  • 07-04-2019 10:43pm
    #1
    Road-Hog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,412 ✭✭✭


    Who is the shortest of short asses to grace the fields of play....? Will start off with Seanie o’leary....he definitely looked short but maybe the camera lies.....?


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    #2
    Bonniedog
    Registered Users Posts: 6,665 ✭✭✭Bonniedog


    Fan Larkin.


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    #3
    tanko
    Registered Users Posts: 9,205 ✭✭✭tanko


    Joe Deane, former Cork hurler 5 foot 7 i think.
    Mickey Graham Cavan manager and former Cavan footballer 5 foot 8.


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    #4
    flos1964
    Registered Users Posts: 149 ✭✭flos1964


    Offaly hero Johnny Flaherty ...5 foot 7 .


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    #5
    pipelaser
    Registered Users Posts: 570 ✭✭✭pipelaser


    I think Willie Quinlan was being generous saying that he was 5' 7"!
    What a player though!

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/where-are-they-now-29278195.html


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    #6
    jr86
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭jr86


    tanko wrote: »
    Joe Deane, former Cork hurler 5 foot 7 i think.
    Mickey Graham Cavan manager and former Cavan footballer 5 foot 8.

    5"8 is hardly that exceptional, most teams would have a lad that size in the team. Not that small at all


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    #7
    jr86
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭jr86


    Bonniedog wrote: »
    Fan Larkin.

    Has to be!


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    #8
    ahnowbrowncow
    Registered Users Posts: 2,563 ✭✭✭ahnowbrowncow


    Mark Bradley from Tyrone is 5' 6" and there's probably a good few smaller than that.

    The average height in Ireland is 5' 9" so I'm sure 5' 7" and 5' 8" would be fairly common.


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    #9
    supernova5
    Registered Users Posts: 593 ✭✭✭supernova5


    John Small, Dublin


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    #10
    Stroke Politics
    Registered Users Posts: 570 ✭✭✭Stroke Politics


    Kevin Broderick was hurling for Galway on the late 90s early 00s - not a tall man but deadly with the ball....


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    #11
    granturismo
    Registered Users Posts: 1,891 ✭✭✭granturismo


    Bonniedog wrote: »
    Fan Larkin.

    Wikipedia has him as 5'4'' so take that with a pinch of salt. I'm sure he was less than 5'7'' when he was playing inter county.


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    #12
    Bonniedog
    Registered Users Posts: 6,665 ✭✭✭Bonniedog


    granturismo wrote: »
    Wikipedia has him as 5'4'' so take that with a pinch of salt. I'm sure he was less than 5'7'' when he was playing inter county.


    I met him a few times, and I'd say 5' 4 would be accurate enough. Great hurler.

    Corner and wing backs were often smaller chaps back in the day. Anyone with height and bulk was in the central spine. Dublin teams in 50s and 60s would generally have been thought to have been on the light side but always had big tough lads like Lar and the Timmons and Monks and others. Des Foley did not have Lar's reputation, but was well able to look after himself.


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    #13
    granturismo
    Registered Users Posts: 1,891 ✭✭✭granturismo


    Bonniedog wrote: »
    Fan Larkin.

    He played hurling and football so that has to be worth bonus points.


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    #14
    Joe Daly
    Closed Accounts Posts: 499 ✭✭Joe Daly


    granturismo wrote: »
    Wikipedia has him as 5'4'' so take that with a pinch of salt. I'm sure he was less than 5'7'' when he was playing inter county.


    Fan was told by the heads in croke park that he was to sit down when team photos were taken, the late paddy grace told him that the county board was sent a letter about it. The pair of them came to a decession that Fan would stand at the end of the photo beside Frank Cummins, or Kieran Purcell because they were bigger men. It used to be a sight when he was marking Ray Cummins of Cork he used his cutness to now end.


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    #15
    Bonniedog
    Registered Users Posts: 6,665 ✭✭✭Bonniedog


    My favourite Fan story is after one final - might have been 1975 - he was stopped after the match by Mick Dunne to say a few words but he told him that he couldn't stop because he had to go to Mass!

    True story.


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    #16
    PARlance
    Registered Users Posts: 21,093 ✭✭✭✭PARlance


    jr86 wrote: »
    5"8 is hardly that exceptional, most teams would have a lad that size in the team. Not that small at all

    A 5"8 player would look small enough out there with a big team though.
    Just did a quick wiki search on "small" players that came to mind... Peter Canavan 5"9, Jayo 5"8, Declan Browne 5"9.... all came to mind as small for me anyway.

    Maybe lads grow a few inches on wiki?


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    #17
    BloodyBill
    Registered Users Posts: 957 ✭✭✭BloodyBill


    Davy Fitzgerald. 4'9. But with the specially made insoles hes 5,5


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    #18
    Kerrydude1981
    Registered Users Posts: 14,193 ✭✭✭✭Kerrydude1981


    Genie Farrell played with Kerry in the mid 90s

    Has two Sigerson medals with Tralee IT as well


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    #19
    Badabing
    Registered Users Posts: 1,907 ✭✭✭Badabing


    Eoin McGrath (Waterford)


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    #20
    Bonniedog
    Registered Users Posts: 6,665 ✭✭✭Bonniedog


    DJ and Richie Hogan be average enough height.

    It is not as much a feature of hurling as football. There have been some brilliant corner forwards and wing forwards of smaller stature in last 20 year, including the above. Joe Deane who someone mentioned and our own Dotsy.


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    #21
    supernova5
    Registered Users Posts: 593 ✭✭✭supernova5


    Cathal [Tots] O' Connell - Clare

    5ft 3ins


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    #22
    partyguinness
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    Lads,

    You can't trust any official figures. Remember there is a lot of embellishment out there.

    I personally know some well known All Ireland winning inter county players from over the years who appeared as well over 6 foot in official match programs and the like. Now I'm 5'10 and I can tell you for nothing they are no more 6'1 or 6'2 than I am. I will keep the names to myself.

    The same goes on in rugby.


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    #23
    Bonniedog
    Registered Users Posts: 6,665 ✭✭✭Bonniedog


    That is certainly true. One Dublin player not long retired was in programmes at 6 foot. Know him well and he is same height as myself and I am not six foot!


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    #24
    willietherock
    Registered Users Posts: 1,005 ✭✭✭willietherock


    supernova5 wrote: »
    Cathal [Tots] O' Connell - Clare

    5ft 3ins

    winner


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    #25
    Grueller
    Registered Users Posts: 5,100 ✭✭✭Grueller


    Sylvie Linnane.


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    #26
    cyclocross!
    Registered Users Posts: 640 ✭✭✭cyclocross!


    Current Dublin footballer Eoin Murchan. 5 foot 5 inches


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    #27
    1373
    Registered Users Posts: 519 ✭✭✭1373


    Declan brown


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    #28
    Danville
    Registered Users Posts: 98 ✭✭Danville


    Bonniedog wrote: »
    My favourite Fan story is after one final - might have been 1975 - he was stopped after the match by Mick Dunne to say a few words but he told him that he couldn't stop because he had to go to Mass!

    True story.

    Before the All-Ireland final 72? where he was full back and marked Ray Cummins who was 6'3" an interviewer asked him how he would handle Ray who "would be catching the ball in the clouds", Fan replied "He has to land, doesn't he"


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    #29
    partyguinness
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    Bonniedog wrote: »
    That is certainly true. One Dublin player not long retired was in programmes at 6 foot. Know him well and he is same height as myself and I am not six foot!


    Funnily enough 12 years ago I was at a conference in Dublin at the Westbury and at the lunch I happened to be sitting next to a current Dublin footballer of the day. To be honest I didn't know him from Adam during lunch and chit chatted away as you do. It transpired that it was indeed X footballer. As I mentioned I am 5'10 and this footballer was at the very max the same height as me and I would say perhaps an inch or so shorter as we stood next to each other chatting for a bit.

    Now a few months later during the Championship the same footballer was listed as 6'1...:D


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    #30
    beertons
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 23,056 ✭✭✭✭beertons


    Tommy Dowd?


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    #31
    thesultan
    Registered Users Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭thesultan


    Jasmine brennan kilkenny only 5'6 I think.


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