km79 wrote: » The first thing to say is the sample size is very small for him at county level . So I hope and would love to be very wrong If he was younger and had a different intercounty coach I’d be more optimistic But he is 27 years old and our tackle ing in he real has gone down hill since Buckley left O Hora is VERY loose in the tackle at that level. Lot of head high tackles. And that’s at league not championship pace I’d have serious doubts that can be coaches out of him at this stage
Audioslaven wrote: » You could argue Vaughan was very loose as well when he came in but he was a serious player for us. It depends really where he is played and if he was on the half back line then he does not need to be as tight as in the corner. I wasn't aware he was 27 which would lead the question why he didn't make it before now. I thought he was around 23 or so.
seligehgit wrote: » Excellent list Can't off the top of my head think of any worthy of inclusion but shall ponder same. Can't argue with the top 2 but I'd have Zippy much higher,ditto Andy Moran. Keith Higgins top 3 IMO.
Audioslaven wrote: » TJ Kilgallon was another fine footballer who could easily move in.
Loafing Oaf wrote: » Actual top 10: Keegan, McHale, Higgins, Nallen, Moran, MacDonald, Boyle, Clarke, Padden, O'Shea
Audioslaven wrote: » Ya a good list although I am not totally sold on Padden. I think of some other guys like Kevin Cahill who was probably the best full back we have had in a long time, another Kenneth Mortimer who was excellent in the corner. One guy who had the raw talent but never got into the Mayo set up till later on was Kevin O'Neill. I can never understand why he never made serious in roads on the county scene as he had loads of talent. I think overall Keegan and McDonald are the finest footballers to have worn the jersey.
Audioslaven wrote: » Ya a good list although I am not totally sold on Padden. I think of some other guys like Kevin Cahill who was probably the best full back we have had in a long time, another Kenneth Mortimer who was excellent in the corner. One guy who had the raw talent but never got into the Mayo set up till later on was Kevin O'Neill. I can never understand why he never made serious in roads on the county scene as he had loads of talent.I think overall Keegan and McDonald are the finest footballers to have worn the jersey.
statto25 wrote: » Maybe I'm out of touch but surprised to see Conor Mortimer not in there. He shot the lights out for consecutive years in the 2000s and was an excellent forward.
wirelessdude01 wrote: » Even as a youngster I couldn't see what people saw in him. He wouldn't win a ball in a contest with a wet paper bag.
muddle84 wrote: » He was a good scorer, but i always thought the ball had to be handed to him. I wouldn't mention him in the same sentence as gooch, I always thought gooch could win his own ball. Not to mention the fact he f*?ked off when the county needed him most.
blinding wrote: » Kevin O’Neill had a bad knee injury which he never came back as good as he was (physically fit wise ) What a Player in his Hayday ! ! !
Audioslaven wrote: » Ya i heard about the injury but I do think managers just didn't go for him. He was two years ahead of me in Jarlath's when he came in as a fifth year student. He was over age so he couldn't play for them. He went out on alot of days on his own to belt balls over the ball. He was just so talented and its a real pity it never got realized to its full potential. I would have put him in the McDonald bracket but it never worked out.
Audioslaven wrote: » That is so true. He could not catch a ball above his head but he was very accurate. It always came home in finals where he was marked out of it. He was decent but he would be nowhere near the top 10. Kenneth and Trevor were far superior footballers maybe didn't have the same skill level as him, but their attitude and strength made them better footballers from a team's perspective.
km79 wrote: » I have tbh on something else too I have seen Tom Parsons in some of these lists I think that’s rose tinted glasses due to his positivity in recovery He had a couple of really good seasons? There are at least 5/6 midfielders ahead of him. Seamie o Shea for example doesn’t seem to get any credit. Hugely important player for us . And actually complemented Parsons quite well without getting the same plaudits due to his steadier style Maybe I’m being harsh ?
RedDevil55 wrote: » I've always thought that about Seamie O'Shea too. Was a crucial player in many of our big championship games over the last decade. Even last summer he gave us a huge boost after returning from injury to play in the Kerry, Meath, Donegal and Dublin games. Tom Parsons was very good 2015 - 2017 but didn't have the longevity of others.
RedDevil55 wrote: » Granted I'm too young to remember Padden and even McHale, but Aidan O'Shea should be a good bit higher on that. I also couldn't believe Cillian O'Connor was only 15th. Without him, we wouldn't have got very far at all the last 10 years.
charlie14 wrote: » It`s a shame you never got to see Willie Joe play People nowadays talk about high fielders that can catch a ball over their heads when fielding, Willie Joe could do that and more. When you thought it was gone, he could field it behind his head. I`m from Donegal, but any conversation I have had with GAA people in my own county or any other, when it comes to the great fielders, anybody who ever saw the man play has him up there with the greats. He was always a player that, to use that old expression, wintered well, and from knowing people that played with him at county, not a lover of dark nights training, but come long evenings and dry pitches Willie Joe was in in his element. There may have been other faults to his game, but when it came to the primary objective, at least in those days of fielding a high ball in a crowded midfield, Willie Joe Padden was a master of the art. And will long be remembered as so by those that were lucky enough to have seen him play
