Greatest hurler ever..?

2Scoops · 19-02-2008 07:34PM

mollybird wrote: »

in my time id have to say joe deane (Deano Cork), Dan Shanahan (Dan the Man Waterford) and i hate to say it but Henry Shefflin (kilkenny). god that was hard to say. now i have to wash my mouth out. sorry despise the cats. what can i say im a rebel fan!!

A Kilkenny-hating Cork fan that lives in... Louth! God love ya!

JHMEG · 24-02-2008 12:28AM

Paul Flynn. A mercurial genius.

MrJoeSoap · 25-02-2008 06:03PM

Of the current crop...

Tommy Walsh, probably the best all-round defensive hurler of the past twenty years. Absolute legend.

Ken McGrath, without the physical presence of "The Rock" he does every bit as good a job. One of the most committed, passionate and influential players going. Can stick points over from 70 yards and catch balls with looking.

Henry Shefflin, will go on to become mentioned in the same breath as Ring and Keher. Impossible to compare and contrast but both incredible in their own right. Best player in the game today, hope this injury won't slow him down.

Honorable mentions to Sean Og and The Rock. Give Cha ten years and he'll be one of the greats as well.

blackbelt · 25-02-2008 06:57PM

Have to go with DJ Carey myself although Corcoran has a claim to it too.I think James 'Cha' FitzGerald and Henry Shefflin are the best hurlers in the present era.

On a side note,I think Ronan Fallon is good enough to make any of the big intercounty teams like Cork and Waterford and Tipp.If he was able to play for them,I'd say he'd flourish given the quality players he could play with.

Marse · 27-02-2008 10:33AM

Have to say, I think Shefflin is as good as anyone I’ve ever seen..
I never seen a ring play, but did see plenty of Dj and the man is/was a legend.

Bogger77 · 28-02-2008 05:13PM

Don't think I could give Henry Shefflin my vote.
In last years (2006) Leinster Club match against Birr, he refused to give a couple of kids* autographs, before the match. Other players such as Cha, had no problems signing.
While he might be a good player, it's things like that that that makes a great player.

Players such as DJ, etc, realize that the fans are reason for the sport existing.

*(dressed in KK colours, even)

flonge · 28-02-2008 05:31PM

Bogger77 wrote: »

Players such as DJ, etc, realize that the fans are reason for the sport existing.

*(dressed in KK colours, even)

I would have to give my vote to Henry Shefflin, he is such a skillful player.Although the outlook for him this year isnt looking good.
Players who get cruciated ligaments dont often come back as good as they were before they got the injury.

I disagree with the DJ Carey comment..A friend of mine asked him for his autograph for her daughter who was a avid kilkenny supporter one day,he was completely ignorant towards her and was extremely rude.
He is not as nice as he comes across on television.

kraggy · 28-02-2008 06:53PM

Joe Cooney for me.

Wasn't as fast a runner or as deadly, accurate shot as DJ but changed games from further out. Playmaker. Able to take a score or 2 too.

His control of the ball was unreal.

Legend.

Bogger77 · 28-02-2008 06:54PM

flonge wrote: »

I would have to give my vote to Henry Shefflin, he is such a skillful player.Although the outlook for him this year isnt looking good.
Players who get cruciated ligaments dont often come back as good as they were before they got the injury.

I disagree with the DJ Carey comment..A friend of mine asked him for his autograph for her daughter who was a avid kilkenny supporter one day,he was completely ignorant towards her and was extremely rude.
He is not as nice as he comes across on television.

Have only met DJ once, so I can't comment.

Nicest player I've had pleasure of meeting, other than my own county mates, would have been Ollie Baker. After the Offaly-clare All-Ireland semi reply in Thurles, on his way back to his car, ran into a bunch of Offaly people and wished them the best, this was less than 30minutes after losing to them.

Awesomo-4000 · 01-03-2008 04:18PM

in my time, it has to be henry shefflin. he is a class act, very entertaining. Give the likes of Cha and tommy walsh time and they will definately be among the greats.

hunter164 · 03-03-2008 07:07PM

You know dublin have had some quality players over the years but just because the team around them wasn't as strong they didn't win many things and didn't get the merits they deserved

MrJoeSoap · 03-03-2008 09:21PM

hunter164 wrote: »

You know dublin have had some quality players over the years but just because the team around them wasn't as strong they didn't win many things and didn't get the merits they deserved

Names please...

aidan24326 · 04-03-2008 12:48AM

The way Joe Canning is headed it looks like he may be talked about in these sort of discussions in years to come. An awesome talent. A whopping 1-16 for LIT the other day, including 4 points from sideline cuts. Incredible. Has anyone ever scored four sideline cuts in a game before? It can't have happened too often. He is quite possibly the best I've ever seen at that particular skill, often driving the ball up to 80 yards from the ground, and accurately. You have to imagine he'd be a savage golfer with a skill like that.

MrJoeSoap · 04-03-2008 01:01AM

aidan24326 wrote: »

The way Joe Canning is headed it looks like he may be talked about in these sort of discussions in years to come. An awesome talent. A whopping 1-16 for LIT the other day, including 4 points from sideline cuts. Incredible. Has anyone ever scored four sideline cuts in a game before? It can't have happened too often. He is quite possibly the best I've ever seen at that particular skill, often driving the ball up to 80 yards from the ground, and accurately. You have to imagine he'd be a savage golfer with a skill like that.

Unbelievable performance against WIT on Saturday, he almost single handedly kept them in it through 90 minutes of hurling. One of the best performances I've seen in years.

Did you see Powers save? Incredible stuff. That game was a joy to watch.

An Citeog · 04-03-2008 02:46AM

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

Unbelievable performance against WIT on Saturday, he almost single handedly kept them in it through 90 minutes of hurling. One of the best performances I've seen in years.

Did you see Powers save? Incredible stuff. That game was a joy to watch.

He seems to be carrying a fair bit of extra weight aswell. Savage hurler though who seems to be taking things at his own pace rather than being rushed into playing senior for Galway.

megadodge · 07-03-2008 12:38PM

Bogger77 wrote: »

Don't think I could give Henry Shefflin my vote.
In last years (2006) Leinster Club match against Birr, he refused to give a couple of kids* autographs, before the match. Other players such as Cha, had no problems signing.
While he might be a good player, it's things like that that that makes a great player.

Players such as DJ, etc, realize that the fans are reason for the sport existing.

*(dressed in KK colours, even)

I'm about as anti-Kilkenny as you'll get, but that is a completely illogical and pointless statement.

How the hell is signing/not signing an autograph BEFORE a game a deciding factor in what a player can or can't do on a pitch ?

What a player does/did on the pitch is what we're talking about here, not how nice they were !

MrJoeSoap · 07-03-2008 02:18PM

Bogger77 wrote: »

Don't think I could give Henry Shefflin my vote.
In last years (2006) Leinster Club match against Birr, he refused to give a couple of kids* autographs, before the match. Other players such as Cha, had no problems signing.
While he might be a good player, it's things like that that that makes a great player.

Players such as DJ, etc, realize that the fans are reason for the sport existing.

*(dressed in KK colours, even)

megadodge wrote: »

I'm about as anti-Kilkenny as you'll get, but that is a completely illogical and pointless statement.

How the hell is signing/not signing an autograph BEFORE a game a deciding factor in what a player can or can't do on a pitch ?

What a player does/did on the pitch is what we're talking about here, not how nice they were !

A friend of mine was telling me a story of a kid on his road who wrote to Shefflin saying how he was his hero and so on, and Shefflin phoned the kid to ask him if he wanted to come down to Kilkenny for the day and meet him and hit a few sliotars.

Bogger77 · 12-03-2008 11:35AM

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

A friend of mine was telling me a story of a kid on his road who wrote to Shefflin saying how he was his hero and so on, and Shefflin phoned the kid to ask him if he wanted to come down to Kilkenny for the day and meet him and hit a few sliotars.

i'll repeat.
With my own eyes, I say him tell kids to go away and refused to sign a programme.

a good hurler plays good hurling on the pitch, a great hurler is someone whose a good role model on and off the pitch.

And to me, ignoring your fans, when they're after travelling up to Portlaoise on a cold, wintry day, just to see you and your team play, is not being a good role model.

Players who get drunk, commit assualt (both on and off the pitch, I'm thinking of a certain former galway intercounty freetaker), drunk driver, etc. that bar's them from being great hurlers.

megadodge · 12-03-2008 12:26PM

Well I'll repeat also - what you're saying is completely illogical !!

How does what he does OFF the pitch jump him from 'good' to 'great' or visa versa ?
The thread is not about who the nicest hurler of all time is !!
It's about the hurling ability and achievments ON THE PITCH of the hurler concerned.

OJ Simpson is one of, if not the greatest running back in American Football history irrespective of what he did off the field.

MrJoeSoap · 12-03-2008 02:22PM

Bogger77 wrote: »

i'll repeat.
With my own eyes, I say him tell kids to go away and refused to sign a programme.

a good hurler plays good hurling on the pitch, a great hurler is someone whose a good role model on and off the pitch.

And to me, ignoring your fans, when they're after travelling up to Portlaoise on a cold, wintry day, just to see you and your team play, is not being a good role model.

Players who get drunk, commit assualt (both on and off the pitch, I'm thinking of a certain former galway intercounty freetaker), drunk driver, etc. that bar's them from being great hurlers.

Roy Keane was a god-awful footballer so.

JHMEG · 14-03-2008 09:07PM

Actually I had a dream there last summer that Henry Shefflin had gotten so good that he started openly smoking during hurling matches.

MrJoeSoap · 15-03-2008 01:51PM

JHMEG wrote: »

Actually I had a dream there last summer that Henry Shefflin had gotten so good that he started openly smoking during hurling matches.

Brilliant.

zenmonk · 19-03-2008 06:46PM

I swear that I saw Shefflin forcing a kid to smoke once and then he signed his shirt , the kid was really upset not because of the cig but he didn't know who this big red head was! and he destroyed his shirt. This was before a match.
I said to myself Shefflin you're no longer a great hurler but you're great crack.

Anyway best of my time-

H Shefflin
J Cooney
S Mc Mahon
B Lohan
J Leahy

I may fully warrant a ban but I would just like to point out some ridiculous points being made here.

MrJoeSoap · 19-03-2008 06:53PM

Having watched Laochra Gael on TG4 last week I'd say Jimmy Doyle is worth a mention too. Joe Canning will be mentioned in 15 years time.

zenmonk · 19-03-2008 06:58PM

JHMEG wrote: »

Actually I had a dream there last summer that Henry Shefflin had gotten so good that he started openly smoking during hurling matches.

As opposed to the way he usually hides the fag up his sleeve now?:D

uponthehill · 21-03-2008 01:29AM

good topic, as with any of these type of topics its impossible to compare ring etc with modern players unless your old enough to have seen both generations in the flesh, thats why i think ring / carey arguments are futile, theres very few people in ireland who saw enough of both to make a credible claim either way.

Im a dub so i think im neutral here ! but in the last 20 years the best ive seen was DJ carey, defintily the most talented though shefflin may go down as the more consistently relaible. Apart from shefflin, The o connors and joe dean from cork, mcgrath and dan from waterford, and for sheer skill tommy walsh and cha fitzpatrick.
Have to mention Jamsie , the dooleys, the whelahans,Joe cooney, ah feck it you could be here all day !

Hopefully in 10 years i'll be talking about some dubs aswell, as minor u 21 ad colleges leinster champs, i'm going to let my hopes get up !

MrJoeSoap · 21-03-2008 01:52AM

uponthehill wrote: »

good topic, as with any of these type of topics its impossible to compare ring etc with modern players unless your old enough to have seen both generations in the flesh, thats why i think ring / carey arguments are futile, theres very few people in ireland who saw enough of both to make a credible claim either way.

Amen. I sat beside one such man in Croker on Monday and he swore by Ring. But he would I suppose.

CyberDave · 21-03-2008 11:22AM

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

Amen. I sat beside one such man in Croker on Monday and he swore by Ring. But he would I suppose.

The older people will alway pick the players that they say in their younger days because to them everything was better when they were younger or worse if they are trying to prove some other point.

Fr. Jessip · 24-03-2008 12:41AM

it has to be DJ. He had more of a polished skillset than Ring and he did more unusual things things than Shefflin for example his goal against Clare in the '02 All-Ireland Final and his point where he ran rings around Ollie Baker, IMO Shefflin does things most hurlers do he just does them faster and better but DJ took more chances had an unbelievable hand pass and a great eye epecially for a goal

zenmonk · 25-03-2008 12:02PM

I would rate Shefflin ahead of DJ. Dj was a predator, Shefflin makes his own scores. I guarantee if Henry recovers to his old self he will outscore DJ by a fair ammount in league and CHShip throughout his career. And probably alot more All Irelands too. Pity about his speeches though!

Some stats on Henry
average of points scored in Chship per game

2004 - from play 3.71 placed balls 8.86
2005- 3.33 / 11.5
2006 - 5 / 10.60
2007 - 3 / 9.4

Greatest hurler ever..?

Comments