Smallest ever footballer/hurler

Road-Hog · 07-04-2019 10:43pm #1

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.....?

Bonniedog · 07-04-2019 11:01pm

Fan Larkin.

tanko · 08-04-2019 2:51am

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

flos1964 · 08-04-2019 5:11am

Offaly hero Johnny Flaherty ...5 foot 7 .

pipelaser · 08-04-2019 6:00am

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

jr86 · 08-04-2019 7:19am

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

jr86 · 08-04-2019 7:21am

Bonniedog wrote: »

Fan Larkin.

Has to be!

ahnowbrowncow · 08-04-2019 8:07am

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.

supernova5 · 08-04-2019 10:01am

John Small, Dublin

Stroke Politics · 08-04-2019 10:03am

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

granturismo · 08-04-2019 10:13am

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.

Bonniedog · 08-04-2019 10:21am

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.

granturismo · 08-04-2019 10:32am

Bonniedog wrote: »

Fan Larkin.

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

Joe Daly · 08-04-2019 2:06pm

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.

Bonniedog · 08-04-2019 2:11pm

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.

PARlance · 08-04-2019 2:35pm

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?

BloodyBill · 08-04-2019 2:53pm

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

Kerrydude1981 · 08-04-2019 3:10pm

Genie Farrell played with Kerry in the mid 90s

Has two Sigerson medals with Tralee IT as well

Badabing · 08-04-2019 3:24pm

Eoin McGrath (Waterford)

Bonniedog · 08-04-2019 3:27pm

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.

supernova5 · 08-04-2019 4:06pm

Cathal [Tots] O' Connell - Clare

5ft 3ins

partyguinness · 08-04-2019 4:13pm

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.

Bonniedog · 08-04-2019 5:06pm

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!

willietherock · 08-04-2019 6:23pm

supernova5 wrote: »

Cathal [Tots] O' Connell - Clare

5ft 3ins

winner

Grueller · 08-04-2019 9:27pm

Sylvie Linnane.

cyclocross! · 08-04-2019 9:32pm

Current Dublin footballer Eoin Murchan. 5 foot 5 inches

09-04-2019 10:24am

Declan brown

Danville · 09-04-2019 12:37pm

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"

partyguinness · 09-04-2019 1:31pm

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

beertons · 09-04-2019 2:13pm

Tommy Dowd?

thesultan · 14-04-2019 11:21pm

Jasmine brennan kilkenny only 5'6 I think.

rossie1977 · 15-04-2019 12:16am

partyguinness wrote: »

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.

Some sports sure but GAA and rugby union are decent. Went to college with pro rugby players and intercounty footballers and their listed heights are pretty accurate. Any of the GAA lads that head out to Australia are measured similar to their GAA heights during the combine

Say Your Number · 15-04-2019 12:27am

Johnny Davey from Sligo is about 5'5", one of the best attacking half backs in the country for a few years.

Oops! · 15-04-2019 12:37am

Eoin Kelly Tipp hurler... No where near 6 foot as i've seen listed in some places. I'm certainly nowhere near 6 foot and he's my height.

When he was in school he was only a whip of a lad, fantastic hurler all the same.

Joe Daly · 15-04-2019 7:20pm

Tommy Walsh kilkenny.

cnoc · 15-04-2019 7:29pm

Dinny Ryan of Tipp. I saw him go under Pat Hartigan's legs in 1972 Munster final in Killarney.

Joe Daly · 15-04-2019 9:40pm

Did Cork not win the munster final 1972.

Bonniedog · 16-04-2019 12:36am

He's talking about the famous final in 1973, when Limerick won with Joe Kenna (?) free with last puck.

Charlie69 · 16-04-2019 1:09pm

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.

True story... after the 1979 final v Galway.

BENDYBINN · 17-04-2019 8:44pm

P j Molloy ?

delaad · 18-04-2019 12:14am

Sylvie Linnane?

delaad · 18-04-2019 12:17am

or..."Lightning" Murray

Bonniedog · 18-04-2019 12:22am

Joey Towell who played for Dublin in the 70s was a low sized chap. Some man to get a goal and tough as old boots.

padd b1975 · 18-04-2019 1:52pm

John "shorty" Treanor.

cnoc · 18-04-2019 5:11pm

Joe Daly - Did Cork not win the munster final 1972.
Bonniedog - He's talking about the famous final in 1973, when Limerick won with Joe Kenna (?) free with last puck.

J. Daly, - Yes you are correct.
B. Dog, - In the 1973 Munster final it was Richie Bennis who scored the winning point, with Babs talikng to R. Bennis whilst taking the 70?

Does anyone remember the year of a Munster senior hurling championship game played in Killarney on a very, very wet day between Limerick and Tipp? Babs (again) changed the wet sliothar for a dry one when taking a free!

Bonniedog · 18-04-2019 5:33pm

cnoc, you are correct. Thought it might have been Mick Roche doing the verbals?

Was that the 1971 final you are talking about? All sorts of skulduggery apparently. I was there as a seven year old with Tipp family and remember for some strange reason Tipp supporters throwing orange peels at the Limerick goalkeeper. Mad crowd. first really big match I remember before the Dubs footballers in 1974.

Joe Daly · 18-04-2019 5:45pm

Bonniedog wrote: »

cnoc, you are correct. Thought it might have been Mick Roche doing the verbals?

Was that the 1971 final you are talking about? All sorts of skulduggery apparently. I was there as a seven year old with Tipp family and remember for some strange reason Tipp supporters throwing orange peels at the Limerick goalkeeper. Mad crowd. first really big match I remember before the Dubs footballers in 1974.

Correct it was the 1971 munster hurling final.

LoughNeagh2017 · 19-04-2019 11:56am

Johnny McGurk of Derry was short, the Irish race has a lot of manlets, it makes you wonder how they defeated the Vikings in battle.

cnoc · 19-04-2019 4:46pm

Bonniedog wrote: »

cnoc, you are correct. Thought it might have been Mick Roche doing the verbals?

Was that the 1971 final you are talking about? All sorts of skulduggery apparently. I was there as a seven year old with Tipp family and remember for some strange reason Tipp supporters throwing orange peels at the Limerick goalkeeper. Mad crowd. first really big match I remember before the Dubs footballers in 1974.

Thanks for that info. Me auld memory must be going!

Bonniedog · 19-04-2019 5:03pm

I can remember that, but not important stuff from last week!

dxhound2005 · 20-04-2019 2:01pm

Another code, but Manchester City are the smallest team on average in the Premier League. Average just under 5'9".

https://talksport.com/football/453245/premier-league-average-height-smallest-tallest/

Smallest ever footballer/hurler

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