Footballers with potential but never quite made it

[The Real Laoislad]

Beano McDonald.

Very true,one of the best talents I have ever seen,such a shame he didn't fulfill his potential.
In fact Laois more than any other county in Ireland has had more talented footballers who never reached their potential.
I would have loved some of them to be playing for Carlow,really Laois should have won at least 1 All Ireland from 2003 - 2007.

Maybe they would have too if it wasn't for the drink, the women, the huge egos and being complete know it alls.

Agree about Beano btw what a talent

[Rossfan]

Dermot Washington (Roscommon)
James Gill (Mayo)

Washington was a class minor alright but he failed to develop his potential and if I remember correctly, he faded from the scene soon after moving up to u21.
Some Rossie friends told me that he wasn't big enough or strong enough to mix it at that level-especially since he was a always going to be singled out for rough treatment.  Don't know if he ever played senior but I had been expecting great things from him and I was sorry when he failed to make it.

Dermot was put on the senior team too young also.
He won an All Ireland Junior medal in 2000.

[Puckoon]

So what is never quite making it? Making the county team but never being a star? Making the county team but winning nothing? Not making the county team?

A few that I think who could go into any of the above include:

Mickey Walsh (Down)
Barry Eccles (Tyrone)

[heffo]

Wouldn't agree with putting Wayne McCarthy on that list - he was more of a good news story as he was Charlie Redmond's ball boy - he was never an outstanding minor or U21 or someone who would dominate club games.

I'd put Ian Robertson & Collie Moran in that latter category - both were phenomenal players around 18-21 and both were flogged like pack horses and were effectively finished at county level in their late 20's haven't not come anywhere close to fulfilling their potential.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Jack Ferriter (Kerry) is always a name that pops up in these lists. Gave an exhibition in the 1994 Minor Final and played on the same All-Ireland u21 winning team as Darragh Ó Sé, Johnny Crowley, Dara Ó Cinnéide, Liam Hassett. Paddy Curran from the Kerry minors a few years ago looks like another who might go the same way. He's done his cruciate twice in two years I think.

From a Kildare point of view Tommy Archibald stands out. Apart from Niall Buckley, I think he's the best underage player I've ever seen in this county. I first saw him for the Kildare minors in a challenge match against Kerry and he took both Pádraig Reidy and Killian Young to the cleaners. He fired Kildare to the Leinster u21 title in 2004 when he was still a minor. He suffered a bad shoulder injury in the Leinster Minor Final that same year though and was never really the same player afterwards. Coming back to some sort of form now with Ballymore in their run to the Leinster Intermediate Final but looks unlikely to ever become the superstar he looked at minor level.

Johnny McDonald is another from Kildare who could merit inclusion. Definitely the most natural forward we possessed in the nineties but never had the discipline for it. Dwyer has said it a few times since that McDonald was the missing link in that team of the late nineties and it's a great shame he was gone from the scene in '98 when he should have been at his peak.

[INDIANA]

Wouldn't agree with putting Wayne McCarthy on that list - he was more of a good news story as he was Charlie Redmond's ball boy - he was never an outstanding minor or U21 or someone who would dominate club games.

I'd put Ian Robertson & Collie Moran in that latter category - both were phenomenal players around 18-21 and both were flogged like pack horses and were effectively finished at county level in their late 20's haven't not come anywhere close to fulfilling their potential.

John Coughlan, Brendan Phelan, Stephen Mills, Liam Og etc etc . Could write a book on it in Dublin. Some of them lost out through injury.  Others like Liam Og and Coughlan have been excellent club players but maybe were thrown in too early for the senior team. Often think had Lyons not been involved Liam Og would have had a lengthy county career.

[GalwayBayBoy]

John Concannon-(Galway)

End of thread. One of the greatest players in the history of the Hogan Cup. Scandalous that he never even made the greatest Jarlaths's team ever just because he never carried through for the county. More talented than either Joyce or Donnellan who were both around at the same time as him. Just didn't have the same hunger for it.

[nrico2006]

Daisy McDermott is one that springs to mind, I remember him scoring something like 2-6 out of Tyrone's 2-7 when they beat defending All Ireland Minor Champions Derry in 2003.

Marc Cunningham captained the Tyrone minors to the All Ireland in 2004, never heard much about him since. 

Peter Donnelly won minor and U-21 All Irelands in the same year, never did anything of note with the County seniors.

[ONeill]

Peter O'Sullivan of Meath was a fantastic minor talent from the early 90s.

Adrian Cush to an extent 'never quite made it' due to unfortunate circumstances.

[oakleafgael]

Having thought about this a bit more. From a derry point of view Dermot McNicholl is the one. Could have been one of the all time great CHF's but between injuries, being overplayed and going to the AFL for a while he just never made it.

[Lar Naparka]

I'd say Colm Parkinson would be first on every Laois list. I'd put Hughie Emerson next if I was to list the Laois players who never delivered on their earlier promise. Like Beano, Emerson seems to have been badly hit by injuries but Parkinson's problems were mainly between his ears.

[Kerry Mike]

you could list a whole generation of Cork footballers from 1990 up to 2010 who failed to live up to their potential, but yerra that would just be too funny to be taken seriously

[INDIANA]

I'd say Colm Parkinson would be first on every Laois list. I'd put Hughie Emerson next if I was to list the Laois players who never delivered on their earlier promise. Like Beano, Emerson seems to have been badly hit by injuries but Parkinson's problems were mainly between his ears.

Parkinson was never that good to start with

[tbrick18]

Conleth Gilligan and Eamon Burns are two who never fulfulled the potential in the county colours that they showed at either club or underage level. Mark Lynch is heading that way to I fear.

A bit harsh on Burnsy there....he was fantastic at underage winning all-ireland minor (maybe U21 too), hogan cup and McCrory medals. Played his part in the All-Ireland win in '93 coming on as a sub in the final. Spent a number of years on the Derry panel when Derry were very strong so maybe didnt stand out as much as expected but I wouldnt go as far as saying he didnt fulfill his potential. He only stopped playing senior football about 2 seasons ago and he could still do a job up till then.

In Derry circles, David O'Neill of Bellaghy...made the county setup and was a great full back, but I think he had health problems which forced him out.

A bit early to comment on Mark Lynch, but I think he's been one of Derry's better players in the last couple of years.

[imtommygunn]

you could list a whole generation of Cork footballers from 1990 up to 2010 who failed to live up to their potential, but yerra that would just be too funny to be taken seriously

On that note what happened Philip Clifford of Cork I wonder? He was ~19 was he not when he captained Cork in an AI final about 12 years ago was he not? Anyone know if he's still about?