Quote from: supersub on February 11, 2024, 01:59:24 PMQuote from: thewobbler on February 10, 2024, 09:22:32 PMQuote from: ardtole on February 10, 2024, 08:50:23 PMIn fairness there is a massive difference in winning the McCrory with the equivalent of Kerry and bringing Kilkeel single handedly to the final more suited to a Sligo.
Ordinarily I'd agree with you.
But Clarke weren't alone. It was a freakish time for St Louis football.
Over those couple of seasons he'd teammates of the calibre of James Colgan, Joe Ireland and Pete Fitzpatrick, three of the best players in Ireland for their age group.
Then Gavin Joyce, Eamon McConville, Hugh Magee, Gerard McCartan, who won AI minor medals in 2005.
Luke Howard was involved too, a fine player who I think played in an u21 Ai final.
And something in my head says the O'Reilly brothers were St Louis men too around that time.
Marty was fabulous.
But this wasn't just the Marty show.
This is true, they did have a great group. However you take one of those named players out and they still get to the finals. You take Clarke out and they don't. He was still very very much the main man, despite the others around him. The same can be said of the AI Minor team, a great group, but without Clarke, wouldn't have done what they did. In my opinion.
I'd have the same opinion. The second MacRory year, the game plan seemed to be give him the ball and hope for the best. That year it very much was the Marty Show. His fifth year he was also prolific in St Louis McLarnon & All Ireland B campaign's, man of the match in both finals?
Jamie O'Reilly never was near St Louis and Ben joined the year after Clarke left.