Best dead-ball kicker - ever?

[rosnarun]

Many of the goalies mentioned hve fantastic Strikes of the ball , Beggan probably the best at the moment .
and you cant compare the plastic coated ball with the one they eued in the 60's

But this is a question the stats answer . the greatest free taker of all time is
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Cillian o'Connor  and Matt connor boteh with an average of 7 pts per game.
Close the thread

[Taylor]

Should it not be measured by % of frees scored v taken?

[Wildweasel74]

Seen them all, Maurice Fitz was the best.

[thewobbler]

Seen them all, Maurice Fitz was the best.

For my money Maurice Fitz is the most over romanticised footballer of my lifetime. There is no doubting his class, and his languid, effortless style was lovely to watch. But his fans would have you believe he was always on his game, when he really wasn't. Kieran McDonald has a similar resonance with how he's remembered, but Fitz fans won't hear any other tell.

[Wildweasel74]

Played for yrs on a very poor Kerry team that only game to life around 1997 of the bck of 2 U21 teams.

[onefineday]

Dean Rock got to be up there. Sean O'Shea doesnt miss to many either when he's going well.

I think he missed one free last year  in championship football - kinda significant too, as it was v Kerry!

[rrhf]

Seen them all, Maurice Fitz was the best.

Close the thread now.

[seafoid]

Here is a comparison with data

https://dontfoul.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/the-best-free-taker/

[onefineday]

On a related note, why do players insist on kicking those eminently missable frees from 30 odd yds out, a little off centre, from their hands?
Those kicks are probably over 90% off the ground for a dead ball kicker, but more like 70-75% out of the hands - with all the stats analysis going on, it baffles me that this continues.
As for keepers taking frees, grand, but we need a time limit, typically at least a minute is used up when the keeper comes up to kick - strict 38 sec rule or something of that nature.
The worst example was cluxton in 2011 who successfully wound down the clock with his last kick, couple of minutes iirc.

[tonto1888]

Discussion around Shane Walsh kicking with both feet (probably going too much on left etc) from frees just brings home how rare it is to see a free taker equally or almost equally adept with both feet. In that regard Maurice Fitz and Colin Corkery are probably the 2 best I've seen.

Strangely enough, maybe being a ciotóg myself, I always thought Enda Gormley had a beautiful technique and a good range off his left back in the day. He could kick them from the left side aswell which is unusual for a leftie. Ross Carr also from same vintage and he had a massive boot aswell.

Have to mention Derek Duggan..that kick from was it 68m? Outrageous!

Don't accept at all the premise that modern kickers have been better off the ground. Yes, there are some excellent strikers of the ball and a lot of them goalies, but as said already you don't see them kicking frees off the ground from all angles. That's my definition of top class free taking. Much and all as I admire the likes of Rory Beggan. And to add, Niall Morgan's kick in the semi final against us was one of the best I've seen in the flesh. It hit the canal end net catcher at a good height aswell. An amazing kick.

I am not putting him up in the conversation as the best ever because he isnt, and is nowhere near it, but Rian ONeills free against galway last year was the best Ive evr seen - yes, I am biased. The distance, angle and the pressure make it for me

[tc_manchester]

The cleanest kicker of a dead ball I've seen was Matt Connor of Offaly

[Hound]

The worst example was cluxton in 2011 who successfully wound down the clock with his last kick, couple of minutes iirc.

58 seconds between time when the ref whistles for the free and the time it leaves Cluxton's boot. Hardly the worst example.

[Armagh18]

Discussion around Shane Walsh kicking with both feet (probably going too much on left etc) from frees just brings home how rare it is to see a free taker equally or almost equally adept with both feet. In that regard Maurice Fitz and Colin Corkery are probably the 2 best I've seen.

Strangely enough, maybe being a ciotóg myself, I always thought Enda Gormley had a beautiful technique and a good range off his left back in the day. He could kick them from the left side aswell which is unusual for a leftie. Ross Carr also from same vintage and he had a massive boot aswell.

Have to mention Derek Duggan..that kick from was it 68m? Outrageous!

Don't accept at all the premise that modern kickers have been better off the ground. Yes, there are some excellent strikers of the ball and a lot of them goalies, but as said already you don't see them kicking frees off the ground from all angles. That's my definition of top class free taking. Much and all as I admire the likes of Rory Beggan. And to add, Niall Morgan's kick in the semi final against us was one of the best I've seen in the flesh. It hit the canal end net catcher at a good height aswell. An amazing kick.

I am not putting him up in the conversation as the best ever because he isnt, and is nowhere near it, but Rian ONeills free against galway last year was the best Ive evr seen - yes, I am biased. The distance, angle and the pressure make it for me

It was unbelievable. Misses too many handy ones though to be in this discussion, as good as he is.

[imtommygunn]

Sean O'Shea's was as good as it too. O'Neill didn't have the posts shaking at him 

I don't remember many, if any, as good as either of them tbh.

[trailer]

Former kerry player Bryan sheehan needs to be included in this discussion

Totally agree. Him and Maurice Fitz.
Absolutely mental shoutout to yer man Shelly something from Antrim who kick about 15 points from frees V Down in the 00's. Can't mind his surname or exactly how many points he scored but he had two different boots and had a crazy good game.