Connacht 25

[Barney]

Might as well have a go at this for the gaels of the West. I'm sure the Nordies will follow, and that should be a record length thread.

Anyway here is a quick off the top of my head effort. I think results over the last 15 years mean that more recent players will dominate:

Eugene Lavin (Mayo)

Kenneth Mortimer (Mayo)
Seamus Quinn (Leitrim)
Tomas Mannion (Galway)

Declan Meehan (Galway)
James Nallen (Mayo)
Sean Og de Paor (Galway)

Kevin Walsh (Galway)
Liam McHale (Mayo)

Ja Fallon (Galway)
Ciaran McDonald (Mayo)
Michael Donnellan (Galway)

Mickey Quinn (Leitrim)
Padrai Joyce (Galway)
Tony McManus (Ros)

7 Galway
5 Mayo
2 Leitrim
1 Ros 

[Croí na hÉireann]

Sligoian is gonna lose the rag here... 

[mckieran]

Eugene Lavin (Mayo)

Kenneth Mortimer (Mayo)
Seamus Quinn (Leitrim)
Tomas Mannion (Galway)

Declan Meehan (Galway)
James Nallen (Mayo)
Sean Og de Paor (Galway)

Kevin Walsh (Galway)
Liam McHale (Mayo)

Ja Fallon (Galway)
Ciaran McDonald (Mayo)
Michael Donnellan (Galway)

Mickey Quinn (Leitrim)
Padrai Joyce (Galway)
Tony McManus (Ros)

Not much wrong with this team. Cant remember that Mayo goalie. Would have Pat Fallon ahead of McHale. And Neil Finnegan ahead of McManus. Eamon O'Hara might consider himself a little unlucky not to be included too.

[ross matt]

Agree with most of Barney's. Would have O'Hara instead of Mickey Quinn. Ross biase aside Finnegan would be a long way off Tony Mac. Harry Keegan was still around till '86 and won an allstar that year I think.

[moysider]

No way could O Hara be left out. Mannion was shown up as not being a corner back v Roscommon in 2001. And Mickey Quinn could not be considered a corner forward ahead of likes of Savage or McStay. Dermot Earley falls into this era too. Lavin would only be my 3 choice Mayo goalie of this era.

[Farrandeelin]

How was your honeymoon Barney??

I don't remember Eugene Lavin playing for Mayo. Apart from that though it is a good team, that half-forward line would frighten the life out of anyone! O Hara definitely deserves a crack, but it's hard to know where to put him as Walsh and McHale and Fallon too were good players in their hey-day.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Close enough to Barney's

Peter Burke

Kenny Mortimer Seamus Quinn Enon Gavin
Declan Meehan James Nallen Sean Og
Liam McHale Kevin Walsh (Walsh ahead of Dermot Earley who retired in 1985 so he doesn't really feature enough for here, ditto Harry Keegan at four)
Eamon O'Hara Jarlath Fallon Michael Donnellan
Ciaran McDonald Padraig Joyce Tony McManus.

[mckieran]

Mannion was shown up as not being a corner back v Roscommon in 2001

Well, if I ever heard bullshit, this is it. One of the key attributes of a corner back is pace. Mannion had serious pace in the 90's when he was in his peak and made a top corner bak. This pace was gone in '01 and thats why he was so exposed. The fact that he was able to transform himself into one of the top centre backs in the country just tells you what a top player he was

[GalwayBayBoy]

Mannion was shown up as not being a corner back v Roscommon in 2001

Well, if I ever heard bullshit, this is it. One of the key attributes of a corner back is pace. Mannion had serious pace in the 90's when he was in his peak and made a top corner bak. This pace was gone in '01 and thats why he was so exposed. The fact that he was able to transform himself into one of the top centre backs in the country just tells you what a top player he was

Mannion was a great footballer and more especially for that Galway team he was a genuine hard man. While I don't buy that he was a terrible corner back due to one poor performance (when many of his teammates were no better that day) he was probably better suited to a position out the field where he could influence matters more. Tomas was an underrated footballer though. He had that natural farmer strength which meant that opposition players bounced off him.

Should be noted that he was a very successful corner back on the 98 team before he moved to centre back.

[SLIGONIAN]

Might as well have a go at this for the gaels of the West. I'm sure the Nordies will follow, and that should be a record length thread.

Anyway here is a quick off the top of my head effort. I think results over the last 15 years mean that more recent players will dominate:

Eugene Lavin (Mayo)

Kenneth Mortimer (Mayo)
Seamus Quinn (Leitrim)
Tomas Mannion (Galway)

Declan Meehan (Galway)
James Nallen (Mayo)
Sean Og de Paor (Galway)

Kevin Walsh (Galway)
Liam McHale (Mayo)

Ja Fallon (Galway)
Ciaran McDonald (Mayo)
Michael Donnellan (Galway)

Mickey Quinn (Leitrim)
Padrai Joyce (Galway)
Tony McManus (Ros)

7 Galway
5 Mayo
2 Leitrim
1 Ros 

Probably an insult to Sligo football, and a intentional one at that. Your hardly that pig headed and thick that O Hara wouldnt get on, mckiernan says O Hara is a LITTLE unlucky ffs will ya cop on to yereselves, condensening embarrasing stuff. He'd walk on to that team.

The thing some of yee dont realise, is O Hara carried us, he didnt have great players playing alongside him like others named above but he did have good wholehearted ones, Paul Taylor was unbelievable in the mid/late 90s for us when we werent that great either. Both would make mine.

I honestly cant remember seeing the 2 quinns, or mcmanus so it would be piontless me naming a team, I havnt missed a Sligo Championship on home soil since 89, but i vaguely remember the early 90s even, and only from a Sligo view, just thinking i seen seamus quinn in 02.

Although I doubt O Hara or Taylor will lose any sleep over the (---------) opinions of mayo folk on here, I wont be either . Fill in the blanks yerselves .

[moysider]

Mannion was shown up as not being a corner back v Roscommon in 2001

Well, if I ever heard bullshit, this is it. One of the key attributes of a corner back is pace. Mannion had serious pace in the 90's when he was in his peak and made a top corner bak. This pace was gone in '01 and thats why he was so exposed. The fact that he was able to transform himself into one of the top centre backs in the country just tells you what a top player he was

No bullshit friend. Ordinary enough corner forwards took him for something like 2-3 before half time in Tuam in 01. He was nt a natural corner back. He played most of his stuff in half forwards/ half backs. Not the last time Johnno took chances with wing men in the corner. Marking likes of Martin Lynch was nt a problem cause Lynch could nt play corner forward. He was fortunate not to have encountered Linden or Brolly in a final in their pomp. If its any consolation to you I would pick Mannion but not in the corner.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Mannion was shown up as not being a corner back v Roscommon in 2001

Well, if I ever heard bullshit, this is it. One of the key attributes of a corner back is pace. Mannion had serious pace in the 90's when he was in his peak and made a top corner bak. This pace was gone in '01 and thats why he was so exposed. The fact that he was able to transform himself into one of the top centre backs in the country just tells you what a top player he was

No bullshit friend. Ordinary enough corner forwards took him for something like 2-3 before half time in Tuam in 01. He was nt a natural corner back. He played most of his stuff in half forwards/ half backs. Not the last time Johnno took chances with wing men in the corner. Marking likes of Martin Lynch was nt a problem cause Lynch could nt play corner forward. He was fortunate not to have encountered Linden or Brolly in a final in their pomp. If its any consolation to you I would pick Mannion but not in the corner.

Mannion may well have marked Brolly in the 98 semi-final. Can't remember was it him or Tomas Meehan picking him up though.

[moysider]

David Clarke
Ken Mortimor
Seamus Quinn
Dermot Flanagan
Tomás Mannion
James Nallen
Seán Óg
Liam McHale
Kevin Walsh
Jarlath Fallon
Michael Donnellan
Eamonn O Hara
Ciarán McDonald
Padraig Joyce
Tony McManus.

Honorable mentions. Gay Sheerin, Kevin Cahill, Declan Meehan, Declan Darcy, Willie Joe Padden, TJ Kilgallon,
Mickey Quinn, John Newton, Colm McMenamon, Paul Clancy, James Horan, Paul Taylor, Derek Savage, Kevin McStay, Michael Meehan.

[moysider]

Mannion was shown up as not being a corner back v Roscommon in 2001

Well, if I ever heard bullshit, this is it. One of the key attributes of a corner back is pace. Mannion had serious pace in the 90's when he was in his peak and made a top corner bak. This pace was gone in '01 and thats why he was so exposed. The fact that he was able to transform himself into one of the top centre backs in the country just tells you what a top player he was

No bullshit friend. Ordinary enough corner forwards took him for something like 2-3 before half time in Tuam in 01. He was nt a natural corner back. He played most of his stuff in half forwards/ half backs. Not the last time Johnno took chances with wing men in the corner. Marking likes of Martin Lynch was nt a problem cause Lynch could nt play corner forward. He was fortunate not to have encountered Linden or Brolly in a final in their pomp. If its any consolation to you I would pick Mannion but not in the corner.

Mannion may well have marked Brolly in the 98 semi-final. Can't remember was it him or Tomas Meehan picking him up though.

Can t remember either but Brolly well past his best by then.

[rosnarun]

The thing some of yee dont realise, is O Hara carried us

where exactly?

he may well have been the best sligo player of the era  but that dont mean a whole pile .

remember there were 24 other connacht champions in that era most of the others selcted would have multiple titles
another player i think unlucky was that eamonn mc nmanus (jnr?) or would he be older than that