Any suggestions of talented lads who never fulfilled their potential.....
One in Antrim was a lad called Aidan McCloskey - great white hope in hurling - faded into oblivion - dont even know if he still plays
Paddy Logan in football - everyone claimed he was going to be the real deal...played a few games for the county but always struggled with weight!!
Any other ideas
1 - 15 of Antrim team
Quote from: neutral on May 29, 2007, 10:08:39 AM
1 - 15 of Antrim team
I think the word "talented" was used so it does not apply to Antrim.
Very funny lads.......trust me there was and are plenty of talented 17-20 year olds who have come thro Antrim ranks but a shit attitude complimented by a shit structure meant they NEVER Fulfilled their potential!!
Declan McCrossan
Dermot McNicholl
Kevin Brady
Liam Doyle
Ronan Sexton
Michael Walsh
Dan Gordon
Paul McGurk
Peter Donnelly
Paul Buchanan
McNicholl - he won an All-Ireland and an all-star - not too bad im my books
Dan Gordon - bit early to suggest he has seriously underachived
Paul Buchanan - WHO???
ONeill, Kevin Brady?
How has he underachieved? Starred regularly for Antrim and has played consistently for his club, albeit not the biggest of clubs but to say he's an underachiever is a bit harsh. Did he not play for Ulster also?
Quote from: North Antrim on May 29, 2007, 10:30:01 AM
McNicholl - he won an All-Ireland and an all-star - not too bad im my books
Dan Gordon - bit early to suggest he has seriously underachived
Paul Buchanan - WHO???
Probably harsh on McNicholl but most of his accolades and highly-rated performances seemed to occur when he was 16-20. Open to correction.
Gordon, you may be right. Doyle is probably the biggest disappointment of the 99 team.
Buchanan of Antrim. Once nailed a Kerry vocational side containing a plethora of future stars single-handedly as a teenager. Met the Belfast Bap too early.
Brady - so much talent, rarely delivered.
Eamon McCaffrey
Adrian Cush
Ciaran McKeever
Diarmuid Marsden
Paul Close
Benny Coulter
Karl Diamond
Declan Bateson
Eoin gormley Errigal chiaran.
Liam (winker) watson ??
O Neill you are absolutely full of it !!!
Benny Couilter an underachiever you are having a laugh. One of the most consistent performers in the country for club, county, and country.
Ryan Keenan and Colm Bradley (Fermanagh). These boys use to skin defenses in the Macrory and in Club senior games in their late teens. Way downhill after that.
Quote from: amigo on May 29, 2007, 11:03:21 AM
O Neill you are absolutely full of it !!!
Benny Couilter an underachiever you are having a laugh. One of the most consistent performers in the country for club, county, and country.
No, not having it. The odd glimpse of genius here and there. A bit like Enda Muldoon.
by ONeills reckoning, if you dont have a pocket full of gold you're an underachiever. Great players on poor teams is what you are naming.
Oneill
You are so full of shit! Enda Muldoon an underachiever - go and wind ur neck in!! Anybody who wins am All-Star has NOT underachieved - your a twat!!
So if DJ Carey had only won one All Star and nothing else, he wouldnt be an underachiever?! Get a grip man.
I definitely wouldnt put Coulter in there, highest championship goalscorer in the country (and thats not racking up handy ones against Waterford, Tipp or Clare).
I'd put Dermot McCabe in there. Didn't look after himself when he was younger, hence years of injury when he should have been at his peak (25 to 30). Still a legend, but how good could he have been?
John Tierney is another. Played in the Ulster MFC at 14 (!!!) against Down, but unsurprisingly was dogged by injury after and never made it properly at senior.
Nicholas Walsh another - best 16 year old Ive seen, worst 23 year old!
From other counties, James Ward hasn't done it yet for Monaghan, he was some minor.
Joe Cassidy? Where did he go??
I'm sure Aidan McCloskey just got scunnered as I think he was playing for 7 hurling teams when he was 16 ((2 schools teams, 4 club teams (U-16, Minor, U-21 and Senior) and 2 county teams)) and his da was one of those usual GAA parent ball-busters! Add all the training and playing on top of A-Levels etc. and talk about player burn out!
Quote from: North Antrim on May 29, 2007, 11:14:58 AM
Oneill
You are so full of shit! Enda Muldoon an underachiever - go and wind ur neck in!! Anybody who wins am All-Star has NOT underachieved - your a twat!!
Muldoon has been MIA too often for my liking.
Quote from: The Real SlimShady on May 29, 2007, 11:12:32 AM
by ONeills reckoning, if you dont have a pocket full of gold you're an underachiever. Great players on poor teams is what you are naming.
Not at all - the likes of Mattie Forde, Kevin McGourty, Paddy Bradley...the list is endless...have achieved in terms of playing to the best of their ability, consistently, yet largely unrewarded. They're achievers in my book.
Hollowman
id agree with Dermot McCabe,John Tierney and Nicholas Walsh for Cavan.
id also add in Paddy Brady of Gowna,
Ireland under 17 Rules midfielder,and one of the best underage players ive seen.
Has done nothing at senior level though.
also Martin Donohoe of C'lough was a member of that International Rules and a brilliant defender,yet he disappeared completely off the scene.
Id say we could start a seperate thread alone for Cavan as theres even more names coming to me that could warrant inclusion.
Quote from: North Antrim on May 29, 2007, 11:14:58 AM
Oneill
You are so full of shit! Enda Muldoon an underachiever - go and wind ur neck in!! Anybody who wins am All-Star has NOT underachieved - your a twat!!
NA,im with ONeil on this one
would disagree with you about anyone whos won an All Star has not unachieved.
Look at Dermot McCabe won all star aged 21 in 1997, has Underachieved the rest of his career.
Muldoon is an underachiever in my books,so much ability and he only ever has shown us glimpses of it.
heres a name il throw in,
Ciaran Whelan, has always failed to deliver in and disappeared in too many big matches for Dublin.
Definetely an underachiever in my opinion.
Ciaran Whelan
Jesus I'm gonna be shot!!
Feck ya Ballyhaise man getting in before me
Quote from: ONeill on May 29, 2007, 11:41:33 AM
Quote from: North Antrim on May 29, 2007, 11:14:58 AM
Oneill
You are so full of shit! Enda Muldoon an underachiever - go and wind ur neck in!! Anybody who wins am All-Star has NOT underachieved - your a twat!!
Muldoon has been MIA too often for my liking.
Quote from: The Real SlimShady on May 29, 2007, 11:12:32 AM
by ONeills reckoning, if you dont have a pocket full of gold you're an underachiever. Great players on poor teams is what you are naming.
Not at all - the likes of Mattie Forde, Kevin McGourty, Paddy Bradley...the list is endless...have achieved in terms of playing to the best of their ability, consistently, yet largely unrewarded. They're achievers in my book.
1 of 2 things is going on here,
1/ Shaney is on the wind up.
2/ He's yet again get stuck up Daddy McGourtys arse (work colleague me thinks)
Quote from: thebandit on May 29, 2007, 11:56:34 AM
Ciaran Whelan
Jesus I'm gonna be shot!!
Feck ya Ballyhaise man getting in before me
great minds think alike eh bandit? ;D
Quote from: BallyhaiseMan on May 29, 2007, 11:59:14 AM
Quote from: thebandit on May 29, 2007, 11:56:34 AM
Ciaran Whelan
Jesus I'm gonna be shot!!
Feck ya Ballyhaise man getting in before me
great minds think alike eh bandit? ;D
Fools seldom differ eh Ballyhaise ;D
This thread could easily run out of control.
Perhaps you need some basic definition of what qualifies as an under achiever eg.
- Played minor county
- Played a few games at U21
- Played a few games at senior
- Played football for a county that isnt Antrim, Killkenny, nor London
- Played hurling for a county that is in Munster, south Leinster or is Galway
Otherwise one could argue Orior underachieved, which is clearly not the case.
If you are talking about county football then Shorty Trainor is a major underachiever.....however he has overachieved when it comes to club football
Quote from: full back on May 29, 2007, 12:03:34 PM
Quote from: BallyhaiseMan on May 29, 2007, 11:59:14 AM
Quote from: thebandit on May 29, 2007, 11:56:34 AM
Ciaran Whelan
Jesus I'm gonna be shot!!
Feck ya Ballyhaise man getting in before me
great minds think alike eh bandit? ;D
Fools seldom differ eh Ballyhaise ;D
:D You could be correct there fullback
Ulster football and Connacht football has underachieved to produce only 15 & 14 senior All Irelands in 119 attempts, these are huge underachievers.
Notable examples are:
Cavan's 5 All-Irelands from 39 Provincail Titles
Galway's 9/42
Mayo's 3/41
Armagh's 1/13
Monaghan's 0/13
And I have to mention my neighbours, Cork's 6 from 34 is laughable, but at least they will blame the hurlers.
Galway Hurlers deserve a mention too.
Frank McGuigan Snr
Quote from: Kerry Mike on May 29, 2007, 12:36:15 PM
Ulster football and Connacht football has underachieved to produce only 15 & 14 senior All Irelands in 119 attempts, these are huge underachievers.
Notable examples are:
Cavan's 5 All-Irelands from 39 Provincail Titles
Galway's 9/42
Mayo's 3/41
Armagh's 1/13
Monaghan's 0/13
And I have to mention my neighbours, Cork's 6 from 34 is laughable, but at least they will blame the hurlers.
Galway Hurlers deserve a mention too.
Thanks for your concern reg Connacht & Ulster football KM
You are indeed right, but the thread is about specific players
5Sams - interesting point reg Shorty Trainor
No doubt he has over achieved on the club scene - outstanding
But when talking about his lack of success on the county scene it is baffling
Underachiever to me is someone who burst onto the minor scene - was touted as the next great thing and then really disappeared for one reason or another.........
some interesting names....Dermot McCabe - again i cant agree with that one - All-Star on a poor Cavan team, prob there most consistent player over last 10 years, played for Ulster and Ireland. No not buying that one......
NorthAntrim.....What about Coyler from the town? He was good underage but i think its just because he was bigger than everyone else. He was a bit too fond of the "funny cigarettes" me thinks.....
For me the underachiever tag also incorporates those who have gone onto play senior level,yet havent reached the level they were expected to.
Liam Doyle of down is a good example,Of that great Down minor team in 1999 including Benny Coulter,Sexton,Michael Walsh,Murtagh,Brendan Grant etc,Doyle was hyped up into being the next True Down great,at least thats what we outsiders were led to believe.
Doyle has gone on to play for Down Seniors but he hasnt shown anything close to the ability he was and still is reckoned to have.
Dont think there was too many that thought Coyler was the next greatest thing.......yeah he bossed it at underage cos he was bigger but i always thought hhe wud never make it.....he NEVER wanted it bad enough and to be honest was a very limited player Syd!! Cos i get high ;D
we always have had hard games against ballycastle in the past 10-13 yrs and even in the last couple even though you knew coyler was a mad man he still could be a handful. ballycastle always rose against us.
A lot of the guys mentioned on here that failed to translate underage form to seniors are ones that are over the 6 foot mark.
The simple reason that they stand out at underage is their height and when they go on to the seniors they are found wanting as many other players are the same size.
Go easy on the big fella's
a lot of the ones mentioned suffered serious injuries as well largely due to playing for every team under the sun from the age 17-20 that's the gaa's fault not the player- that's just bad luck getting injured not a lack of effort- i think some of the circus clown comments above might take that into account as well. soem of them couldn't have been arsed but a lot of the ones mentioned suffered badly from injuries
I think some of the names mentioned as underachievers are laughable e.g. Benny Coulter who always shines for his county and has been a brillant player for Ireland in the international series. My own opinion is that by making it on to your county team at senior level you have already achieved.
Do ye not think that mentioning specific players is a bit unfair considering that they all did their best and may come on here and see their name being castigated for being an underachiever? Why not be more diplomatic and just mention the entire Armagh team?
Quote from: jungle on May 29, 2007, 02:32:45 PM
I think some of the names mentioned as underachievers are laughable e.g. Benny Coulter who always shines for his county and has been a brillant player for Ireland in the international series. My own opinion is that by making it on to your county team at senior level you have already achieved.
Aye and don't roses smell nice.
This board is for hard-hitting honest thoughts. None of us could lace their boots but that's not the point. Don't be coming on here pontificating or ye'll get the head slapped clean off ye. Ye hear?
because Bud, the thread is about underachievers not over-achievers! if it had been over-achievers Armagh would have ran away with it, given that they have only one team in their County worth a flying frick (for the past 20 years!), to utilise the few great players they had with all the heavy/dirty/sloggers and get an All Ireland out of it is some feat, puke football or not.
Quotesome interesting names....Dermot McCabe - again i cant agree with that one - All-Star on a poor Cavan team, prob there most consistent player over last 10 years, played for Ulster and Ireland. No not buying that one......
McCabe won an All Star on a very good Cavan team which won a competitive Ulster championship, which included three teams who had won All Irelands in the previous five years.
He won it at wing forward (as opposed to midfield where he played).
He has been one of our best over 10 years, but in my opinion - as someone who has seen him play 10-12 times a year for 12 years for club and county - he didn't fulfil his potential ie he could have been renowned as one of the top 2 or 3 midfielders in Ireland.
If you examine my original post, you will see that I said McCabe didn't look after himself when he was younger, and suffered when he should have been in his prime.
He won that All Stra nd man of the match for Ireland when he was 21/22. Didn't do a whole pile from 22 on to be honest. He hasn't won a SFC with his club since 2001 (think this is right Cavan lads?) either.
D'ya know something Slim, I agree with you. I have a great admiration for Crossmaglen given the circumstances they had to endure up there with the Brits. When they did win the All-Ireland a lot of counties perked up and thought that if Armagh could do it they could. Yep, take a bow Slim, even though I only had a small bait on and the hook barely in the water I agree with you on a serious note that all the Armagh team that won the AIF have given great service to the county, particularly when a lot of them could have walked away from it last year.
Surprised O'Neill didn't get to the bait before you and tell me Laois never won anything, but there you go.
Quote from: Bud Wiser on May 29, 2007, 03:36:38 PM
D'ya know something Slim, I agree with you. I have a great admiration for Crossmaglen given the circumstances they had to endure up there with the Brits. When they did win the All-Ireland a lot of counties perked up and thought that if Armagh could do it they could. Yep, take a bow Slim, even though I only had a small bait on and the hook barely in the water I agree with you on a serious note that all the Armagh team that won the AIF have given great service to the county, particularly when a lot of them could have walked away from it last year.
Surprised O'Neill didn't get to the bait before you and tell me Laois never won anything, but there you go.
Jeez man, dont seem so surprised!!
Looks like your reputation precedes you Slim
full back, good man- worthy contribution. well done.
It's because you talk so much sh1te people are suprised if you say anything sensible ::)
Slim will be getting his communion money out-haha-good one ::)
Watch you dont get banned again
I will throw in one for the tyrone ones on the board - Martin Early!
This lad has all the talent of a McGuigan or Mulligan or Stevie O'Neill if not more!!
Should have been a Tyrone regular for the past 6-7 years but wasnt for one reason or another!
That Galway have only won 9 All-irelands from 42 Provincial titles may be as much an indictment of the poverty of the challenge from the other counties in Connacht that they haven;t been able to test them better rather than any of their own shortcomings. (Though I'll admit Galway have been a major 'charity' county when it comes to allowing other counties win AI's.)
Anyway, in terms of underachievement in Galway, Derek O'Reilly of Corofin and John Concannon of Milltown were both tremendous players at underage level but never followed through properly. You could possibly include a large swathe of the Galway hurlers also but the fact is that they have only underachieved at Senior c'ship level (due as much to their reluctance to participate in the other Provincial championships), i.e. many of them have Minor, U-21, club, league medals etc. Does this count?
Quote from: the_daddy on May 29, 2007, 04:15:26 PM
I don't think so Tyroneboi. I'd put Early in the Brian McGuckin/Damien Gormey/Penrose/McCullagh category - all could be the 6th forward on the Tyrone team and perform adequately, but could never lead the line. Early's problem is that until last year there was never a real dearth of forwards and at 29 odd now is too old.
He is 10 times better than those players that you have just listed. I have seen him play for the last 10 years and i can tell ya he was and still is an awesome talent!! Didnt see any of them lads score 1-7 in a McRory Cup final!
i have never seen your man play but would take all ireland medals over mcrory cups any day
Yeah same here but as this is a thread about underachieving, i am just outlining the talent that Martin Early has and that he should have been a county regular!
Vinnie Murphy - He was pretty big + I think he underachieved, he was a seriously talented player
Rory and Raymie Gallagher!
Both outstanding at College and Club levels wherever they transfer too, but should have had more impact at intercounty level.
Rory especially should be at the peak of his powers right now but fcuked about from one club/county to another and now can't even be sure of a place in the Cavan team.
The same man who scored 3-9 against Monaghan, paid the price for a questionable attitude
QuoteDerek O'Reilly of Corofin and John Concannon of Milltown were both tremendous players at underage level but never followed through properly
Yeah, they were really good players. That Galway '94 minor team was laced with talent. Jayo and the Dubs beat them the day Laythrum got tonked if memory serves.
Quote from: magpie seanie on May 29, 2007, 10:29:44 PM
QuoteDerek O'Reilly of Corofin and John Concannon of Milltown were both tremendous players at underage level but never followed through properly
Yeah, they were really good players. That Galway '94 minor team was laced with talent. Jayo and the Dubs beat them the day Laythrum got tonked if memory serves.
Was Concannon the one nicknamed Scan?
Seriuosly talented player that was touted as the next big thing in Galway
Joe Rabbitte for failing to win a senior intercounty medal despite winning 3 All Ireland club medals. The amount of punishment that man took!!
Quote from: stephenite on May 29, 2007, 11:57:56 PM
Quote from: magpie seanie on May 29, 2007, 10:29:44 PM
QuoteDerek O'Reilly of Corofin and John Concannon of Milltown were both tremendous players at underage level but never followed through properly
Yeah, they were really good players. That Galway '94 minor team was laced with talent. Jayo and the Dubs beat them the day Laythrum got tonked if memory serves.
Was Concannon the one nicknamed Scan?
Seriuosly talented player that was touted as the next big thing in Galway
Scan was an unbelievable talent. I played against him a few times when I was at St Mary's. Found a small piece on him.
However, it being Gaelic football ...it being dis Great Assooosheeeayshun Of Ours ... controversy is never very far from the door. And so it is, too, in the case of the proposed Jarlath's All Stars. A past pupil of the school, has sent AFR the following angry missive and he reproduces it here in full:
"I hear that down in Galway they're all up in arms about this Saint Jarlaths All-Star team.
The controversy is based on the omission of star 1990s player, John 'Scan' Concannon. Concannon was regarded by many as one of Jarlath's greatest players at Senior A. He scored 3-1 on his championship debut at the age of fourteen and was the outstanding player in colleges football for at least two years. His performance in the 1994 Hogan Cup Final was mesmerizing. The thing that set 'Scan' apart from most was his unbelievable skill and free taking. He had a great eye for the post and could jink past any player. Alas, he never followed through after college although he scored an amazing goal against Sherlock's Dublin minors in 1994 in Croke Park.
Jarlaths said that they were to pick the best team ever, based on the colleges players, but have clearly gone out and chosen a list of nominations that, when published by the national news papers, will be instantly recognisable - o the rest of the country can gush at how well the ex- Jarlaths lads did at intercounty level. It's sad, very sad, I'm afraid. But very, very, very unfair and totally unacceptable. This is what's causing trouble in Galway these days. I'm a former student and deeply ashamed at my old school's obvious arrogance in trying to look great in front of the country. Stinks!'
Now, the above could a Machiavellian plot to influence the reverend selectors in a certain direction. Or it could be a genuine cri de coeur from a disinterested past pupil. We believe it to be the latter. Even the former college coach, Joe Long, has expressed his dismay at Concannon's absence.
jason sherlock and barry mc Elduff (carmen co tyrone) ;D ;D
From with in the Tyrone set up, Gavin Devlin and the already mentioned Peter Donnelly
both have medals up the ying yang and then......................................
Gavin Devlin? No way did he underachieve. If anything, he'd be veering towards the overachievement thread. I liked Devlin's style, but he definitely wasn't blessed with the talent of many of his peers. In 2003 he made the most of what he did have. A bit like Ray Silke.
Quote from: ONeill on May 30, 2007, 08:01:37 AM
Gavin Devlin? No way did he underachieve. If anything, he'd be veering towards the overachievement thread. I liked Devlin's style, but he definitely wasn't blessed with the talent of many of his peers. In 2003 he made the most of what he did have. A bit like Ray Silke.
Totally agree here - the horse made the very most of his ability when playing for Tyrone at underage and senior level. As O'Neill points out he didnt have the same talent as some of his peers but actually made a bigger impact than many of them.
Quote from: tyroneboi on May 29, 2007, 03:58:35 PM
I will throw in one for the tyrone ones on the board - Martin Early!
This lad has all the talent of a McGuigan or Mulligan or Stevie O'Neill if not more!!
Should have been a Tyrone regular for the past 6-7 years but wasnt for one reason or another!
Early is not in the same league as any of these lads - to the best of my knowledge he has been in and out of the Fianna team for the last few seasons although he may have been injured during this period.
He was an excellent McRory player of that there is no doubt but there is a massive step up to translate that to the national stage particularly at senior level. If he had been as good as any of the 3 lads you mention above then Harte would have drafted him in to the senior squad. This is a bit like the Brian McGuckin issue - McGuckin is a good scoring forward in club football but quite simply has not got the ability to do it at county level.
An interesting point to note - both Early and McGuckin were excellent McRory players and both went on to play county minors and under 21s but neither made the breakthrough at senior level. Personally I think McGuigan made these two lads look better players than they actually were back then by putting the ball on a plate for them.
Aye and don't roses smell nice.
This board is for hard-hitting honest thoughts. None of us could lace their boots but that's not the point. Don't be coming on here pontificating or ye'll get the head slapped clean off ye. Ye hear?
[/quote]
My point was that an underachiever is surely someone who had bags of potential and did'nt fulfill it due to diet/drink/lack of training etc... not cause he has'nt won a load of medals with his team at senior level which can be the only reason to mention Coulter as an underacheiver.
Quote from: magpie seanie on May 29, 2007, 10:29:44 PM
QuoteDerek O'Reilly of Corofin and John Concannon of Milltown were both tremendous players at underage level but never followed through properly
Yeah, they were really good players. That Galway '94 minor team was laced with talent. Jayo and the Dubs beat them the day Laythrum got tonked if memory serves.
No, 'twas the other way around. Galway beat Dublin but lost to Kerry. It was worse the following year, they conceded a late goal to Derry who lost narrowly (and unluckily if memory serves) to Laois in the final. One that might have got away for Galway IMHO.
In 1995 Derry lost to Westmeath in the All Ireland Minor Final. Maybe Derry were a bit unlucky in that game, but Westmeath had a good team and won their first Minor All Ireland.
Quote from: Onlooker on May 30, 2007, 06:24:50 PM
In 1995 Derry lost to Westmeath in the All Ireland Minor Final. Maybe Derry were a bit unlucky in that game, but Westmeath had a good team and won their first Minor All Ireland.
I stand corrected. Both Galway minor teams in '95 were seriously talented but thanks to sideline mismanagement and bad luck they both lost at the semi' stage.
Westmeath won the minor All Ireland in 95 due to a sqaure ball not being awarded to Derry and the goal being allowed to stand. The goal came in the second half, ten minutes befoe the end. It was a very obvious square ball.
Quote from: ExiledGael on May 29, 2007, 07:11:13 PM
Rory and Raymie Gallagher!
Both outstanding at College and Club levels wherever they transfer too, but should have had more impact at intercounty level.
Rory especially should be at the peak of his powers right now but fcuked about from one club/county to another and now can't even be sure of a place in the Cavan team.
The same man who scored 3-9 against Monaghan, paid the price for a questionable attitude
Rory didnt play for Cavan in the championship as he broke his hand a week before the first Down game.
After Gallagher's indifferent NFL campaign though a lot of the Cavan posters on here reckoned he wasn't worth a place anyway
Derry had a lot of underage players from the mid-90s that never made it at senior level, a reason i think was metioned on this post earlier, they were flogged to death playing on too many teams too young. it is a pity for derry football and the lads themselves, even the ones that made the county team werent the footballers they should have been.
Big Geoffrey Mc Gonigle had much more to offer Derry football than he ever put in.
Big geof is as skillfull a player that very played hurling or football. but it was the mental side of the game that always let him down, man markers could get inside his head to easy put him off his game, if a player roasted geof once he would always get teh better of him.
wats FSS? ???
Quote from: ONeill on May 30, 2007, 08:01:37 AM
Gavin Devlin? No way did he underachieve. If anything, he'd be veering towards the overachievement thread. I liked Devlin's style, but he definitely wasn't blessed with the talent of many of his peers. In 2003 he made the most of what he did have. A bit like Ray Silke.
Under/over, you know what i meant O'Neill
As some of my fellow county men said, you could have a separate Cavan section for this, they've already identified some of the usual suspects. Drilling down to the next level;
Aidan Connolly;
Darrly McConnell-CHB on an(other) so near and yet so far minor team that included a few names already mentioned. Sigerson for UCG, disappeared;
John McCabe (Munchies)-captained minors the same year that we almost against Tyrone etc. etc. not heard of since that I know of;
We have a bit of a habit of throwing up under 17 Aussie tourists that promise lots and disappoint for whatever reasons, back in the distant 90's there was a lad from West Cavan went on one of the tours (Corrigan?)-never heard from again that I know of;
One or two of our more recent Aussie tourists might be in this list if we revisit in a year or two's time, hopefully not, same goes for one or two of the current senior panel who are struggling a bit to justify reputations;
Larry Reilly-first time I saw the lad in action was in Under 21 final in 96 as a relatively junior member of the panel-get the ball, skin his man with blinding pace, knock it over the bar-simple. This guy could be one of the best we've ever produced I thought. Unfortunately developed bad habits over the years, probably in part due to being a very big fish in a small pond at club level and developing a go it alone attitude.
Unfortunately we do not have too many over-achievers. Would nominate Pierce McKenna-was pretty average to start with, we stuck with him and he developed into a more than useful inter-county midfielder. Awful pity he gave it away.
McConnell - living in Liverpool, transferred to a club therte this year. Won promotion for Drumlane singlehandedly last year
McCabe - playing club football for M'connact, was never that good, struggled with weight I think. Only reason he was on that minor team was that Tony Brady was manager and the whole Castlerahan/Munchies/St Marys connection
Sean Corrigan - he actually captained that U17 team would you believe. Hasnt been heard tell of
Add to the mix Martin Donohoe - saw him getting ROASTED for Crosserlough juniors 2 years ago. Serious fielder though that's all anymore
How about Adrian Crossan - came on at half time in an U16 final v Killygarry for Drumgoon (didnt start due to injury). They threw him in full forward and he got 3-5 on one leg. Blinding pace - just disappeared!
Also Richie Graham, James Kiernan, JAMES CLARKE (minor player of the year!)
Eamon Costello never improved, like Walsh he was probably better at 16 than now
Shane Reilly from Knockbride was as good an Under 16 as I saw in a long time
Ryan McCormack was another - scored 4-9 in a minor champ semi v Garrymore Gaels, now he's shit for a shit Kingscourt team
There are a lot more too.
TERRY FARRELLY - as good as McCabe imo. Could still be doing the business for us at full back
Jaysus
Richie Graham was some player alright,The best player on a superstar Gaels Minor team that won the Ulster Club right?
he just disappeared like that.Looked like a certain county star.
Another Gaels player,a superstar at underage level, a lad called Alan Coyle,used to average 8-10 points per game for them,where is he now?
Sean Corrigan plays now and again for Templeport i believe.
Eamon Costello scored 4 beautiful points from play last night for us against Drumalee.
He has had to put up with a lot in life over the last few years with the death of his parents.
I wouldnt right him off as a county regular in the near future.
Adrian Crossan to be fair is playing great stuff for drumgoon now at wing back.
Quote from: BallyhaiseMan on June 01, 2007, 12:50:36 PM
Jaysus
Richie Graham was some player alright,The best player on a superstar Gaels Minor team that won the Ulster Club right?
he just disappeared like that.Looked like a certain county star. ------ had problems after a leg operation lucky he didn't loose itAnother Gaels player,a superstar at underage level, a lad called Alan Coyle,used to average 8-10 points per game for them,where is he now? took to the soup a waste of a great talent
Mayo football, all the provincial titles and only 3 sams for them.Massive underachievers.
The Dublin football team 1991 - 1994