Best Gaelic Games player ever

[Ball Hopper]

I'd approach the question of best player this way...I'm captaining a team in heaven, and I've got first pick.

I'll take Jack O'Shea .

[stew]

I'd approach the question of best player this way...I'm captaining a team in heaven, and I've got first pick.

I'll take Jack O'Shea .

That is an interesting way to look at it and he was a great player, however as great as he was I remember well that John McGeary from lowly collegeland in Armagh absolutely abused him in the League the year before Jacko quit and despite watching Jacko play some incredible football for well over a decade that day for some reason sticks out in my mind because I saw first hand how far one of the greatest players ever had fallen, that never happened to Canavan and is yet another reason why i would hold him up as the best player ever and before you all start, I know they all have bad games, even the great one's but this was different, it was the first time I had ever saw a legend get old before my eyes and it actually made you sad to have experienced it, Jack would be my Vice captain on my All Heaven team with Geezer as the main man , 

[The Bottom Brick]

I'd approach the question of best player this way...I'm captaining a team in heaven, and I've got first pick

But Jacko's not dead...

[tyroneboi]

i may be biased but it has to be peter canavan - absolute legend!! Think the fact that he stayed on top of his game for so long makes him the best gaelic games player ever! 

[stew]

I'd approach the question of best player this way...I'm captaining a team in heaven, and I've got first pick

But Jacko's not dead...

So what, the player didnt have to be in Heaven, the captain was in Heaven, didnt you everhear of a non playing captain??

[Ball Hopper]

Still in heaven...second pick to Canavan just ahead of Maurice Fitzgerald.

Need a defender with the next pick...now I'm in trouble. 

[Ball Hopper]

Refreshing our memories with the Team of the Millenium:

1 Danno Keeffe (Kerry)

2 Enda Colleran (Galway)
3 Joe Keohane (Kerry)
4 Sean Flanagan (Mayo)

5 Sean Murphy (Kerry)
6 John Joe Reilly (Cavan)
7 Martin O'Connell (Meath)

8 Mick O'Connell (Kerry)
9 Tommy Murphy (Laois)

10 Sean O'Neill (Down)
11 Sean Purcell (Galway)
12 Pat Spillane (Kerry)

13 Mike Sheehy (Kerry)
14 Tom Langan (Mayo)
15 Kevin Heffernan (Dublin)


Have to say I'm not inspired with that team....way before my time.

[Ball Hopper]

Most All-Star Awards since their inception in 1971 might give us a better roster to choose from:

9  Pat Spillane

7 Mike Sheehy

6 Peter Canavan, Jack O'Shea, Ger Power

5 John Egan, John O'Keeffe, John O'Leary, Paidi O'Se

Recent Footballer of the Year Awards:

2006 Kieran Donaghy  Kerry
2005 Stephen O'Neill  Tyrone
2004 Tomás Ó Sé  Kerry
2003 Stephen McDonnell  Armagh
2002 Kieran McGeeney  Armagh
2001 Michael Donnellan  Galway
2000 Johnny Crowley  Kerry
1999 Trevor Giles  Meath
1998 Michael Donnellan  Galway
1997 Maurice Fitzgerald  Kerry
1996 Martin O'Connell  Meath
1995 Peter Canavan Tyrone

Good panel there...

[Captain Scarlet]

lads did ye ever think we dont apprecoate enough of what we have now.

christy ring was a legend but sure sheff will probably be every bit as good but the auld lads would never admit it no matter what he does.
with the football too the names mentioned are all class but in general the players had no skill at all. did ya ever see a lad trying a solo in the 40's or 50's.
that being said it wasn't the thing to do then and the ball was as heavy as lead.

when i look for a great its looking for someone who looks ahead of his time. in the eighties even some of the best ballers looked awkward so ill put in my two cents and go with matt connors. he was doing stuff then maurice fitz was getting deified for years later. lovely player to watch.

ring was just used as an example there because as was pointed he gets bandied about all the time. o be honest i think he is in the same boat of pioneering new things in the game.

with gunner brady we should be appreciating him too NOW and not be harpin on when we are 70 to some poor unfortunate young lad.

camogie it's the downey sisters but ladies football is relatively young in terms of getting big. id say the likes of cora staunton and jliet murphy are already chaled down as legends in that code.

[realredhandfan]

Does anyone else think that Stevie Mcs player of the year award in 2003 was an insult to Brian Dooher, canavan et all.

[tyroneboi]

Does anyone else think that Stevie Mcs player of the year award in 2003 was an insult to Brian Dooher, canavan et all.

see where your coming from like either them two would have been worthy recipients of player of the year 2003. However they won the all-ireland and im sure stevie from killeavy would have swapped his player of the year for that!!

[dubnut]

Does anyone else think that Stevie Mcs player of the year award in 2003 was an insult to Brian Dooher, canavan et all.

Only Tyrone fans!

[nrico2006]

From Bottom Brick

The best player on the unbeaten cavan team this season by a mile too, and just today qualified for the All Ireland senior singles final next Saturday

Cavan 0-10 0-14 Tyrone in McKenna Cup!

[The Bottom Brick]

If you're counting that match you may as well count training games as well...

[blanketattack]

If by best Gaelic Games player you mean someone who was good at both then I'd say Ray Cummins followed by JBM.
For players who were brilliant at one it'd be between Christy Ring, Mick O'Connell and Maurice Fitzgerald.