The biggest underachievers - players - Hurling & Football

[oakleaf stateside]

jason sherlock and barry mc Elduff (carmen co tyrone)

[Tyrones own]

 
From with in the Tyrone set up, Gavin Devlin and the already mentioned Peter Donnelly
both have medals up the ying yang and then......................................

[ONeill]

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.

[loughshore lad]

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.

[loughshore lad]

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.

[jungle]

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.

[mouview]

Derek 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.

[Onlooker]

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.

[mouview]

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.

[Maximus Marillius]

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.

[lynchbhoy]

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.

[ExiledGael]

After Gallagher's indifferent NFL campaign though a lot of the Cavan posters on here reckoned he wasn't worth a place anyway

[Black and white]

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.

[hoganstandman]

Big Geoffrey Mc Gonigle had much more to offer Derry football than he ever put in.

[Black and white]

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.