Best Mayo player since 1980

[venter]

What ever happened to that Fitzmaurice fella?, looked a classy free taker in the final anyway.

I think he used to own the bar down beside the Lacken pitch - The kerryman was it?  He was a good free taker alright. I wouldn't be surprised if he was still togging out the odd time.

I would have been one of the people scratching my head at McStay being included in the poll but I now think that he defiantly deserves to be in it.

You see him playing well in one game and now he definitley deserves to be on the list of greatest mayo players of the last 20 years!!!! interesting! 

[Maradona]

Lads, you seem to have miss understood my comments on Flannagan / Nallen, etc. Jees, I'm not saying they wereng good [players, I was giving my opinion in the context of the greatest Mayo player of the last 20 years. What I meant about Flannagan is that he was very consistent, disciplined and always available, just thought he didnt have the raw talent but maximized his other attributes. He could be caught on the back-foot sometimes and because he wouldn't have been the fastest, he could be caught very badly sometimes. I would still rate him among the top 3-4 defenders we have had in the last 20 years, just not in the best player group. Because for me those are the players that have the ability to make things happen – it's a rare talent – basically because you have to have great vision and be able to bring others into a game. So these players will pretty much always play in the middle diamond.

The poll was "The Best Mayo Player", not the most loyal, most dependable, potential, toughest........

And by the way, I have been going to mayo matches since the likes of Willy Nally, Pat Dixon, Billy Fitz, Richie Bell, etc were playing, so yes I saw Flannagans, McStays, Paddens, etc whole careers. Maybe that's why I can give a good opinion!! (But it is only an Opinion)

[rosnarun]

 he had been playing senior football since he was a lad of about 13/14 hugely gifted at that age. I remember playing against him in glenhest one day and he look like an 8 year old when he came on but no one could get near him. i think there was a severe case of burn out in his early  20's . yet another mayo player not to fullfill his potential. how about a poll on the the most talented who never quite fullfilled .

[rosnarun]

i think you misunderstood my comments re flanaghan . he had evry gaelic football talent need to make one of the best corner backs i have seen playing for mayo and its not the flashy skills of a once off willy nally that make you a great player. not every one on the tean can ' make things happen. in a team game all the pieces have to fit and doo the job they are asked . without doubting the talents of our current young player of the year he has an awful lot to learn about corner back play and it doesent matter how many attacks he sets up if he doesn't have the Skills of a corner back and remains playing there then  he cant be considered a great player. this is not an attack on higgins im just illustrating a point that flanaghan was a natural full back with all the positional dependabilty and concentration SKills required for the postion .

[muscles magoo]

Read back on my post. I wasn't whinging about McStay, merely stating my opinion that the reason he was on the list was because he like yourself was from Ballina. As you say, a forum like this is about opinions and debate and I've been giving my opinions here long before you arrived in such a blaze of glory in the run up to the '04 AIF....

And another thing, I'm not your f**king mate.

Fair enough I mis-read your comments as a direct dig at myself, I think McStay is deserving of a nomination, and I tried to list players based on ability, I also tried to be impartial,if it's your opinion that he is there only because I am from Ballina , well that's your entitled opinion, I will point out that Kevin McStay has not been a member of or associated with the Stephenites himself for quite some time now. I take back my comments however and unreservedly apologise, probably still annoyed at having read the tripe written before it.

In reference to the , stay way comment, that was my own little dig at your infrequent visits these days. I myself have been lurking and posting under various names for quite a while and realize you're a long termer here. In reference to the comments by Pietas, I would lile to point out that I do not own the board and am not so arogant to think that I can ask people to leave, if they disagree with me, that was not my intention.

I am glad your not my f**king mate either

Ara, we'll let it go. Life is too short and all that.
I resolve to spend less doing the job I'm paid to do and pay more attention to my attendance on here going forward as well....

Now, how about a cyber handshake between yourself and Pietas....?

[muscles magoo]

What ever happened to that Fitzmaurice fella?, looked a classy free taker in the final anyway.

I think he used to own the bar down beside the Lacken pitch - The kerryman was it?  He was a good free taker alright. I wouldn't be surprised if he was still togging out the odd time.

He was togging out up to a couple of years ago before packing it in. He had a big falling out with Brian McDonald during his infamous time in charge and never really featured since. Was dogged with injury as well I seem to recall. I remember one of the players saying in an interview some years later how they couldn't understand how Fitzmaurice kept coming to training under McDonald such was the level of verbal abuse/bullying he was subjected to from the management. Actually I'd say there are quite a few interesting anecdotes from that particular era of Mayo football.

[Barney]

He was an excellent free-taker. Held his nerve in the Hyde in one of the best Connacht Finals in my memory.

Surely Jimmy Burke should go onto the list for his goal.

Anybody watch All ireland Gold last night. They had the 1989 All Ireland on. O'Mahony erred big time in playing Kilgallon but the whole build up and aftermath was a real circus. The first 10/15 mins killed us.

[Mayo4Sam]

4 points down before WJP got THAT point, if fineerty had stuck that second goal 

[rosnarun]

Durkin should have passed to Mchale any way instead who was straight in from of goal instaed of larry Also Mchale had a great chance blocked by kerrigan just before that, Cork looked like a seriously hungry team that day.

BTW is it time to let this one lie??

[ildanach]

did anyone else think that there was alot of fouling just as the ball was being played. Also the art of fielding has somewhat deminished since that time. WJ, Mchale and Maher did some great fetching. Tj was non exsistant in that game, the strapping on his leg..he wasn't fit at all

[AbbeySider]

did anyone else think that there was alot of fouling just as the ball was being played. Also the art of fielding has somewhat deminished since that time.

To be honest I didnt think there was a whole lot of fouling. Nearly every ball was fought for fairly. I think in todays game players are too soft compared to the players back then. There was big hits but for the most part they were fair and the players just got up and continued with the game.

The game in general has gotten too technical. Every tackle has to be perfect etc. It has taken the bite out of it somewhat.

In our own county in particular the referees have our forwards spoiled rotten and therefore destroyed.
Every club has a small, knackey forwards that can win frees in scoreable positions. Time after time they go down and win the free and pop it over the bar.

Its only when we get to Croke Park that these small forwards are pushed around and they dont know how to handle it and they drift out of the game.
(eg All-Ireland final this year  )

I think it was one of the games against Laois when I saw Conor Mort hit the deck a few times while making a run . McEnany (I think was the referee), waved at him to get up, suggesting he was going down too easy!? 

Anyway my point at the end of the rant and in hindsight is that small players are making it further in this county because they are spoiled by the referees. Outside the county it seems that play is let go more often and the forwards dont always get the benefit of the doubt.

The only small guy playing in '89 was McStay and he was well able to take punishment and wasnt going down at every available opportunity.

Rant over 

[stephenite]

Hahaha. Now there's a tall tale if ever I heard one. The notion of Stephenite being a Lurker is comical. I can almost picture him, twitching over the keyboard at any post with a hint of disrespect towards Ballina.

Stephenite, dont be tellin fibs, Good Laddeen.

::)b Yawn , you know nothing about me, or why I couldn't log in back in those days, good ladeen.
And while I'm at it, you're a great man for the irrational whinging yourself if anyone looks sideways. Anyone else recall the fit you had earlier in the summer when others suggested that Gardener wasn't great at defending and McDonald was playing too deep. You're just as good at doing a bit of twitching and whinging yourself when it suits you

Now, how about a cyber handshake between yourself and Pietas....?

Hand extended! Too short indeed!

[MacDanger]

without doubting the talents of our current young player of the year he has an awful lot to learn about corner back play and it doesent matter how many attacks he sets up if he doesn't have the Skills of a corner back

I have to say I'd agree with that to some extent, a lot of our defenders spend too much time attacking and can be a bit prone when attacked by a good forward. Heany, Higgins and Gardiner are all great at attacking but seem to occassionally forget that their main job is to mind the house. While it's inspirational seeing Heaney scoring a point now and again, there aren't too many full backs who do it. Maybe he'll be better suited when he moves out to the 40.

[stephenite]

Maybe he'll be better suited when he moves out to the 40.

So it's cut and dired then?

Agree regarding the defenders acting like attackers, but is there a case for it in todays game. Other players like Ricey and Mark and T O'Se have been invaluable to their teams success and the ability of these players to get forawrd and take/set up scores seems has been part of this success, be interested in others opinions, the successful teams can do it

[venter]

Yawn , you know nothing about me, or why I couldn't log in back in those days, good ladeen.

Im glad the IT manager finally learned how to log into a website, albeit after a couple of years of trying,Good Ladeen.

And while I'm at it, you're a great man for the irrational whinging yourself if anyone looks sideways. Anyone else recall the fit you had earlier in the summer when others suggested that Gardener wasn't great at defending and McDonald was playing too deep.

Defending your clubmates every once in a while is hardly irrational. But i hope no one "recalls" it or ye'll have me sent to the mad house!