Stephen O'Neill retirement official

[red hander]

'Well firstly, i never said O'Neill was a dirty player.

Your second point there smacks of pettiness. From what i remember it was one of your Tyrone 'heroes' who saw red that day.'

Will, 95% of your posts on this board are anti-Tyrone ... you're obsessed, mate.  Get over it. We have 2 Sams, you have 1, even though the team that won you that 1 were well capable of winning far more but for the fact they tore themselves apart with their infighting .... AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT?

[onlyonefut]

I wish him well in the future. Some great days watching him play at the highest level.
Watch the inteview at http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=40483&pt=s

[never kickt a ball]

Press Release
24 Jan 2008


The Tyrone County Board wish to confirm that Stephen O'Neill has taken the decision to retire from inter-county football.   
County senior team manager Mickey Harte was aware of Stephen's intention to retire since October but was hoping that when Stephen had fully recovered from his injury he would reconsider and return to the senior panel. County chairman Pat Darcy said tonight that 'Stephen was a wonderful player and a tremendous ambassador for the county both on and off the field over the past ten years. While we respect his decision to retire we are all very disappointed that his county career has ended so prematurely.'   On behalf of the Tyrone County Committee I would like to pay tribute to Stephen's many achievements in a county jersey and wish him a speedy recovery from injury and a successful continued playing career with his club side Clann na nGael.   

Damán Ó hAirmhí
Oifigeach Caidreamh Poiblí
http://www.tyronegaa.ie/county/football/news/story.jsp?newsid=504

[ONeill]

A well choreographed piece from Stephen and Mickey. 

[saffron sam2]

A trilogy of points:

#1. Those of you who use the word tragedy in this thread to describe the premature retirement of an inter-county footballer have no understanding of what the word means. Look to two of O'Neill's former teammates or two young boys from Tyrone last year to understand what a tragedy really is.

#2. Re. O'Neill's disciplinary record in general and the John Toal incident in particular. Any summary of any footballer's career will find skeletons in the closet. O'Neill is no different. However I feel (and this is simply a personal opinion) that he is very unfairly vilified for the John Toal incident. It is my belief that he went to block the ball and simply mistimed the tackle. I have seen the incident several times, my opinion hasn't changed. My posting record on the board shows I have no great love for Tyrone (or anyone else for that matter) but I think Toal was the very, very unfortunate victim in what was a genuine accident.

#3. Where would O'Neill rate in the all-time Tyrone great forwards list? Would he make the top 20?

[ONeill]

#3 5th

[saffron sam2]

#3 5th

Behind who?

Canavan, McGuigan x 2, Jones, Donnelly, McGleenan.

Ok, the last one is a joke.

[ONeill]

1. Canavan
2. Jones
3. McGuigan
4. McKenna
5. O'Neill

[saffron sam2]

Frank or Brian at 3. I would have both ahead of O'Neill. McKenna I would pick at midfield.

[ONeill]

Frank.

Was O'Neill less important/impressive than Brian in 05?

[saffron sam2]

If I had the choice of any one player from the Tyrone squads of 2003/05, I would pick McGuigan.

Not sure if that answers your question.

[Zulu]

A tough call but for me it would have to be O'Neill.

[ONeill]

2 things.

McGuigan's as good as the men he's feeding at inter-county level.
O'Neill's as good as the man he's receiving from but offers more.

I think O'Neill's performances in 2005 outweighed Brian's. O'Neill's dead balls were deadly.

[Aaron Boone]

Read again page 1 to 5 of this thread again and see the tributes. Terrific. Gaels know great gaels.

[ONeill]

But O'Neill missed almost nothing that game. I honestly don't know what you're talking about.