Ciaran McDonald or Ronan Clarke?

[mannix]

Macdonald is worth travelling to see, he is one of two that i really rate  ,p joyce being the other.

[Uladh]

Both are obviously superb players. faced with making a choice of either in their prime (which is now for clarke) for armagh i'd take clarke. the reason being target men who can play ball like clarke are gold dust and arguably we have enough quality in personnel delivering the ball into him to match McDonald's contribution. if we took mcdanger he'd be floating quality ball into a full forward line not that well equipped to win it.

[kevmy]

Clarke is one of the best FF in the country fair enough and Mayo could do with him.

But Mac was one of the best players ever. Name the best players from the last 10 years and you would name Canavan, Joyce, Moynihan, O Sé, McGeeney and so on. All of these boys All Ireland winners McDonald is one of those players who transcends All Irelands and has become a legend despite of it all. Only Declan Browne and Matty Forde come close in that respect.

[Uladh]

The pair of them together would do some damage

[ludermor]

The pair of them together would do some damage

Absolutely true

[Davitt Man]

is that not like asking who is the best: Ronan O'Gara or Denis Hickie? hardly like for like

Good point 2 very different players that play in different psoitions, what about debating Ronan Clarke v Donaghy

[nrico2006]

People are here describing the fact that Clarke has won an inter-county All-Ireland and that this makes him the better footballer.
Nonsense.

That Armagh team was strong all over the pitch, they had some great players and Clarke was far from the sole reason why they got to and won the All-Ireland.

However in 2004 nobody had more to do with Mayo reaching the final than McDonald with some of the best performances on a football pitch I've ever seen in the four games that got them there (I won't count New York).

Even with all others struggling in the final, McDonald produced two of the finest points ever seen in an All-Ireland final.

He almost single handidly brought Crossmolina to the All-Ireland club title in 2001 and his performance in the first half of the 2003 final against Nemo was the best half an hour's football I have seen, bar none.

Clarke is a great player too but he went through a lot of poor form after 2002. He'll admit as much himself.

I agree its not comparing like with like but if you could only have one of them on your team, it would be McDonald for me. EVERY TIME.

And one more point - is there a more expressive player of the game around? I know we talk a lot about attitude, hard work, percentages etc but some of the things McDonald can do with the football are out of this world and make every game he plays in worth watching.

100% correct

[western exile]

in the AI final of 2002 there were two 19 year olds playing in the full forward line.  Ronan Clarke and Gooch Cooper.  Why don't you compare like with like. They are both the same age, both started with the same experiences, both play inside forward, both have Celtic crosses, both now in their prime, etc.   Which is better?

[EugeneGeraghty]

Without a shadow of a doubt I'd have Ronan Clarke. McDonald has all the skills of the game bar teamwork. You'd never see McDonald making a run into space for one of his own to pass into, no he has to come out the field and take it of his own team mates from right beside them. I think that if McDonald was more of a team player and not a show boater Mayo would have won an All-Ireland during his time.

[small white mayoman]

Without a shadow of a doubt I'd have Ronan Clarke. McDonald has all the skills of the game bar teamwork. You'd never see McDonald making a run into space for one of his own to pass into, no he has to come out the field and take it of his own team mates from right beside them. I think that if McDonald was more of a team player and not a show boater Mayo would have won an All-Ireland during his time.

your not Liam hayes by any chance

[corn02]

Poor Old McDonald. Has been one of the most exciting players in the last decade and no one has a good word about him.

[kevmy]

Yeah all this talk about if McD was any good we'd have won an AI

Pure bollocks if the other 12 or 13 fellas who didn't turn up in 04 did turn up then we might have won it.

It wasn't McD who lost midfield or won no ball in the full-back line.

As for no teamwork, McD constantly gets back and helps out defending. If anything he tries too hard.

[off the laces]

i agree two different players, if i was going to watch a match it would be the better for having McDonald gracing the field, but if i where playing on the team i would want ronan there as the fulcrum off our attack.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Poor Old McDonald.

Had a farm. E I E I O.

[Over the Bar]

Neither.   Give me Brian McGuigan and a mid 20's Peter Canavan ahead of those two pretenders anyday!