Mayo's (Where football is life) 3 greatest players

[Lar Naparka]

Older informed opinion would lead one to believe that Padraic Carney and John Morley were great as was Tom Langan as a ff. Flanagan a brilliant leader and organiser/tactician.

In my time Willie Joe stands out as does McDonald and McHale, because even on an ordinary day for him he was usually the most influential player on the field. Then there s Nallen of course.

Those that were great losses to the county were Brogan, Ted Webb and Ger Geraghty.
Geraghty was probably the most complete player the last 30-40 years. He was the best player on the u21 team of 84 which had a few very good players.

Moysider, Do you remember the time Morley lost the rag with Pateen Donnellan and chased after him down the sideline in Mchale Park? It was a CF, I think and Pateen was up to what Pateen did best. He was being a sneakyy little git.
Anyhow, he floored one of our smaller lads- Gay Nevin, I think and Morley saw it. With a roar  you''d hear behind the Reek, he made for Donnellan, who took off like a frightened rabbiit for the safety of the endline and jumped in amongst a crowd of Galway supporters.
he had about 30 yards of a headstart but Morley was closing in fast before Pateen got away.
The ref apparently didn't see anything- fair dues to the man.

[muppet]

Hard to ignore the two Team of the Millenium members and of course the Flying Doctor who Bosco McDermott once told me was better than Purcell.

But from what I have seen:

Liam McHale
McD
WJP

The 1st two were better players than Padden but WJP always delivered something when we needed it and that is why the crowd loved him.

James Nallen was an astonishing player in his heyday as were the likes of Joe McGrath, Ken Mortimer and Noel Durcan. Brogan never became what we hoped he would given that he probably had more talent than even McD. McStay on form was a fantastic player but in the 1980s 
small players usually got their jaws broken without so much as a yellow card and he was injured a lot. TJ Kilgallon is the sort of player we desperately need in the current team but quality like that doesn't come around too often.

[moysider]

Older informed opinion would lead one to believe that Padraic Carney and John Morley were great as was Tom Langan as a ff. Flanagan a brilliant leader and organiser/tactician.

In my time Willie Joe stands out as does McDonald and McHale, because even on an ordinary day for him he was usually the most influential player on the field. Then there s Nallen of course.

Those that were great losses to the county were Brogan, Ted Webb and Ger Geraghty.
Geraghty was probably the most complete player the last 30-40 years. He was the best player on the u21 team of 84 which had a few very good players.

Moysider, Do you remember the time Morley lost the rag with Pateen Donnellan and chased after him down the sideline in Mchale Park? It was a CF, I think and Pateen was up to what Pateen did best. He was being a sneakyy little git.
Anyhow, he floored one of our smaller lads- Gay Nevin, I think and Morley saw it. With a roar  you''d hear behind the Reek, he made for Donnellan, who took off like a frightened rabbiit for the safety of the endline and jumped in amongst a crowd of Galway supporters.
he had about 30 yards of a headstart but Morley was closing in fast before Pateen got away.
The ref apparently didn't see anything- fair dues to the man.

Not old enough to have seen that one Lar. I saw Morley a couple of times as a kid. He had superhero status. Big, brilliant, decent and heroic. Still remember what I was doing when I heard he d been murdered. Hard to describe to younger lads the esteem he was held in around the county. Nobody comparable today. Archetypal Mayo footballer really. The type of player we used to like to think characterised our mission in football.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Older informed opinion would lead one to believe that Padraic Carney and John Morley were great as was Tom Langan as a ff. Flanagan a brilliant leader and organiser/tactician.

In my time Willie Joe stands out as does McDonald and McHale, because even on an ordinary day for him he was usually the most influential player on the field. Then there s Nallen of course.

Those that were great losses to the county were Brogan, Ted Webb and Ger Geraghty.
Geraghty was probably the most complete player the last 30-40 years. He was the best player on the u21 team of 84 which had a few very good players.

Moysider, Do you remember the time Morley lost the rag with Pateen Donnellan and chased after him down the sideline in Mchale Park? It was a CF, I think and Pateen was up to what Pateen did best. He was being a sneakyy little git.
Anyhow, he floored one of our smaller lads- Gay Nevin, I think and Morley saw it. With a roar  you''d hear behind the Reek, he made for Donnellan, who took off like a frightened rabbiit for the safety of the endline and jumped in amongst a crowd of Galway supporters.
he had about 30 yards of a headstart but Morley was closing in fast before Pateen got away.
The ref apparently didn't see anything- fair dues to the man.

Not old enough to have seen that one Lar. I saw Morley a couple of times as a kid. He had superhero status. Big, brilliant, decent and heroic. Still remember what I was doing when I heard he d been murdered. Hard to describe to younger lads the esteem he was held in around the county. Nobody comparable today. Archetypal Mayo footballer really. The type of player we used to like to think characterised our mission in football.

I think I know what you mean Moysider. A dog of war, a leader of men. A brave hearted man from the county Mayo. We're not breeding them anymore.



From reading House of Pain you'd nearly form the opinion that Padraig Carney was better than either Flanagan and Langan.

I've heard people whose opinion I would respect talk of John Morley, Joe Corcoran, Ted Webb and Ger Geraghty in reverential tones.

Of the players I've seen myself I'd highly rate Liam McHale, Willie Joe Padden, Noel Durkin, Padraig Brogan, Kevin McStay, TJ Kilgallon, James Nallen, Kenny Mortimer, James Horan, Ciaran McDonald, Alan Dillon and Kevin O'Neill.

How do you pick a top 3 from that?

I'd go with

3: James Nallen
2: Liam McHale
1: Ciaran McDonald.

[Farrandeelin]

Also, it's a pity Kevin Staunton, Peter Butler and the other Knockmore greats never carried their form from club to county.

[southsidejohnny]

The three best players to play for Mayo were  (1) Sean Flanagan (2) Tom Langan (3)Peter Solon. Flanagan and Langan were picked for the Teams of the Century and the Milennium. Solan was a scoring machine from colleges right through senior. By the time he was 22 he had a Hogan cup, two senior All-Irelands, 4  senior Connacht titles, a national league and  railway cup winners medals.
He seems the forgotten man of Mayo football. In the Connacht final of 1951 he scored 3-2.
Of the  1960s early 1970s group John Morley, John Gibbons, Ray Prendergast and Joe Langan were worthy standard bearers. McDonald, Ken Mortimor and Pat Fallon with a nod towards Dave Brady  and James Horan in the last 20 years.

[moysider]

Also, it's a pity Kevin Staunton, Peter Butler and the other Knockmore greats never carried their form from club to county.

Or were allowed to.

[Lar Naparka]

I too remember where I was at the time I heard the news and I was very close to tears when I was told it by a garda at a checkpoint in sheep country. I  was coming down from Dublin to visit the parents that day. We happened to know each other and he first told me to pull in and switch off the engine as he had some shocking news for me. He had tears in his eyes and I was unable to drive on for a good ten minutes when he told me John had been shot.
The respect and admiration for that man was unbelievable and it would be impossible to explain this to anyone who is too young to remember him in his prime.
I know damn well the ref that day saw it all but pretended not to notice. It was well known that John Morley was fearless but wouldn't hurt a child. If he ran after Pateen, Pateen deserved it and I heard no complaints from a single Galwegian either.

[Never beat the deeler]

Top 5... no particular order...

Willie Joe Padden
James Nallen
Kenneth Mortimer
James Horan
Ciaran McDonald


After that, to narrow it down, you would be looking at the most influencial, and who performed on the big days...

Abbeysider, you may not believe it but I have a list on front of me on a post-it, started with about twenty players, and got whittled down to those exact 5 (Liam Mc being the last one to get culled).

Impossible to narrow it down further. Great thread

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Kenny Mort would be an addition to my list too, great player

[Tubberman]

In relation to the 1951 team, I had the pleasure of having a few pints with Paddy Prendergast around March/April this year.

Being a fellow clubman, he is somebody who I always wanted to meet, just to shake the hand as it were. He is a true hero and living legend, and since he is in his early 80's now (I think), I was really glad to have met him.

He is one of the strongest, fittest men for his age I have seen. I couldnt believe the strong hearty handshake, his energy and his general health.

He told some great stories about the players from the AI winning team of '50-'51. He described Flanagan, Carney and Langan as simply majestic and he really idolised them.

He had stories of grown men balling crying on the pitch after the 1950 final and how he met people after the game that had cycled from Belmullet to Balla to get the train to Dublin for the match.

Just to echo that. Paddy P is as much of a legend as you can get around Ballintubber (and probably Mayo). He is so fit that you easily mistake him for a man in his 60s. He's a great talker and can recall endless stories. I've met him a few times including entering or leaving Croke Park on AIF day, and he was as p*ssed off as any of us after the last couple of times. Also met him at U21 semi against Down in Longford this year - he was over talking to Martin Carney, and kissing his wife and daughter. Good ould Paddy lol 

[RedandGreenSniper]

Lads there is no way James Horan can be in a top 3 ahead of Liam McHale. McHale was consistently excellent from 1988 to 1997. James Horan played from 1996 to 1999 essentially (and lost his place in 1997). He was a very good player but to put him in the top 3 is not right imo. He may have picked up two baubles and McHale only one but Jesus, McHale was the best player in the country in 1996. How often can you say that about a Mayo player?

[ballinaman]

Lads there is no way James Horan can be in a top 3 ahead of Liam McHale. McHale was consistently excellent from 1988 to 1997. James Horan played from 1996 to 1999 essentially (and lost his place in 1997). He was a very good player but to put him in the top 3 is not right imo. He may have picked up two baubles and McHale only one but Jesus, McHale was the best player in the country in 1996. How often can you say that about a Mayo player?

Agreed. I remember seeing numerous jerseys in 1996 with the number 8 and GOD printed on the back.

[AbbeySider]

Lads there is no way James Horan can be in a top 3 ahead of Liam McHale. McHale was consistently excellent from 1988 to 1997. James Horan played from 1996 to 1999 essentially (and lost his place in 1997). He was a very good player but to put him in the top 3 is not right imo. He may have picked up two baubles and McHale only one but Jesus, McHale was the best player in the country in 1996. How often can you say that about a Mayo player?

In the last page I was re-counting All-Star awards.

Horan has two and McHale has one, thats why I had him on the list ahead of McHale.

I dont know about McHale being consistently excellent for that 9 year spell. One thing I remember of McHale is him being afraid of the posts, even from point blank range he would recycle it out if he couldnt fist it over. He took a score now and again but for the most part I feel he didnt always take his chances. Im not sure was it a confidence issue but he got fair stick from the crowd for it.

Now dont get me wrong, I think McHale was the best mid-fielder we have ever had in Mayo.
He had fantastic grace, and made the ball look like an extension of himself. He was very fluent and had huge impacts on the game. I dont know why he didnt win more All-Star awards for his efforts.

I wont argue with ye, because its a matter of opinion. McHale was one of the best in the country in 1996, as was Horan in 1996 and 1999.

Half a dozen in one, 6 in the other...

[ballinaman]

Lads there is no way James Horan can be in a top 3 ahead of Liam McHale. McHale was consistently excellent from 1988 to 1997. James Horan played from 1996 to 1999 essentially (and lost his place in 1997). He was a very good player but to put him in the top 3 is not right imo. He may have picked up two baubles and McHale only one but Jesus, McHale was the best player in the country in 1996. How often can you say that about a Mayo player?

In the last page I was re-counting All-Star awards.

Horan has two and McHale has one, thats why I had him on the list ahead of McHale.

I dont know about McHale being consistently excellent for that 9 year spell. One thing I remember of McHale is him being afraid of the posts, even from point blank range he would recycle it out if he couldnt fist it over. He took a score now and again but for the most part I feel he didnt always take his chances. Im not sure was it a confidence issue but he got fair stick from the crowd for it.

Now dont get me wrong, I think McHale was the best mid-fielder we have ever had in Mayo.
He had fantastic grace, and made the ball look like an extension of himself. He was very fluent and had huge impacts on the game. I dont know why he didnt win more All-Star awards for his efforts.

I wont argue with ye, because its a matter of opinion. McHale was one of the best in the country in 1996, as was Horan in 1996 and 1999.

Half a dozen in one, 6 in the other...

Thats fair enough, I can understand your line of thinking but WJP makes your list  ahead of McHale even though you say McHale was the best mid-fielder we ever had....