Oisin

[Rossfan]

Best wishes on your retirement Oisín.
You were a good one.

[stephenite]

I have been privileged to have been a friend, team mate and most recently a coach alongside Oisin.  For nearly 30 years (with a few years of a break in between) I have worked alongside him and he is the most gifted player I have ever played with. Whatever about personal bias I would rate him second only to Peter Canavan in terms of game winning influence over the last 30 years. 

Here is where it all began in Mosney,sorry it's not very big but I'm sure Stephenite will remember this weekend!  He is the captain beside the goalkeeper.

Mad to think it's that long ago eh?

Who's the 6 ft 2 12 year old in the back row?!!!

[thewobbler]

Perhaps the best compliment I could pay Oisin is that of all the footballers I can think of, he is the one who most of all made Gaelic Football look like a simple game.

There was nothing flash or extravagant about how he played the game. He was quick enough but didn't seem to need pace. He was a big enough lad, but he never ploughed through opponents. He had a touch of class, but he didn't didn't have a shimmy like Gooch or Jamie Clarke. He could win his own ball but he rarely flew into aerial exchanges. He was a magnificent free-taker, but without a booming kick.

Instead his brilliance was founded on a simple mastery of the basics of handling, kicking and balance, matched with a highly intuitive yet finely honed ability to be in the right place at the right time, and almost always in space.

And as a result, it seemed to be that in every game he played, he scored 1-7 or better.

I remember a few years ago someone telling me that soccer coaches in NI made youngsters watch videos of Cesc Fabregas to try help them understand how simple a game soccer is, as long the brain is continually engaged. Oisin would be make a very apt similar case study for Gaelic Football.

No doubt, one of the all time greats.

[Throw ball]

Perhaps the best compliment I could pay Oisin is that of all the footballers I can think of, he is the one who most of all made Gaelic Football look like a simple game.

There was nothing flash or extravagant about how he played the game. He was quick enough but didn't seem to need pace. He was a big enough lad, but he never ploughed through opponents. He had a touch of class, but he didn't didn't have a shimmy like Gooch or Jamie Clarke. He could win his own ball but he rarely flew into aerial exchanges. He was a magnificent free-taker, but without a booming kick.

Instead his brilliance was founded on a simple mastery of the basics of handling, kicking and balance, matched with a highly intuitive yet finely honed ability to be in the right place at the right time, and almost always in space.

And as a result, it seemed to be that in every game he played, he scored 1-7 or better.

I remember a few years ago someone telling me that soccer coaches in NI made youngsters watch videos of Cesc Fabregas to try help them understand how simple a game soccer is, as long the brain is continually engaged. Oisin would be make a very apt similar case study for Gaelic Football.

No doubt, one of the all time greats.

Very eloquently put. I agree completely. Have a good retirement Oisin.

[Armamike]

Perhaps the best compliment I could pay Oisin is that of all the footballers I can think of, he is the one who most of all made Gaelic Football look like a simple game.

There was nothing flash or extravagant about how he played the game. He was quick enough but didn't seem to need pace. He was a big enough lad, but he never ploughed through opponents. He had a touch of class, but he didn't didn't have a shimmy like Gooch or Jamie Clarke. He could win his own ball but he rarely flew into aerial exchanges. He was a magnificent free-taker, but without a booming kick.

Instead his brilliance was founded on a simple mastery of the basics of handling, kicking and balance, matched with a highly intuitive yet finely honed ability to be in the right place at the right time, and almost always in space. And as a result, it seemed to be that in every game he played, he scored 1-7 or better.

I remember a few years ago someone telling me that soccer coaches in NI made youngsters watch videos of Cesc Fabregas to try help them understand how simple a game soccer is, as long the brain is continually engaged. Oisin would be make a very apt similar case study for Gaelic Football.

No doubt, one of the all time greats.

Very eloquently put. I agree completely. Have a good retirement Oisin.

Agreed. The bit in bold brilliantly sums up the footballer he was imo.

[lawnseed]

nice lad and a wonderful footballer. i remember his county debut jeez there wasnt much to him. at the time armagh had about 6 freetakers all of them were useless they took it in turns to miss. i couldnt believe it when this lad with girls legs started slotting them over from all over the place and hes been doing it ever since. i'll never forget the cross v st, micheals enniskillen game in clones. enniskillen played all the football and were leading with about 10mins to go. oisin and jim mcconville robbed them with pure craft and a dogged determination to win. thats what oisin is all about- 'winning'. i hope he follows up his football with a coaching post we had him at our club a couple of times and he has a great way with him.
all the very best oisin you will be missed.

[Puckoon]

Perhaps the best compliment I could pay Oisin is that of all the footballers I can think of, he is the one who most of all made Gaelic Football look like a simple game.

There was nothing flash or extravagant about how he played the game. He was quick enough but didn't seem to need pace. He was a big enough lad, but he never ploughed through opponents. He had a touch of class, but he didn't didn't have a shimmy like Gooch or Jamie Clarke. He could win his own ball but he rarely flew into aerial exchanges. He was a magnificent free-taker, but without a booming kick.

Instead his brilliance was founded on a simple mastery of the basics of handling, kicking and balance, matched with a highly intuitive yet finely honed ability to be in the right place at the right time, and almost always in space.

And as a result, it seemed to be that in every game he played, he scored 1-7 or better.

I remember a few years ago someone telling me that soccer coaches in NI made youngsters watch videos of Cesc Fabregas to try help them understand how simple a game soccer is, as long the brain is continually engaged. Oisin would be make a very apt similar case study for Gaelic Football.

No doubt, one of the all time greats.

Could probably lock the thread now. Won't be better put than that.

[stew]

It is a pity he only won one all Ireland with Armagh. They probably could have won more.

We would have, teams like tyrone really benefitted from the back door were it tended to bite us on the arse, only for the back door we would have probably one or two more in the vault, hence my disdain for the backdoor and refs who take backhanders!!!

[T Fearon]

Take you pick,Armagh could easily have won any combination of the 3 All Irelands between 2003 and 2005.2003 we were cheated out of it by Marsden's unjust sending off (GAA had to give Canvan a winners medal),the 2004 qtr final defeat to Fermanagh was inexcusable,and once more we lost a semi final in 05 that was there for the taking.

[macdanger2]

Great player, best of luck to him.

Read his book a while back, thought it was only so-so tbh but he showed great courage to come out publicly like that.

[Gaffer]

Great player, best of luck to him.

Read his book a while back, thought it was only so-so tbh but he showed great courage to come out publicly like that.

I thought his book was class.

Laughed at the bit where he tried to kick Davy Harte up the 'arris!!

[Gaffer]

Take you pick,Armagh could easily have won any combination of the 3 All Irelands between 2003 and 2005.2003 we were cheated out of it by Marsden's unjust sending off (GAA had to give Canvan a winners medal),the 2004 qtr final defeat to Fermanagh was inexcusable,and once more we lost a semi final in 05 that was there for the taking.

What a whinger. !!!

[yellowcard]

Perhaps the best compliment I could pay Oisin is that of all the footballers I can think of, he is the one who most of all made Gaelic Football look like a simple game.

There was nothing flash or extravagant about how he played the game. He was quick enough but didn't seem to need pace. He was a big enough lad, but he never ploughed through opponents. He had a touch of class, but he didn't didn't have a shimmy like Gooch or Jamie Clarke. He could win his own ball but he rarely flew into aerial exchanges. He was a magnificent free-taker, but without a booming kick.

Instead his brilliance was founded on a simple mastery of the basics of handling, kicking and balance, matched with a highly intuitive yet finely honed ability to be in the right place at the right time, and almost always in space.

And as a result, it seemed to be that in every game he played, he scored 1-7 or better.

I remember a few years ago someone telling me that soccer coaches in NI made youngsters watch videos of Cesc Fabregas to try help them understand how simple a game soccer is, as long the brain is continually engaged. Oisin would be make a very apt similar case study for Gaelic Football.

No doubt, one of the all time greats.

Couldn't have put it any better than that.

[yellowcard]

Take you pick,Armagh could easily have won any combination of the 3 All Irelands between 2003 and 2005.2003 we were cheated out of it by Marsden's unjust sending off (GAA had to give Canvan a winners medal),the 2004 qtr final defeat to Fermanagh was inexcusable,and once more we lost a semi final in 05 that was there for the taking.

Indeed, in 7 out of 8 years between 1999-2006 Armagh either won the AI or were beaten by the eventual winners, the exception being the Fermanagh defeat which was scarcely believable at the time.

[DrinkingHarp]

Oisin reflects on his Gaa Career


http://www.u.tv/sport/McConville-reflects-on-GAA-career/ec3c46ea-3f91-4897-acb0-4d7ac19b3350