Best Mayo player since 1980

[Mayo4Sam]

When ur talking about consistently best then brogan doesn't make the list, but for hte few years he was there before his bust-up with JOM he was a class act.
In terms of being the best over a career i think we can look no further than WJP. I know MacDanger is winning this by a country mile but thats because most people voting dont remember him playing, and in fact prob only remember him for his semi final bandage and our 1st point in '89.
But his fielding for a small man, point scoring ability and general link play was class. I know MacDanger has the edge on him in terms of passing but for me WJP is still a better player. If you were just counting MacDangers last 3 years then it would be a more even contest.

[Maradona]

Gees, its interesting to see some of the opinions on this!!
I think time certainly clouds judgment.........how could players like Kevin McStay, Dermot Flanagan or Padraig Brogan be even considered?? Maybe it just shows how poor we have been over the years.
Never saw McStay step up to be counted when it mattered. Remember we struggled for years in Connaght with many of these playing. I would have Jimmy Burke ahead on McStay.
Brogan...had talent, but only in flashes. Sure how could he be on this list having played very little for Mayo?
Flannagan – like Nallen, very loyal and ever present, but quite limited in pure ability. Recently saw a documentary on Joe Brolly – in two different games he absolutely slaughtered Flannagan – was embarrassing watching it!

Cant ever fault Nallen for commitment and loyalty, but has been given a higher rating because of that than his talent deserves. Kenneth Mortimer was class, but for a very short time. When he went off the boil he was very poor.

If you are talking about pure talent, then McDonald is miles ahead of the pack. Honestly don't think I witnessed a more fantastic display from any player (Fitzgearld, Canavan, et al) than McDonalds for Crossmolina in the AI club final v Nemo (the one they lost). He was let down badly by his team mates in the second half when no one else would take responsibility and decided to play everything through MCD. Not always dependable as we know, but has there ever been a player who did it with more style? Unfortunately will probably end his career with an AI medal, and unfortunately that is what GAA players are always judged on. If he wins one, he will be considered up there with the greats.

After MC would have to be McHale. Not a fan of his, but he could dominate games and do the spectacular when on form.

Padden was majestic in the air, but was a very very basic footballer. Actually his latter years redeemed himself a bit in this regard.

Great players set great standards, that's why the 3 above would get all the praises in victory and all the blame in defeat.

When you think about it, most of the great teams had a Mr Dependable with talent to match (Canavan, Joyce, Moynahan, Giles, etc), and that's where we have lacked – you really couldn't call any of the above dependable!

[Pietas]

Pie eater .  read the title of the list again naturally talented , Mact stay was one of those guys that you knew from the kickaround before the game he had class. supreme ball skills speed and even a good pair of hands . h may have had failings but Skill was not one of them. BTW are you of an age to have seen him play?

I am.

And your reading age is?

Ps:  No Jimmy Browne? Noel Durkin? TJ? Rogue poll...not enough players pre 1990.

[stephenite]

Sure you were never going to please everybody, and the list of selected players were drawn up whilst trying to bear in mind that we have some younger posters here.

Rogue poll...not enough players pre 1990.

Would probably agree with that, but again not enough people on here to make it a realistic vote IMO, also considering that we had our most successful in recent memory during the period from '96 so I felt it was only fair that we included a lot of players from that era

[muppet]

 Muppet's Oscars:

Best performances in a leading role:

Nominees:

Wille Joe Padden
Liam McHale
Ciaran McDonald

  Winner Liam McHale

Best performances in a supporting role:

Nominees:

TJ Kilgallon
David Brady
James Nallen
Kevin Cahill

Winner: TJ Kilgallon

Achievement in Artistic Direction:

Nominees:

Ciaran McDonald
Padraig Brogan
Kevin McStay
Kevin O'Neill

Winner : Ciaran McDonald

Achievement in Directing:

Nominees:

John Maughan
Micky Moran
John O'Mahony
Liam O'Neill

Winner: John Maughan

Achievement in Score Effects:

Michael Fitmaurice
Maurice Sheridan
Conor Mortimer

Winner: Conor Mortimer

Most inspiriational Screenplay:

Nominees:

Williie Joe Padden
Ciaran Mcdonald
Liam McHale

Winner: Willie Joe Padden


   

[stephenite]

Nicely put there Muppet - but you forgot to mention Noel Durkan, Jimmy Burke, Jimmmy Browne, Tom Reilly, Diarmuid Byrne , Sean Maher, PJ loftus, TJ Bourke, Micael Collins, Pat Holmes, Ivan Heffernan, Eugene Lavin, Liam Niland, Kevin Staunton, Barry Heffernan, Eugene Mchale, Joe Corcoran Junior, and maybe Joe Linsday.

Dud oscars etc. etc. etc. blah de blah

[Pietas]

More typical Ballina sarcasm.  They'd sicken your arse.  Why didn't you stick Ronan McGarrity in your bloody poll?

[stephenite]

Pietas

I didn't stick Ronan McGarrity in my poll because I didn't think he would be in with a shout in any poll for best Mayo player since 1980. Pretty simple really.
Sincere apologies if my sarcasm offends, but in fairness it was just in reaction to your overly negative vibe that you're posts exude on here.

I mean feel free to disagree with my opinions, but you're constant little sniping comments on this and other threads is really getting rather tiresome. So you scratch your head as to why I put Kevin McStay on the list, but you neglect to even mention why ? Who you would have replace him, and why ? 

Express your opinion, but at least back it up with some substantive reasons as to why you have that opinion, instead of these mystic little one liners and other nonsensical ramblings about crying beside the bacon factory. 

And as for that other gobshite Muscles, stick up your own poll mate. You're f**king whinging about me putting McStay on the poll and it's because he's from Ballina, making no reference to as to why you think he shouldn't be on the list. There was a time when people on here were able to have discussions and state their opinions. Or better still, stay away this time.

[rosnarun]

Flannagan – like Nallen, very loyal and ever present, but quite limited in pure ability

I think there is a lot of confusion about what makes a great Gaelic football player. i think these pages show how much people are polluted by soccer. A great gaelic footballer does not necessarily need fancy footwork and spectacular score ala Mcdonald Fitzgearld though its brilliant to see. football is so much more of a team game than soccerball and its qualites that you find in the great midfielder that win and loses games in the long run. simple fact forward cant score without good ball into them with a few notable exceptions Donnellan Canavan Mcdonald and very few others look how bad some of our best forward looked against the aussies.some positions eg corner back a not meant to be glamourous and Flanaghan nevr was but he was a wonderfully  skillful corner back compare him to the more attack minded fullback line we had this year and he look very solid in comparison not as eyecatch but a genuine corner back.
  to call flanaghan nallen WJP TJK. ect limited only exposes a lack of understanding of football and you d probably be better off watching the premiership. whiere player are so protected a hand on the shoulder is now a bookable offence.

[stephenite]

I wouldn't say confusion, more difference of opinion. Which is great to see once articulated properly and not just expressed for the sake of it

[mayo51]

good post rosnarun.i would think that whoever said dermott flanagan was not a good corner back never saw him play.i saw him play many times and he was a brilliant man marker and a great passer of the ball.granted brolly gave him a roasting in the league semifinal but he still came back to play in the all ireland final in 1996 and played well. i have always thought that he was the one mayo player who really deserved an all ireland medal in that time period as he gave 15 years of great service to mayo.

[muscles magoo]

Pietas

And as for that other gobshite Muscles, stick up your own poll mate. You're f**king whinging about me putting McStay on the poll and it's because he's from Ballina, making no reference to as to why you think he shouldn't be on the list. There was a time when people on here were able to have discussions and state their opinions. Or better still, stay away this time.

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.

[Mayo4Sam]

Ah lads can we not keep the anomosity for the rossie and the galway lads?
Or at the very least for the meath crew!

For the love of god think of the children..........

[dodo]

Keep out of this Mayo4Sam, let them at it .

[Pietas]

Pietas

I didn't stick Ronan McGarrity in my poll because I didn't think he would be in with a shout in any poll for best Mayo player since 1980. Pretty simple really.
Sincere apologies if my sarcasm offends, but in fairness it was just in reaction to your overly negative vibe that you're posts exude on here.

I mean feel free to disagree with my opinions, but you're constant little sniping comments on this and other threads is really getting rather tiresome. So you scratch your head as to why I put Kevin McStay on the list, but you neglect to even mention why ? Who you would have replace him, and why ? 

Express your opinion, but at least back it up with some substantive reasons as to why you have that opinion, instead of these mystic little one liners and other nonsensical ramblings about crying beside the bacon factory. 

And as for that other gobshite Muscles, stick up your own poll mate. You're f**king whinging about me putting McStay on the poll and it's because he's from Ballina, making no reference to as to why you think he shouldn't be on the list. There was a time when people on here were able to have discussions and state their opinions. Or better still, stay away this time.

Stephenite, if you don't like my poetry , write your own.  Unlike your previous post it does not set out of offend anyone. I can't figure out why you apologise to me and then insult me in the same post. I can only think that your apology is insincere.


You are however, right about Ronan McGarrity, but failed to spot that my reference to him was part of what you might describe as my 'overly negative vibe'.  If one were to highlight one player, who, more than any other, let Mayo down in the 06 AIF, it was your clubmate McGarrity.  But that's in the past and I referred to him in anger at reading your previous posts.

Stephenite, you state you're all for people disagreeing with you...but then fly off the rails and use rather insulting and degrading language when this happens.  Your comments towards Muscles Magoo say a lot more about you than him. On the one hand, you admit to sarcasm, but fail to find it difficult to respond with anything other than profanity when it comes back at you.

There was indeed a time when people here could engage in intelligent debate.  As a poster who has returned after a long absence I am beginning to realise that time was before you came along.

Who gave you the right to ask someone to stop posting on this board?  You're arrogance is astounding.

The upshot of all this is that it is clear that you like to dish out sarcasm and strongly held opinions, but the minute someone disagrees with you with a level of wit that you cannot match yourself, you fly off the handle and tell them get off the board in very unsavoury language.

Stephenite you need to take a look at yourself.