Rhode supremo Pat Daly rates Niall McNamee among the top 10 forwards in the country.

And few would argue with him as 'The Village' bid to end their long wait for Leinster club SFC honours against reigning All-Ireland champions St. Vincent's in Navan on Sunday.

"Niall is, I think, one of the top 10 forwards in Ireland," Daly said.

"He's a serious player. We train at 8 o'clock and I'd be there at, say, seven. Niall would always be there half an hour before that again, popping balls over the bar. And he'd be the last man popping the ball over the bar at the end as well. He is so tuned in and focused and he brings it to a different level. He has always been that way.

"The first game he played for us, as a senior, he was 17. But I think he got 3-6 from corner forward in a tournament game. You just knew this chap was special. And he's the same chap today as he was then."

Daly stressed that there is more to Rhode's attack than McNamee, citing the huge contributions his fellow full forwards Anton Sullivan and Paul McPadden have also made in their run to the provincial final.

"We hadn't got Anton last year and it became a situation in the county that teams were dropping two or three fellas back on Niall the whole time, because Anton wasn't there," he explained.

"But they haven't one to watch now, they have two. And the other fella in the corner isn't bad either, Paul McPadden. He's young but he's a good player, so it's a strong full forward line."

Tweet

Most Read Stories