We have a thread on your best 15 hurlers, your favourite individual players and your top 5 from each county and it got me thinking on the various teams you could select to pass the time and reminisce on the great players we have seen down the years so I thought of a thread on the hardest 15 players you have seen.Not necessarily the best or most skilful just the toughest.Heres my stab at it to get the ball rolling,

1.James Skehill (Galway) I found it hard to pick a keeper but a guy who plays 3 days after dislocating his shoulder must be pretty hard if nothing else!

2.Sylvie Linnane. Played a league final with 16 stitches in his mouth.

3.Pat Hartigan. Limerick. Nuff said.

4.Dick O Hara, ( Kilkenny) Just look at a photo of him.

5.Pete Finnerty ( Galway) Beast.

6.Ger Henderson ( Kilkenny) Another beast.

7.JJ Delaney ( Kilkenny) Just the best in every way.

8.Colin Lynch ( Clare)
9.Frank Cummins ( Kilkenny) Very hard to ignore lads like Mike Houlihan, Mick fennelly, Michael Coleman, Etc etc. but these 2 get my vote.

10.Declan Ryan ( Tipp) Tough and skilful.

11. Brendan Lynskey ( Galway) Ash would be worn on this man!

12.John Power ( Kilkenny) This iron man has to be in there somewhere.

13.Tomas Mulcahy (Cork) A genuinely hard man who was always good for a goal.

14.Joe McKenna ( Limerick) Another man to give full backs nightmares !

15.Henry Shefflin ( Kilkenny) Like JJ another man who had it everyway.Hard and skilful.

subs, Kevin Fennelly (KK) Paddy Prendergast (KK) Tony Keady (Galway) Mick Fennelly (KK) Larry O Gorman (WX) Seanie O Leary ( Cork) Eamonn Cregan ( Limerick)

What do ye reckon lads?

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 26/11/2015 11:08:53    1809988

James Skehill, ah come on now! No Brian Lohan? I can't read anymore!

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7891 - 26/11/2015 12:26:21    1810008

Hardest or dirtiest condorman?

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 26/11/2015 12:27:55    1810009

Surely Wexford's Grey Jacob has to make this list!!

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 26/11/2015 12:40:53    1810012

Greg Jacob. Hard for definite.

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 26/11/2015 12:41:31    1810013

Uuu, best one yet, not too much wrong with your selection either, heres me own:
1. Alan Nolan (dub). Not especially noteworthy, but he must be hard, being from corduff ;-). 2. T Walsh (kk) 3. The rock. 4. Steve mcdonagh (lim)not dirty, but hard as nails. 5. Tomas Dunne (wex) extremely dirty! 6. Iron mike houlihan. 7. Ken McGrath, missing front teeth is always worth a few hardchaw points. 8. Colin lynch, came on the IC scene wearing a rats tail. 9. Michael Coleman, when I was small I was fascinated with a foto of him about to blast John Fitzgibbon simultaneously with shoulder, hip and hurl. I couldn't understand how Fitzgibbon lived. 10. Noelie Crowley (waterford), I think the first Munster final they televised live was in 89. It could easily have been the last. Bloodbath. 11. Lynskey 12. Ciaran Carey. 13. Seanie McGrath (cork). Animal. 14. Conor Clancy (clare), would put his hand up for everything, invariably won the ball too, despite the belts. 15. Andy garvey (lim). A danger to society!

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 26/11/2015 12:43:17    1810014

Ps. Was only messing with seanie McGrath. :-D

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 26/11/2015 12:44:17    1810015

Nice one Flack!
Hard or dirty its all the one to me Bumbernut! I had hard in mind though rather than downright dirty.

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 26/11/2015 13:07:59    1810021

Ken McGrath, played on with a broken foot if I remember correctly. Think it was a munster semi final. Legend.

ConnollyDub (Dublin) - Posts: 2007 - 26/11/2015 13:09:52    1810022

Define hard? I once saw Ger Cunningham pull off a point blank save with his face got up and played on, that's hard. Then there's the stereotyped hard men like Sylvie and then theres lads who are classed as hard but as soon as its given back to them they go missing. So are we going lads who shipped bad knocks and got up and played on or dirty players who want man before ball?

Brianmac78 (Dublin) - Posts: 1168 - 26/11/2015 13:10:48    1810023

The Flaker,

The above is my selection.I tried to pick guys in the positions that they played in which is why I picked Hartigan at fullback not Lohan.I stand by that selection.I have the height of respect for Lohan but he wasn't as good as Hartigan in my opinion.

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 26/11/2015 13:16:50    1810025

1 T Quaid(Lim)

2 S Linnane(Gal)
3 D O Sullivan(Cork)
4 B Ryan(Tipp)
5 P Finnerty(Gal)
6 L Dunn(Wex)
7 N Rigney(Laois)
8 M Houlihan(Lim)
9 O Baker(Clare)
10 C Carey(Lim)
11 J Power(KK)
12 B Lynskey(Gal)
13 J Leahy(Tipp)
14 C Bonnar(Tipp)
15 PJ Cuddy(Laois)

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 26/11/2015 13:46:56    1810037

this list is pointless,hard hurlers were generally also filthy or percieved to be so.

perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 26/11/2015 13:57:20    1810041

Hardest the way I imagine hard:
1. Damien Fitzhenry
2. Frank Lohan
3. Noel Hickey
4. Martin Hanamy
5. Mark Foley
6. Sean McMahon
7. Brick Walsh
8. Peter Queally
9. Johnny Pilkington
10. Declan Ryan
11. John Power
12. John Carroll
13. Eoin Larkin
14. Brian Corcoran
15. Richie Hogan

Hardest the way other people think hard
1. Davy Fitzgerald
2. John O'Connor
3. Brian Lohan
4. Paul Delaney
5. Darren Stamp
6. Liam Dunne
7. Jackie Tyrell
8. Tommy Walsh
9. Colin Lynch
10. Michael Duignan
11. John Leahy
12. Benny Dunne
13. John Mullane
14. Paul Shelly
15. Eddie Brennan

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2550 - 26/11/2015 15:03:53    1810075

Hard to me is tough and clean. Other people seem to confuse being tough with being dirty I think.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2550 - 26/11/2015 15:11:09    1810078

Disagree icehonesty. Hard is hard, you can be hard and dirty or hard and clean. I think the former is (Or was) more common

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 26/11/2015 15:41:28    1810090

Forgot about John leahy and Eddie Brennan dammit!!

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1908 - 26/11/2015 16:54:37    1810112

Hubert rigney and martin hanamy from offaly??

old yellar (None) - Posts: 2625 - 26/11/2015 20:59:28    1810161

Brendan Lynskey & then John Power probably my favourite hurlers ever. Very similar players playing in the same area of the field. Neither the most gifted but as brave as they come. Loved watching them.

KildareKelly (Kildare) - Posts: 593 - 26/11/2015 21:05:51    1810165

this list is pointless,hard hurlers were generally also filthy or percieved to be so.

Not at all, this thread is brilliant!

There is a difference between being hard and being dirty. A lot of hard men didn't dish it out.

As for some of the comments - the one about Dick O'Hara was hilarious. He'd frighten anyone in his day.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 27/11/2015 08:41:03    1810180