Replying To GeniusGerry:  "He showed up plenty of big days. He was long past his best really after that bad injury in 2014, never the same when he got back. I don't think he is the greatest ever either but picking one bad game late in his career to prove the point is really disingenuous."

Replying To CornAghais91:  "I am sorry if I upset you. But disingenuous? No, no. I made a valid point regarding the claim in the thread.

Could you list of some wannabe GOAT who played, anonymously in an AI against one of the greatest rivals, a match by the way in which they trying to avoid 3 defeats in a row to them, and played as defending champions. As a Kerry fan I understand you do not like my disparaging his performance that day. But it is the truth.

Please note I did say he was one of the greatest, his range of skill and vision I greatly admired."

Replying To GeniusGerry:  "You did not upset me at all. My point was Gooch was well past his best at that stage, it was clear all year that that injury had finished him as an elite player, in truth he had no business starting that final, Kieran Donaghy should have started instead.

Gooch was remarkably consistent throughout his career and played well in almost every big game I saw him in. Picking one game at the tail end of his career when he was clearly not the same player is disingenuous yes, you are trying to prove a point using an exception.

You asked for an example of another player not performing in a final? Michael Murphy 2014, marked out of it in the prime of his career. It does not seem to have done his reputation any harm."

Replying To Crinigan:  "Colin Cooper was a lovely footballer but I always thought him over-rated. I thought that he could bullied out of matches by likes of Dublin and Tyrone in a way that truly great players like O'Rourke, Linden and Spillane couldn't be.

I always thought Declan O' Sullivan was the best player on that Kerry team.

Also of his generation, for me Diarmuid Connolly is the best pound for pound footballer, ahead of Cooper and all the rest."

Replying To CornAghais91:  "Murphy, fantastic player as he is and has been, is not however GOAT material - remember, that's what this thread is about.

Cooper played reasonably well in the 2016 semi final, did he not? I seem to remember him selling a fantastic dummy on his nemesis McMahon in the first half. Caught up in the game as I was, I remember thinking how brilliant and effortless it was. I remember thinking I was glad he hadn't produced not one moment like it in the final 12 months earlier.

In 2013, in the first 25 mins, Cooper gave as fine an exhibition of centre forward play as I have ever seen. His pass for the second goal I think was superb. But he faded out thereafter, more closely shut down of course. But the very best don't fade out after 25 mins no matter how well marked.

In 2011, we'll see above for the most part. He scored a super goal in the first half and was dangerous from general play. Dublin were quite a different proposition those days, one could almost sense the fear of the players when he got on the ball in those first 25 mins. After that, and he faded out. The captain that year. I don't remember one meaningful contribution in the second half.

In 2009, he was class that day. Enough said.

So you see, I picked one game, the ultimate highlight of why I do not think he was the GOAT. I have now provided some other points to back it up, drawing only of my experience of watching him in the flesh v Dublin, some of those games anyway.

Anyway I stand over what I said, framed as it is in the context of the thread as posted. Not disingenuous, I just didn't think I needed to write an essay, not to a Kerryman anyway, to highlight any of the above, remembering again,the context - GOAT - of the thread."

Replying To CornAghais91:  "Excellent point re: bullied out of matches. Particularly in huge games v Tyrone in the 00's. It would never have happened to a Spillane, Sheehy, Liston, Fitzgerald, O'Sullivan, Donaghy to name only a handful of Kerry lads."

Replying To oneoff:  "2005 All-Ireland final scored 5 points, 2008 All-Ireland final scored 6 points. Pretty good scoring for someone who was ''bullied out of matches''"

Replying To GeniusGerry:  "He was putting in a MOTM performance in 2005 before he got that eye injury. His no shows v Tyrone is a myth."