Very fair comments lostcat and I agree with all of them. My views may come across as being a bit extreme but you have summed it up pretty nicely in your post.

I would also like to see Joe perform to the level that Galway supporters believe he can - even if it means ridicule from them on this board - and go some way to proving that he is the next big thing in hurling. I don't have anything against the player but his last three matches do not justify the majority of the comments on here. Galway supporters are living in a dreamland with some of the things they are posting.

Loyal2TheRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 4522 - 20/07/2009 14:12:03    353202

What exactly do people mean by over rated? In my view hes seen as the best prospect in Hurling since Shef, not as good as him yet but has the potential to be. At only 20 he has numerous AI club titles and an All Star, which King Henry didn't have and Hes probably the best player I've seen hit a placed ball.

JuanVeron (Westmeath) - Posts: 1866 - 20/07/2009 14:32:44    353258

I think people are over reacting to what Loyal is saying. I personally think that Canning is a super hurler but I'd have to admit that he hasn't been as good as he can be from open play yet this year. His free's, 65s srl have been exceptional but he has not cut loose yet from play.

Loyal has every right to question how good people are saying he is this year without people just dismissing it without examining it.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13797 - 20/07/2009 14:41:13    353284

Ack lads come on now, he's a terrible singer!

Bald Eagle (None) - Posts: 1009 - 20/07/2009 14:45:57    353300

JuanVeron, you are spot on! Over rated comparing him to Ring, Keher even Shefflin! He has a lot of hurling done for 20 but still has a bit to learn, only over rated comparing him to a great player! He is good but not up to eoin Kelly's level yet (as much as I dislike him he is a great player in a poor team)

lostcat (Dublin) - Posts: 49 - 20/07/2009 14:55:06    353317

Loyal.
What a ridiculous way to rate a player, on his last three games. Dismiss his performances in club championships, forget his performances last year, ignore his free taking and other dead ball skills and just bleat on about his last three games which have been good but not phenomenal. Do you write for an English tabloid or do you really know so little about sports? This is the kind of sensationalist nonsense you´d expect from the Mail. Would you rate Brian Lohan, Colm O´Rourke, Jamsie O´Connor or Graham Geraghty on three games or even better on three games they played before the age of 21? I doubt it. While you begrudge him any praise and spend your time slagging him off on this and other sites those of us who enjoy sports will love seeing him develop into one of the giants of the game. You´ll probably choke on your own rage as he does so. As I said before the words bitter, little and begrudger spring to mind.

wackallen (Wexford) - Posts: 53 - 20/07/2009 14:56:34    353320

The fact that so many threads are started on the main forum about one 20 year old says enough. this debate grows old, lets see Joe prove himself for the rest of this year (which he will do) and then we can discuss it.

tribes4liam09 (Galway) - Posts: 147 - 20/07/2009 14:57:41    353322

The fact that people are comparing him to Henry Shefflin at all is a major compliament to the young pretender! The most valuable individuals to any team are ones who (like Henry), despite their individual brilliance, are still part of a team. At 20 Joe is already the focus of a lot of defensive planning by opposition teams and this brings benefits to Galway, which Joe himself doesn't always have to exploit single-handedly. There are a fair number of good hurlers who have passed their Galway careers without an A-I medal. I don't see the same thing happening to Joe or the generation he hurls with. That will be the true measure of his contribution when it's counted, and not the number of All-Stars or Player of the Year awards he wins... or even if he breaks scoring records...

Pericles (Mayo) - Posts: 2521 - 20/07/2009 15:13:16    353370

He has potential buy he is far from the finished article.
People keep comparing him to Shefflin when they were at the same age and saying Joe has X amount of club titles when Henry has only X. It ridiculous. As you all know you could be the best hurler in the country and come from a crap county. To follow the same argument Henry has X All ireland inter county medals and Joe has X.
Is it Henry's fault that the Shamrocks only started winning County Championships in the last 5 years or Joe's that Galway haven't won an All Ireland in years.
Comparing by medals is ridiculous.
If you're going to compare them you do it by performances and again you can't really have this debate until both are finshed hurling. At the moment Shefflin is way ahead in performance consistency and why wouldn't he be..he has 10 yrs inter county hurling behind him...Joe has about 6 matches.
Lets leave the debate for another few years because at the moment whatever way you compare on the field Sheff will come out on top

solo (Kilkenny) - Posts: 314 - 20/07/2009 15:18:52    353379

No other hurler in Ireland has me switching on the box to watch them play like Joe Canning does, i think thats a testament to his quality.
Comparable for me to Zinedine Zidane, you daren't take your eyes off him in case you miss something truely brilliant.

bosch (Derry) - Posts: 873 - 20/07/2009 15:20:42    353385

Comparing him to Shefflin is stupid for many many reasons. Shefflin is a master hurler end of story BUT he is surrounded by the best talent in the country maybe ever. Canning does not enjoy as much support. Galway hurlers are good but Canning takes them to a different level altogether.


(Theres a REASON why he gets so much hype: he's GREAT!).

pwalsh67 (Galway) - Posts: 100 - 20/07/2009 17:00:32    353667

no, what planet are you on son ?

johnjoseph (Derry) - Posts: 158 - 20/07/2009 17:39:56    353766

Jeez, would have to agree with solo alot.... It's nice to speculate tho...

throw_it_over (Galway) - Posts: 769 - 20/07/2009 18:43:38    353894

Canning is undoubtedly an exciting prospect, but his performances from play in intercounty games, save the exception of the Cork match last year against a full back who was past it, have been very average. I'd have expected that with all the hype we'd have seen a hell of a lot more from the "Joe Show". Maybe he'll step up to the plate in the rest of the championship, but since the Cork game in 2008 he's played in 7 big games:

AI U-21 Semi Final V Kilkenny 2008
National Hurling League V Clare/Tipp/Waterford
Leinster Championship V Kilkenny
All Ireland Qualifiers V Clare/Cork

In these 7 games he's scored the grand total of 2-5 or an average of 1.5 points from play, hardly the scoring rate of someone being foolishly mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Christy Ring or even Henry Shefflin.

The reality is that Canning is an excellent dead ball specialist who still has everything to do to be rated in the same category as someone like Eoin Kelly (W) or Lar Corbett, never mind the likes of Henry Shefflin, Eoin Kelly, John Mullane, Eoin Larkin or Eddie Brennan. Scoring heavily against club teams is a world apart from serious inter county standard, which Joe has found out so far.

He may well do enough to be included amongst the greats but at the moment the jury is still out, despite all the media hype.

CodyisGod (Kilkenny) - Posts: 20 - 21/07/2009 16:43:55    355561

Say what ye like lads, but to us he is a great and all the talk is irrelevant and a distraction. Judge the kid at the end of his career. He isn't going around claiming greatness, just going out every week working like a dog, which to me is a mark of the man. Shefflin is the only one at the moment you can compare him to and they (KK) are a settled team confident of there abilities, so HS can concentrate on his own game. Joe has a lot more responsibility at the moment. Henry in my view is still King at the Moment, but give Joe time, he is heading in the right direction and is the likely incumbent of Henrys title, and in the meantime as a Galwaegian, boy are we glad to have him.

gaillimh73 (Galway) - Posts: 669 - 21/07/2009 20:53:59    355937

Well said CodyisGod. For me Canning can be put in the same bracket as Aisake O'Hailpin or Michael Webster with the added addition that he is a dead ball specalist who never misses a free from inside 80 yards.

The Galway supporters think he is their saviour and such a weight of expectation on his shoulders isn't really fair either.

Loyal2TheRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 4522 - 21/07/2009 22:21:20    356073

loyal your comparin canning to aisake??the only thing aisake did the other nite was fall over.

lowerormond (Tipperary) - Posts: 1267 - 21/07/2009 22:34:30    356095

Yeah Aisake was terrible last week. I said after the Tipp game he just wouldn't cut it and the Galway game proved it. Obviously, Canning is ten times the player Aisake will ever be but their styles are quite similiar I think.

Loyal2TheRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 4522 - 21/07/2009 22:40:55    356104

Bald Eagle
County: All
Posts: 787

353300
Ack lads come on now, he's a terrible singer!

This has gone too far now. Slag his hurling all you like Eagle but Im privaliged to have heard him sing one night and he'd put Joe McDonagh to shame, not to mention Micheal Jackson. Which reminds me have you ever seen Joe do the moonwalk?? UN-REAL!!!!

mossbags (Galway) - Posts: 1089 - 21/07/2009 22:41:23    356105

lowerormond
County: Tipperary
Posts: 157

356095 loyal your comparin canning to aisake??the only thing aisake did the other nite was fall over.


Correct and that is what he did all year.

Dellboypolecat (Tyrone) - Posts: 15069 - 21/07/2009 22:47:57    356121