This Sunday tg4 is having a whole day of gaa to mark 125. Now i dont know about the other proviences but only TWO connacht players have been nominated - Padraig Joyce and Kevin Walsh. Is this a joke surly a few more Galway players could have been included like Donellen and De Paor and what about Mayo Roscommon Sligo and Leitrim. Would Ciaran McDonald, James Nallen, Willie Joe Padden not be in with a shout. Very unfair to connacht football - tg4

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11560 - 30/10/2009 16:46:23    471077

How come Matty Forde didn't get into it ???

Duffy89 (Wexford) - Posts: 3320 - 30/10/2009 17:20:16    471137

mcdonald wasnt nominated!WTF?

Mclovinxxx (Cavan) - Posts: 205 - 30/10/2009 18:15:22    471204

Mclovinxxx County: Cavan Posts: 109 471204 mcdonald wasnt nominated!WTF? Of course he wasn't. How many times have I to tell you all. These daft awards, all stars, FIFA world player of the year, and all the rest in GAA and soccer, are for WINNERS. They are for winners because the media assume that the public like winners, and ALL of these awards have sponsors, and the sponsors want as much publicity as possible. McDonald didn't win any county all Ireland's. In soccer Messi won nothing last year, this year Ronaldo won nothing (important) Sorry to tread on dreams and all that, but that is the REALITY.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 30/10/2009 21:07:53    471369

If you think McDonald is that good then why won't John O Mahoney select him. Answer is simple if you know football. He is not that good and never really was.

TheSkipper (USA) - Posts: 71 - 31/10/2009 02:15:09    471539

Ja Fallon was the best midfielder in the 98 final and was playing center forward. A truly great player.

TheSkipper (USA) - Posts: 71 - 31/10/2009 02:17:52    471540

TheSkipper
County: USA
Answer is simple if you know football. He is not that good and never really was.

like the galway lad said of course ja fallon should have got nominated, what about dermot early of roscommon or is he just outside the 25 year bracket?

to the skipper i suppose you havent watched much gaa over the last decade or so in the usa, because anyone who knows football would not say mcdonald was never really that good. any yes he does have an all ireland medal - club in 2001 with crossmolina

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11560 - 31/10/2009 09:46:48    471566

To Yew Tree. You suppose wrong. You should not assume that people in the U.S. are out of touch with the goings on in Ireland or anywhere eles for that matter. Gaelic Games and all other sports played in Ireland are easily watched in the U.S.A. People like myself have involved myself in the games here and in Ireland both playing and coaching and organising. We get to see all games that are shown in Ireland. I have lived in the U.S. for 24 years but I think I have not missed a game shown on TV or the Internet and I also pay many trips back to Ireland for games. I can also read by the way and newspapers are readily available. So to assume that I am out of the loop with what is and is'nt in our games you are very very wrong. I love all good players and and McDonald is one of those but to put him in the category of greatest in the last 25 years I feel would be stretching it a bit too far. He has had the oppertunity on big days to make a statement on the standard he has but failed to do so in my opinion. Great players stand out on big days and all days but good players only stand out against average players. Dermot Early was one of the best ever but alas he was outside the 25 years. I would be thinking of players like Ollie Murphy, Eamon O Hara, Ja Fallon, Maurice Fitzgerald, Seamus Moynahan, Colin Corkery, Tomas Mannion, Willie Joe Padden, Peter Canavan, Anthoney Tohill, to mention but a few. I would consider all of them better than Kieran McDonald. Even from Mayo, James Nallen, Liam McHale and Peadar Gardiner are well ahead of him. Kieran McDonald's failings were he hung on to the ball too much, and although he could give a great pass and score some great points he slowed Mayo's play down too much and prevented them from being as effective as they could have been. John O Mahoney knows the value of high speed attack from his time with Galway. Players like McDonald who hog the ball drive team mates mad when they make the runs and need the quick delivery. Gut bursting runs without the ball looking for a pass that does not come, that is what Kieran McDonald brought to the Mayo team when he moved out to the half forward line from his original position of corner forward. If he stayed at corner forward and lurked around the goal he would have been far more valuable to Mayo........ In my out of touch U.S.A. opinion.

TheSkipper (USA) - Posts: 71 - 01/11/2009 16:06:55    472288

Yew_tree. There are a lot of All Ireland Club medals in Galway. Portumna, Sarsfields. Athenry, Corofin, Salthill/Knocknacarra, Caltra and thats just senior. It does not make any of those players the greatest in the last 25 years. There are quiet a few senior football county medals also, but it does not make them the greatest. Some counties never get to an All Ireland final and have great players who were brilliant in all their displays until they were knocked out. Kieran McDonald has had his chances and he flopped on the big day. He is just not the great player you think he is. Good yes, but not great. I am not trying to belittle your opinion I am just trying to get you to look at the bigger picture of players from all over and not through the Green and Red glasses. We all tend to feel our county's players are the best when in fact they are not.

TheSkipper (USA) - Posts: 71 - 01/11/2009 16:25:31    472295

TheSkipper
County: USA
Posts: 59
t. Kieran McDonald has had his chances and he flopped on the big day.


Depends on how you look at things.

In 2004 final he scored the best point I have seen in a final.

In 2008 Brian Dooher scored a point which some thought to be the best, and he was touted as player of the year.

So, one man's ceiling is another man's floor. Especially in the US of A.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 01/11/2009 18:52:51    472388

Does it have to be a player who is finished playing?if not then i would say that my favourites are sean cavanagh,dara o'se,thomas o'se,trevor giles,kieran mcgeeney and colm o'rourke.

lyoto.machida (Meath) - Posts: 343 - 01/11/2009 19:49:23    472436

Here here skipper, agree with you 100% on McDonald.he wasn't even the best Mayo player of the last 25 years.I don't think Jack O Shea was the best kerry player of the lst 25 years either never mind the best Gaelic footballer.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 01/11/2009 21:55:52    472552

its extremely hard to pick the greatest ever gaa player given the different era's barnowl but if Jack O'Shea isnt up there with the best or if not thee best then pussy aint a cat!

Rahilly_Man (Tyrone) - Posts: 361 - 01/11/2009 22:13:02    472565

Rahilly man,

Sorry I should have explained myself better I think Jacko was a great footballer but he was at his best prior to 1984, I would not agree he was the best of the last 25 years, Dara O Shea has more claim to it in my view.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 01/11/2009 22:18:40    472570

sure we'l agree to disagree barnowl no harm done :) Jack O'Shea & Dara O'Se would have been some midfield pairing all the same, the service those two gave and the quality of their displays over lengthy periods would surely rank them up there as the best, but no doubt others on here will disagree we're all entitled to our opinions.

Rahilly_Man (Tyrone) - Posts: 361 - 01/11/2009 22:29:20    472584

TheSkipper, yewtree queried on the number of players nominated, and that fact that in his opinion, McDonald should have received a nomination. He wasn't playing 'top trumps' on who is the most knowledgable on Connacht football.

Fair play to him for putting his opinion out there, and I hope that the two of you will not be drawing your guns at dawn!

cailin (Wexford) - Posts: 143 - 01/11/2009 22:35:35    472591

Peter Canavan has to get this award if there is any justice and credibility in the GAA. He played at the top level for so long and won many a game on it's own with a skill level that no one comes near. He brightened up many dull McKenna Cup and National League matches on his own with his sublime talent while you could watch his goal in the 2005 All Ireland final time and time again.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9817 - 01/11/2009 23:35:23    472641

Canavan probably had it all, pace, the skill, strength and carried Tyrone for years on his own, to top it off with the medals he now has, prob means he is the best there has been.

gottabetrue (Tyrone) - Posts: 300 - 02/11/2009 12:13:10    472848

canavan was a decent player but not in the same league as the likes of pat spillane, trevor giles or maurice fitz,

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4649 - 02/11/2009 12:30:23    472864

Badmonkey are you insane? Peter Canavan is in a league of his own over the past 25 years considering he played in such a weak team during his peak.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 02/11/2009 12:58:29    472891