JammyDodger
County: Meath
Posts: 26

523901 Best in living memory, Brian Stafford.

Honourable mention Maurice Fitzgerald & Larry Tomkins.

Best Current, Cian Ward ? Not in the same league as the fore mentioned but is there anyone better out there just now.


Cian Ward is a very good free taker but i'd say bryan sheehan would be every bit as good if not better, i kinda makes me wonder why there arent more specilast free takers nowadays how many 45's do we see go wide or drop short when the likes of tohill split the posts 9 times outta 10.

duke_raul (Tyrone) - Posts: 993 - 04/01/2010 14:14:25    523964

Neil Finnegan-Galway
Padhraic Davis-Longford

EDoz (Longford) - Posts: 16 - 04/01/2010 14:21:24    523971

How come Tyrone Posters always pick guys from their own counties first??? Canavan usen't even Kick from the ground!!!
In Saying that im gonna contradict myself and say Maurice Fitz

09KY36 (Kerry) - Posts: 329 - 04/01/2010 14:32:59    523978

For crying out loud. Another thread spoilt by rediculous posts.

Best freetaker ever must at least be able to do all of the following from hand or ground:-

Score from the left
Score from the right
Score over 90% of all frees taken.
Score from anywhere inside the 45
Score under the most serious pressure

Now you can discount, Keaveney, Kerins, Matt Connor, Canavan, McTeague, Carr, Mikey Sheehy, Mick O'Dwyer, McConville, Tohill, Giles, O'Neill, McDonald, Shine, Finnegan etc. by using the requirements aove.

What you are left with over the last 35 years from what I've seen are the best 5 in no particular order:-

Brian Stafford
Colin Corkery
Larry Tompkins
Maurice Fitzgerald
Charlie redmond

All your biased memories and wishful thinking will not change this.

thykingdomcome (Kerry) - Posts: 1206 - 04/01/2010 15:05:21    524005

Gary Mason scored 45's regularily from either side of the field.

blu (Down) - Posts: 1240 - 04/01/2010 15:23:07    524018

Ronan Coffey - Wicklow

One of the most under rated players of his time

WICKOFFICIAL (Wicklow) - Posts: 28 - 04/01/2010 15:43:05    524033

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000553621174#/group.php?gid=92018823921&ref=mf

there is ur answer ^^^^^^^

Eldiablo42 (Galway) - Posts: 291 - 04/01/2010 16:27:12    524088

Cian Ward and Brian Sheehan are the best free takers from the ground now.Donacha O'Connor and Mark Vaughan are not bad either.Sheehan and Ward scored the 2 best points from the ground i have ever saw.Sheehan against Dublin(2007) and Ward against Kildare (NFL 2009).Two wonderful points.Stafford,Giles,Redmond and Maurice Fitzgerald were the best free takers from the ground in the 80s/90s.Giles was the best from Penalties.(Except in 2001, cried when he missed that penalty.)

12Royal (Meath) - Posts: 987 - 04/01/2010 16:55:47    524119

12Royal
County: Meath
Posts: 209

524119 Cian Ward and Brian Sheehan are the best free takers from the ground now.Donacha O'Connor and Mark Vaughan are not bad either.Sheehan and Ward scored the 2 best points from the ground i have ever saw.Sheehan against Dublin(2007) and Ward against Kildare (NFL 2009).Two wonderful points.Stafford,Giles,Redmond and Maurice Fitzgerald were the best free takers from the ground in the 80s/90s.Giles was the best from Penalties.(Except in 2001, cried when he missed that penalty.)

If were talking penalties then i havent saw to many hit them as well as stephen o'neill

duke_raul (Tyrone) - Posts: 993 - 04/01/2010 17:13:44    524133

Gary mason nd ross carr 2 of the best!!

paddy cuningham from antrim has 2 b up there now

ronan8 (Antrim) - Posts: 5 - 04/01/2010 17:19:28    524140

If you are looking for a reliable penalty taker they don't come any better than Mikey Meehan as he usually blasts them so hard that even if the goalie did get a hand to it the power would still get it home. Also a good freetaker but even better at the penalties.

tommy k (Galway) - Posts: 3470 - 04/01/2010 18:16:02    524203

1. Matty Forde
2. Maurice Fitzgerald
3. Peter Canavan
4. Padraig Joyce
5. Cian Ward

Duffy89 (Wexford) - Posts: 3320 - 04/01/2010 18:21:15    524212

Peter Donohue-Cavan

worple (Roscommon) - Posts: 351 - 04/01/2010 22:52:45    524527