Joyce is better because of longitivity

IrishRover (Fermanagh) - Posts: 488 - 18/01/2010 19:18:17    536414

everyone has their own opinions & mine is in favour of Maurice Fitz. In my opinion he will be an all time great, he was a pleasure to watch. I watched him in Croke Park against Down in a league play-off, he was what made Kerry tick. Money well spent just to watch him. (that sounds a bit gay doesnt it?)

Joyce is a very good player but not at the same level.

blu (Down) - Posts: 1240 - 18/01/2010 19:37:21    536439

Who would be the best between say Pat Spillane and Collie McCullough?

That's what we are discussing here.

Joyce was a very good player, Fitz was an all time great, one of the top ten in history.

History going back to 1884, not 1984.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 18/01/2010 19:49:48    536450

Joyce

jimmy90 (Kildare) - Posts: 160 - 18/01/2010 20:00:12    536459

Fitzegerald was a genius, a natural footballer with no weakness, Joyce was good but not in the same league.

REDROM (Offaly) - Posts: 208 - 18/01/2010 20:21:46    536477

they were completely diff players fitzy was a one off he was the matt le tisser of the football world he could do things with a ball no one else could, and also score from all angles with both feet, also his fielding was magnificent, while his work rate was not as good, padraig joyce was a class act as well he carried a galway on his own at times, brillant point and goal scorer, and ball carrier. both equally good at different aspects of the game.

kerryrowz (Kerry) - Posts: 833 - 18/01/2010 20:31:28    536503

Joyce a very good player but Fitzgerald a class apart & an all-time great of any era.

dingle1 (Clare) - Posts: 805 - 18/01/2010 20:55:53    536555

patrique
County: Antrim
Posts: 6659

536450 Who would be the best between say Pat Spillane and Collie McCullough?



Absolutely right Pat, you never hear McCollough's anti Ulster rants!

blu (Down) - Posts: 1240 - 18/01/2010 21:00:02    536559

Pádraig Joyce was/is an outstanding footballer but Maurice was a genius.

I always thought that the reason that Páidí didn't play him that much in 2000/2001 was because everyone gave Maurice the credit for winning the All-Ireland in 1997 and not Páidí. Later on I think Páidí was trying to prove that he could win the All-Ireland without the Cahersiveen man.

But who did Páidí turn to when Kerry's back was to the wall (Armagh 2000 and Dublin 2001)? Maurice, who delivered.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13837 - 18/01/2010 21:16:46    536581

Joyce for longevity, consistency, and vision in open play. Fitzgearld for free taking and his scoring threat. At their very best eg: Fitz 97, Joyce 01, then Fitz just shades it. Bit overall Joyce gets my vote because he has been top class for nearly 12 straight years now.

Spot on jafallon, similar to our own man mcdonald, m fitz was capable of doing something that could just take ur breath away, but could also exasperate and even seem disinterested. Over the space of 70 minutes joyce delivered more to the cause, he was/is a player of massive individual ability but is also an integral part of galway's team play. The romantics will remember m fitz's sublime sideline score, or his performance against mayo in 97, while forgetting the fact that he stopped performing and was dropped from the side not too long after this. Although Joyce's singular exploits may not be as memorable as m fitz they are far more plentiful and just as important. I would rather have joyce in my side for his ability to control and influence the game, but imagine the two of them...

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 18/01/2010 21:53:23    536632

Similar sentiments to many. Joyce is a great player, but Maurice Fitz would shade it as he should be listed in the 'genius' category. As Vincent Hogan says on Des Cahill's GAA moments DVD, Fitzgerald was one of the few players who on his day was 'unmarkable.'

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 19/01/2010 08:02:29    536647

joyce for me

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11717 - 19/01/2010 09:16:05    536678

Breffni39
County: Cavan
Posts: 1839

536107 Have to say Maurice Fitz. Always thought Joyce was that little bit over-rated although to be fair my judgement is clouded by a number of immensely frustrating performances for Ireland in the compromise rules.

What? Joyce always performed in the international rules. He's been one of Ireland's best ever players at the game and his performance when captain in both games in 2004 is one of the greatest Int. Rules performance by an Irish player ever. I seem to remember him getting player of the series. Does that qualify as immensly frustrating to you? Were you shouting for the Aussie's or something?

jafallon (Galway) - Posts: 489 - 19/01/2010 10:43:59    536742

jafallon
County: Galway
Posts: 20

What? Joyce always performed in the international rules. He's been one of Ireland's best ever players at the game and his performance when captain in both games in 2004 is one of the greatest Int. Rules performance by an Irish player ever. I seem to remember him getting player of the series. Does that qualify as immensly frustrating to you? Were you shouting for the Aussie's or something?

I know he had some good series' like the time Ireland won in Australia but I always thought he either took too much out of the ball or didn't want it at all sometimes. Just my take on it. I could be wrong!

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12483 - 19/01/2010 12:04:43    536840

I am very fond of both players but if forced to choose I would pick Maurice Fitzgerald. He took the art of free taking to a different level.

mugsys_barber (Tyrone) - Posts: 2160 - 19/01/2010 13:55:37    536994

No contest! Maurice Fitzgerald all the way. He makes the impossible look simple with pure class!

ainese (Kerry) - Posts: 1 - 19/01/2010 14:22:40    537045

OK thanks for the input. A few things to point out is how the folks from Mayo go for Joyce. That's a bit of a tell for me, just saying. His display against you guys in the All Ireland should be used as an instructional video of how to play the game.

Anyway on the longevity thing that wasn't really where I wanted it to go. I mean my father had a Massey Ferguson 35X and it served him for years and did the job that the horse couldn't do but it was no Massey Ferguson 5400 series. That's how I view the Joyce V Fitzy thing. Joyce is the very reliable 35x but he's no 5400 series. Now I don't mean to be an insult to Joyce, but Fitzy was just that good and the responses here confirm that for me. It was like folks used to give the close vote to Joyce, an indication of sentiment, and the Fitzy guys for the most part were asking why was there any doubt and that was why I felt like I was talking to a bunch of idiots that night. But who'd blame them, they were defending the guy from their own county who has served them well.

One last note to the silly poster who said that Fitzy's popularity had just grown the last few years, I think it's medication time for you mate. MF was always rated, Michael O'Muircheartaig said he was one of the greatest he had seen in all his years commentating on the game and he has been at it before World War 2.

SmerwickMan (Kerry) - Posts: 20 - 19/01/2010 15:03:39    537113

Fitzgerald but Peter Canavan was still ahead of both.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9837 - 19/01/2010 15:21:00    537131

patrique did ya mean colm mc cullagh ?

sons.of.erin (UK) - Posts: 343 - 19/01/2010 15:49:24    537181

sons.of.erin
County: UK
Posts: 260

537181
patrique did ya mean colm mc cullagh ?


In the inner circle we all him Collie.

remember, he is a soccer player and they all end with IE.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 19/01/2010 17:15:32    537323