In Gaelic football. The most talked about players and the players considered "the best players" are obviously the players people see on their screens who can kick a series of scores from any kind of angle off their left or right foot and who make it look .. Well, make it look easy. The players who go in hard on their man and win the ball. But what you dont see on your TV screens is the movement a player makes to make these scores possible, Or the reading of the game the defenders do in order to make a vital block/interception/tackle. This to me is the most un-noticed and under-rated abilities of a footballer in my opinion.

I in recent times have seen some very good teams play in very big and meaningful games. Forwards and backs. I've also seen some of the countries better county sides on TV. And the main difference as everyone knows is that when your actually at a match, you dont just see the area where the ball is like on TV, You see everything on the field in front of you. Forwards like Gooch Cooper, Declan O'Sullivan, Daniel Goulding, Bernard Brogan seem to have this ability to score serious scores but having watched bernard in particular closely last sunday, i couldnt help but notice some of the smart movement off the ball. These kind of forward players have the ability to assess a situation , Act on it and punish a team in the blink of an eye. Its this movement that can make a skinny footballer like Gooch get the better of a huge powerhouse of a defender time and time again. Its clever. Its smart.

Likewise a defender. The one defender from my own county who reads the game better than anyone else in our side in my opinion is James McCarthy. Not exactly built like a machine. But he , like the best forwards, Can assess not how to hurt an opposition defensively, But stifle any attacks on the defence by reading what the opposition will do. Its this ability that makes him the player he is.. I think it is severely under-rated. This is basic stuff that players learn. To move and look for the ball as a forward. To read the game and get in front of your man as a defender. When to put the hand in and when to wait.

So while we see the onscreen wonderstrikes of the football and the hard knock from a defender, Maybe next time think of the importance of what that player has done a second or two before hand that you dont see. That darting run away from his marker into the corner, Or that quick thought to get to a ball before the forward, Its that quick train of thought and the ability to read situations that make very good footballers , World beaters. Alot of it is thinking and getting one step ahead of your man. It makes you think doesnt it ? Really is under-rated

Opinions ?

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13654 - 24/07/2012 17:47:30    1227822

I'm a fan of McCarthy. Always very positive in his style of play. Great man to carry the ball out past midfield towards goal.

Superglue (Kerry) - Posts: 1283 - 24/07/2012 18:33:47    1227896

not the biggest. Reads the game very well ..

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13654 - 24/07/2012 18:35:31    1227898

24/07/2012 18:35:31
waynoI
County: Dublin
Posts: 4415

1227898
not the biggest. Reads the game very well ..

The lad is tipping 6ft 2 /3 and hits like a frieght train!

bluedubstar (Dublin) - Posts: 835 - 24/07/2012 19:32:28    1227971

Until this year Frank McGlynn was very under-rate.. this year however more people see the magnifican player he is. Same goes for Ryan Bradley who is having a great year and also Neil Gallagher is having his best year in a Donegal jersey.

up_donegal (Donegal) - Posts: 659 - 24/07/2012 19:34:21    1227973

Kevin McLoughlin does a very unselfish job for mayo. The amount of work he gets through in a game is outstanding. He is more often than not the first Mayo man to a breaking ball in midfield. Brilliant player.

killer_88_ (Mayo) - Posts: 2040 - 24/07/2012 19:44:38    1227985

Karl Lacey is the player who I think this applies to. He's a terrific reader of the game. People may see him on the ball a lot and in the right place at the right time a lot but that is not by chance. He sees attacks develop and his awareness of other players is great. The reason he is so comfortable on the ball is because he knows exactly who is around him and what he can and cannot do. He has been holding our defence together for years.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1428 - 24/07/2012 19:48:27    1227990

But with the likes of Lacey, McGlynn, McCarthy etc , Its this reading of the game that gives them the edge and makes them all the better cause of it. Its amazing how the mind can determine wether you are a good player , or a class one.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13654 - 24/07/2012 20:10:20    1228023

Olly Lyons very under rated. One of the quickest players in the game, he reads the game brilliantly, and he carries the ball forward at pace. If you look back at Bolton's point against Limerick, Lyons was the player who got the ball forward at such pace which created a lot of space through the middle.

suncroft_abu (Kildare) - Posts: 298 - 24/07/2012 20:23:19    1228049

try setting your tv to wide screen wayno1.......... you'll be amazed at difference

Gammy_Knee (USA) - Posts: 1482 - 24/07/2012 21:16:25    1228116

Very Funny Gammy_Knee ..

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13654 - 24/07/2012 21:29:14    1228130

Mark McHugh?

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 24/07/2012 21:29:25    1228131

I've always thought that James McCarthy is the best defender on that Dublin team. I would also argue that he is possibly the best pure footballer on the panel also. He defends really well, and he is so classy when he is on the ball. My father tells me that McCarthy has the exact same style as his father before him who played for Dublin, but the name escapes me. He is a joy to watch, and I think he will be your long term centre back. A much better option at 6 than Brennan or Nolan in my own humble opinion.

bob_dolphin (Limerick) - Posts: 694 - 24/07/2012 21:31:34    1228136

Ray Finnegan from Louth. He is a workhorse.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 24/07/2012 21:56:24    1228170

How are Lacey or McHugh underrated?
Lacey has 3 all stars. McHugh is a famous pundit's son, who so many people know and rate. He was man of the match in the final.

AnRaibh (Donegal) - Posts: 134 - 25/07/2012 08:36:53    1228198

Bob, his dad was John McCarthy
forward on the Dubs 70's team

James has bundles of ability and class. Needs to reasses how he tackles and needs to stop with the hand passing, but you can see watching him what a superb footballer he is and now natural he is
In a few years himself and Nolan will be 2 of the best wing backs in Ireland. Back to the days of Curran and Deegan

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 25/07/2012 09:05:08    1228211

Kevin Nolan
Anthony Maher
Mickey Quinn

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 25/07/2012 09:19:55    1228232

They are not under rated...wayno just wants to tell us how he sees more in a game of football than the rest of us...sit back and take your lesson!

pigonastick (Dublin) - Posts: 487 - 25/07/2012 09:28:19    1228236

Lacey gets noticed more because he is always in the right place at the right time but I am saying that's not by luck. Same as wayno talks about Bernard Brogan, he's not underrated either is he? We are talking more about underrated abilities. like Lacey isn't super fast or super strong but his mind makes him much better than his athletic ability

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1428 - 25/07/2012 09:29:10    1228238

I think it's because he's a famous fella's son is why he's considered underrated. Certainly compared to some of the other Donegal players.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 25/07/2012 09:53:36    1228266