MOSTLY FOOTBALL: The best XV I've ever shared a dressing-room with
As many of you will know this publication is making a few changes in order to survive the current coronavirus induced economic climate, so regrettably this will be my last column for some time.
It’s been over seven years since I fielded a call from the sports editor Paul Fitzpatrick asking would I be interested in contributing my many thoughts on the game of football and the health of our county side in a weekly column.
Through it all he’s put up with my sometimes very late submissions while I’ve put up with his endless questions regarding who the best corner forward I’ve ever marked is, or the quickest, slowest, smartest, not-so-smartest player I’ve ever shared a dressing room with might be.
For some strange reason he is obsessed with rankings and lists, underlying a deep rooted need to categorize everything that I’m sure indicates a missed diagnosis from his childhood!
So, given how the GAA season has completely ground to a halt, I couldn’t let this moment pass without finally throwing M. Fitzpatrick the bone he so craves. I’ve compiled a list of the best 15 players I could line out, of all the players I’ve ever shared a dressing room with, either in a playing or coaching capacity.
A couple of things to note, this is not a list of the best 15 footballers, for that list would be radically different, and no Paul, I’ll not be sharing that one with you just yet, but rather a full set of goalkeeper, six defenders, two midfielders, and six forwards.
Note: This list should probably include three former footballers of the year in Bernard and Alan Brogan, after I spent six weeks coaching St Oliver Plunkett’s one year and Paul Galvin after he enrolled in DIT in January 2011 when I was managing the Sigerson team.
Paul came to three training sessions before he had a set back with a hip injury he was rehabbing and contact time with the Brogan boys was too limited given their involvement with Dublin that I feel to include any of them would be pushing the boundaries of what’s reasonable and fair.
Anyway, here goes…
1. Stephen Cluxton (DCU)
Not a hard choice when it comes down to choosing the goalkeeper. Cluxton stands apart in the history of the game. His shot stopping when he was a young 21 and 22 year old was outstanding, the best I’ve ever seen up close, but it would be his kick-out strategy and free taking that would go on to define the next decade and a half of football.
2. Ryan Wylie (Ballybay)
The younger Wylie brother has improved with every year to the point that he has been made captain of Monaghan senior football team this year by Seamus McEnaney. I can count on one finger the number of below par games of football Ryan has played over the course of the past four and a half years, and that is despite the fact that he is often gets designated the hardest man-marking jobs whether for club or county.
3. Mickey Burke (DIT)
Something of a social media sensation, (Insta: @Mickey_Burke_the_Honeybadger) Mickey Burke was the hardiest, toughest, and most dedicated player I’ve ever come across. If ever there was an advertisement needed for what a consistent approach to training could do then this guy should front the campaign.
Still playing for Meath, his 16th year on the panel, his longevity in itself is testament to how focused and dedicated he is. He could play on any line of the field, and routinely sauntered up the field from the full-back line to chip in with a score.
4. Kevin McLoughlin (DIT)
While I was still in college I had the pleasure of coaching the Fresher football team that contained Mayo’s Kevin McLoughlin. Most readers will be familiar with him as Mayo’s wing or corner-forward but when he arrived in Dublin in 2008 he plied his trade further back the field.
When Stephen Rochford decided to use him as a sweeper in 2017 I knew it was a role he could potentially excel in given his previous history of playing in defence. McLoughlin is the owner of the most elusive dummy solo in Gaelic football but rarely takes it out these days when playing with Mayo. He won a freshers All-Ireland title, playing a huge part in that triumph across a number of positions.
5. Peter Reilly (Cavan)
Peter was a bit of a freak of an athlete. He was so naturally quick and powerful and with two good feet so he could and often did play anywhere on the field. It is hard to say if his best position was in the half forward line where he started his career or in the half-back line where he was operating by the time I joined the panel.
The Knockbride man was also accurate from frees off the ground and had a great eye for a pass.
6. Paddy Keenan (DIT)
The Louth man won an All-Star at midfield in 2010 for the Wee County and midfield would definitely be his best position but Paddy was so versatile he could operate anywhere in the half-back line, half forward line, or indeed full-forward where I first came across him marking him in an U21 challenge game with Cavan.
I played against him when I was in DCU and he was in DIT. Then, I played alongside him when I switched colleges and enrolled in DIT, and then once more against him when he headed off to do his masters in DCU. A class act.
7. Paul Brady (Cavan)
Better known for his handball exploits, the Gunner’s commitment to his chosen sport meant most of the wider GAA public never got to see what an accomplished footballer he was too.
He was another player whose dedication to his training saw him transform his athleticism from a player who I would say was naturally more predisposed to endurance to one who ended up being one of the more explosive athletes in the county.
8. Tom Walsh (DIT)
When Mick O’Dwyer took over Wicklow there was a huge furore over the transfer of a young fella called Tom Walsh from Carlow to Wicklow.
It looked like O’Dwyer was poaching the best player in the neighbouring county. The fact was, Walsh was so good he could’ve played for any team in Ireland. He destroyed so many good players that his inclusion is hard to argue with.
And I do mean destroy them, and not just edge a battle with them. When you routinely see someone destroy a player who you know to be an excellent footballer, then that’s a pretty good sign you’re looking at the real deal.
In time, Walsh drifted away from football and played a lot of rugby but Walsh was Brian Fenton before Fenton came on the scene – and probably with better acceleration.
9. Dermot McCabe (Cavan)
Cavan and Gowna’s talisman for well over a decade, the big midfielder had superb passing and shooting ability. He was at his best when in midfield attacking the opposition’s kick-out.
McCabe won Cavan’s most recent and only second-ever All-Star in 1997 for his performances in that Ulster winning season. Dermot battled with injuries for many seasons which robbed him of some of his prime years but when he was at his peak he could dominate a game on his own.
10. Paul Flynn (DIT)
Another member of that all Ireland winning fresher team, I played two seasons of Sigerson football with Paul before coaching him a year later to a Sigerson final.
Flynner, to me, was the Cristiano Ronaldo of Gaelic football. He was obsessive about his preparation, his training, his practice and self-improvement. He got better with each and every season to become an automatic selection on the All-Star team for four seasons in a row, which says it all about the level of consistent excellence he attained with the Dubs. A thoroughbred.
11. Diarmuid Connolly (DIT)
I might as well get this out here now; while this list is populated with loads of exceptional players, Diarmuid Connolly is touched by genius. In his time with DIT, he never missed a training session despite his involvement with Dublin, and wanted a ball in his hand all the time. He is easily the most talented player I’ve ever seen.
It was an absolute travesty that he was never crowned Player of the Year when he was at his peak with Dublin, especially in 2015 when he wasn’t even nominated. The feeling was that his disciplinary issues were held against him when those nominations were being put together.
As a footballer and athlete, Connolly had it all.
12. Brian Howard (TUD)
I didn’t really appreciate how good a footballer Brian was until I got to see him up close and in the flesh. I knew he was good, as his two All-Stars would indicate, but he’s so good that it is frightening to think what he might go on to achieve over the course of his career.
A hybrid between Flynn and Connolly is how I would describe him. And Brian is ahead of both of them in terms of his development at this stage of his career. Watch this space.
13. Seanie Johnston (Cavan and DCU)
The best finisher on the list, Seanie needed a fraction less than most to get his shot off and that made him much more difficult to defend against.
The Cavan Gaels man was another player whose dedication to practice over the years was immense, despite the impression many had that he simply turned up on the day. He worked extremely hard in the gym and on his ball-striking and it paid off on the field.
14. Paul Finlay (Ballybay)
Speaking of ball-striking, the best practitioner of that art on the list is without a doubt Monaghan man Finlay. ‘Jap’ was and is capable of shaping and arcing the ball through the air like a golfer might strike a clean fade or hook; in short, Finlay’s control of the ball is majestic. He played for Ireland in the International Rules and enjoyed a very successful career with the Farney and Paul is still going strong with Ballybay Pearse Brothers at senior club level in Monaghan.
15. Larry Reilly (Cavan)
Arguably the most exciting player to watch on this list, Larry Reilly had the type of acceleration that got fans off their seats every time he touched the ball.
His best position was probably wing forward but with eight all stars and 15 All-Ireland titles between them on that line of the field on my list, it’s testament to the player Larry was that I had to find a place for him on the team and that means including him at corner-forward on this occasion.
The Knockbride man’s acceleration and deceleration was elite, and he used to turn defenders inside out before finishing off either foot.