The comparison is in quality. Connolly is Platini like, silky skills capable of turning any game, many titles under his belt etc. AOS is a work horse like Glenn Whelan and has not achieved top honours. DC and AOS are incomparable. Platini did it all for club and country. DC has done it all for club and county.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 23/10/2014 20:48:22    1666698

look it up hill...it is an award in relation to the all ireland football championship..all stars player of the year award?....i make up stuff?..where did i state all this stuff about lynch?..you made it up to suit yourself...of course connolly would look a lot worse in a weaker team as he would be marked by multiple players...club football has no relevance to these arguments as its a completely different level of football..stop trying to include it to suit a dublin player who didnt do enough at county level to justify being player of the year...nobody cares about the league in selecting these awards..again understand the context before trying to attack somebody

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 23/10/2014 21:26:22    1666716

the dublin bias here is just ridic..u cant have everything..connolly had a great year for dublin...o donoghue just had a better 1 and also won sam which helps..people really need to look at and understand how these awards are selected as whatever they do for their clubs is a completely seperate as is the league in a lot of cases...ultimately gaelic football comes down to what you did in the championship..not saying thats right but thats how them awards are decided so no point complaining about a fella not getting the recognition for something non championship when its just not relevant to the awards discussion

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 23/10/2014 21:33:52    1666723

Does anybody actually know how these all stars are judged?

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 23/10/2014 21:48:31    1666731

all stars are a farce.would Kerry of got 6 awards if got beat by Mayo over a couple dodgy decisions?sure Moran and Donaghy didn't even start Munster final or QF against Galway

HandyMoran (Roscommon) - Posts: 327 - 23/10/2014 22:01:07    1666737

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 789

1666723
.ultimately gaelic football comes down to what you did in the championship..

-----
If this is true then how come Donaghy got an award? He caught 4 or 5 balls in the championship and swung a leg at a couple, over two games. Is this what makes a player an all-star? I'll put my boots on so!

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 24/10/2014 10:46:22    1666775

I agree Joxer,

He is totally over-rated imo.
And as for his nickname....!!

We should start calling Flynner - LEGEND
and Diarmuid - GENIUS, and so on.... :o)

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 3738 - 24/10/2014 11:12:21    1666785

A few thoughts on the various branches of this topic:

- Kieran Donaghy deserved his all-star. Performances in latter stages of the championship have always be weighted more heavily than early season form, and nobody was better than Donaghy in his last 2 and a bit games. Put simply, Kerry would not have won the AI without him.

- David Moran also deserved an all-star. His performance in the Mayo replay was up there with the very finest midfield performances of all-time.

- Aidan O'Shea is a colossal footballer, and any comparison to Glen Whelan is laughable. If I could have either Connolly or O'Shea on the tyrone side next year (or for the next 5 years, for that matter), I'd choose O'Shea in a heartbeat, largely because of his consistency in taking over games singlehandedly.

- Connolly is a hugely talented footballer who deserved his all-star, but I wouldn't rate him as the best footballer in the country.

- On the subject of greatness, not only is the assessment of 'greatness' subjective, but the definition of the word is too. I'd be in ruanua's camp, and would reserve that term only for the top few players of each generation. By my school of thought, that would be players like Peter Canavan, Colm Cooper, Tomas O'Se but not, by way or comparison, Stevie O'Neill or Paul Galvin (I'd consider those two as brilliant/oustanding footballers, but just short of greatness when judging their careers as a whole).

For me, Connolly would not yet be in the same category as O'Neill or Galvin, but there's no doubting that he has the potential and, playing for Dublin, the opportnuity to reach that level.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 24/10/2014 11:44:17    1666793

Don't agree with the OP. In fact I think Paul Flynn is better than Connolly. Don't get me wrong Connolly is a wonderful talent. I just think Flynn is better and is fast becoming one of greats of all time ( and not just Dublin greats!)

irishtom (Donegal) - Posts: 219 - 24/10/2014 11:51:25    1666796

If I had to take one player in the country at the moment into the Kerry team it would be Paul Flynn. Class player and doesnt get half the plaudits he deserves. Connolly is very good and is a different type of player but I would pick Flynn over him.

aidan64 (Kerry) - Posts: 665 - 24/10/2014 13:54:31    1666862

Liamwalkinstown
County: Dublin
Posts: 5909

1666591
Master, what u make of all the non dubs on this very thread saying DC is the best footballer in ireland today?
Ignore the Dubs saying it, what about the non Dubs, what do you say to them?
U cant accuse them of Bias....

Not a question directed at me, but a lot of non-Dublin posters were talking the same rubbish about Dublin being miles ahead of everyone only this year. They were wrong, and they're not right now. The general reaction after Kerrry beat Mayo was 'at least Dublin will hammer them in the final'. Dublin have the most media clout, and a lot of the country buys into it every time. Even when they had an average team throughout the 00's, they were ALWAYS widely considered AI contenders, when they never were. Then when they put together a VERY good team, they become the greatest ever. Dublin teams are generally rated about 20% better than they are.

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 24/10/2014 14:18:46    1666879

Treaty_Exile
County: Limerick
Posts: 359

1666879
Liamwalkinstown
County: Dublin
Posts: 5909

1666591
Master, what u make of all the non dubs on this very thread saying DC is the best footballer in ireland today?
Ignore the Dubs saying it, what about the non Dubs, what do you say to them?
U cant accuse them of Bias....

Not a question directed at me, but a lot of non-Dublin posters were talking the same rubbish about Dublin being miles ahead of everyone only this year. They were wrong, and they're not right now. The general reaction after Kerrry beat Mayo was 'at least Dublin will hammer them in the final'. Dublin have the most media clout, and a lot of the country buys into it every time. Even when they had an average team throughout the 00's, they were ALWAYS widely considered AI contenders, when they never were. Then when they put together a VERY good team, they become the greatest ever. Dublin teams are generally rated about 20% better than they are.

------
There's an element of truth in this but you have to look to the evidence. Dublin had won 5 trophies from 5 going into the Donegal game. They were beating teams from all provinces out the gate. Why wouldn't people be saying that they are miles ahead of other teams. Hindsight is a great thing but on the evidence of their form in the 18 months prior to that Donegal game, would you have thrown money down against them? Even the Donegal fans were pleading for clemency ahead of the game.

However I do agree that Dublin teams are over-hyped. I would say that Kerry teams are too and also other traditionally successful teams in any sport, Brazil in soccer for example. That's just sport and human nature.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 24/10/2014 14:41:44    1666895

Joxer,

It's nothing personal against Dublin. I actually really admire Dublin's tradition, and all they've contributed to the game. With 24 All-Ireland titles, they are the only county to hold a candle to Kerry traditionally, and they've always played really good football. I also personally believe that Dublin are still the best team in the country, I believed that they were the best team in Ireland before the Donegal game, but I never believed they were as far ahead as some claimed. They lost, but that doesn't make them a bad team. They're a great team.

The opinions I've expressed on Connolly are nothing personal against him either. I place him in the top three players in the country. But I feel some of the praise he's receiving here is WAY over the top. I don't think he's a bettr player than O'Donoghue, and he wasn't better than him this year. It will be an injustive if O'Donoghue doesn't win player of the year tonight. I can't help but feel this bandwagon behind Connolly is a continuation of some of the rubbish spouted about Dublin this year.

I disagree that Kerry teams tend to be overrated. I think there's a penchant out there for consistently underrating Kerrry teams actually. I have a sneaky feeling that this Kerry team is going to make some of the opinions expressed this year to look pretty silly in time. But for now, I think Dublin will win it next year.

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 24/10/2014 15:36:29    1666918

irishtom County: Donegal
Don't agree with the OP. In fact I think Paul Flynn is better than Connolly. Don't get me wrong Connolly is a wonderful talent. I just think Flynn is better and is fast becoming one of greats of all time ( and not just Dublin greats!)


aidan64 County: Kerry
If I had to take one player in the country at the moment into the Kerry team it would be Paul Flynn. Class player and doesnt get half the plaudits he deserves. Connolly is very good and is a different type of player but I would pick Flynn over him.


Quite a few Dublin fans would think the same in all fairness, myself included, but to be honest Connolly is some talent.

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 3738 - 24/10/2014 15:41:36    1666921

Treaty_Exile
County: Limerick
Posts: 360

1666918
Joxer,

It's nothing personal against Dublin. I actually really admire Dublin's tradition, and all they've contributed to the game. With 24 All-Ireland titles, they are the only county to hold a candle to Kerry traditionally, and they've always played really good football. I also personally believe that Dublin are still the best team in the country, I believed that they were the best team in Ireland before the Donegal game, but I never believed they were as far ahead as some claimed. They lost, but that doesn't make them a bad team. They're a great team.

The opinions I've expressed on Connolly are nothing personal against him either. I place him in the top three players in the country. But I feel some of the praise he's receiving here is WAY over the top. I don't think he's a bettr player than O'Donoghue, and he wasn't better than him this year. It will be an injustive if O'Donoghue doesn't win player of the year tonight. I can't help but feel this bandwagon behind Connolly is a continuation of some of the rubbish spouted about Dublin this year.

I disagree that Kerry teams tend to be overrated. I think there's a penchant out there for consistently underrating Kerrry teams actually. I have a sneaky feeling that this Kerry team is going to make some of the opinions expressed this year to look pretty silly in time. But for now, I think Dublin will win it next year.

------
Again I'd agree with some of what you say. On Kerry, no matter how bad they are people will still have them as top 4. I don't particularly think that this Kerry team is anything special but they've won a Sam so that has to be respected. On JOD, I disagree with you. I saw an awful lot of DC this year. I don't care about championship v club football, for any performance to be called by neutrals as one of the greatest ever seen at Croke Park you know that something special happened in that club final. He dragged Vinnies to that final with some great performances. He was also one of Dublin's finest players in league and championship. I've already named some of these games where he turned the game in our favour. If you can give me evidence that JOD did more than this for Kerry then I will agree with you. I thought he was poor enough in the final. Granted the whole match was forgettable but I didn't see much of him. It's all about opinions though isn't it.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 24/10/2014 17:57:17    1666948

Connolly has let himself down on many occasions. Standing on a fellow county player in a club game. Off the field incidents etc.....

But the guy is a serious talent. By far the most talented footballer in the country by a "country mile".

I had no problems praising the serious footballers from outside Dublin when we were useless.

Comparing the likes of Aidan O'Shea to Connolly is like comparing a Nissan Micra to a Ferrari. There is just no comparison.

O'Shea is fine at getting on the ball. His use of possession is at times quite poor, and he doesn't score nearly enough.

Connolly is the kind of player you wanna watch. You'd pay money to see. O'Shea is a workhorse, but we have seen them loads in the past.

The Cavanagh's, Brogans, Connolly's, Gooches, McDonalds(Mayo) of this world at their peak are what we should be highlighting as TOP players.

JayP (Dublin) - Posts: 1772 - 24/10/2014 18:17:06    1666958

Joxer i think and some of the other posters are been very unfair to the other st Vincents players who are some very good footballers, you say Connolly dragged vincents to the all ireland final but you ignore the fact he was sent off in the Dublin final replay, missed both the Leinster quarter and semi final and only scored 1 point in the Leinster final and 3 in the all ireland semi final, he was excellent in the final but to say it was one of the best performances ever in croker when he was up against club players is a bit much.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 24/10/2014 18:28:04    1666964

Treaty it's my opinion that that was an average Kerry team that won this years all ireland and cause of that I give them massive respect but they got unbelievable luck against Mayo in both games but in JOD they have a genius no doubt about it and he's the best inside forward in the game right now and he deserves his poty award tonight but my point on Connolly is that he's the best footballer in Ireland right now cause he can do it all , for me JOD can't do it all like he showed when he was half forward in this years all ireland.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 24/10/2014 18:28:42    1666967

Treaty_Exile
County: Limerick
Posts: 360

1666918
Joxer,

It's nothing personal against Dublin. I actually really admire Dublin's tradition, and all they've contributed to the game. With 24 All-Ireland titles, they are the only county to hold a candle to Kerry traditionally, and they've always played really good football. I also personally believe that Dublin are still the best team in the country, I believed that they were the best team in Ireland before the Donegal game, but I never believed they were as far ahead as some claimed. They lost, but that doesn't make them a bad team. They're a great team.

The opinions I've expressed on Connolly are nothing personal against him either. I place him in the top three players in the country. But I feel some of the praise he's receiving here is WAY over the top. I don't think he's a bettr player than O'Donoghue, and he wasn't better than him this year. It will be an injustive if O'Donoghue doesn't win player of the year tonight. I can't help but feel this bandwagon behind Connolly is a continuation of some of the rubbish spouted about Dublin this year.

I disagree that Kerry teams tend to be overrated. I think there's a penchant out there for consistently underrating Kerrry teams actually. I have a sneaky feeling that this Kerry team is going to make some of the opinions expressed this year to look pretty silly in time. But for now, I think Dublin will win it next year.

I'd agree Treaty, Kerry get this year in and year out.Very little hype by the media in general.It suits them down to the ground.Usually it's down I think to lazy journalism and of course a willingness of some people in Dublin and indeed around the country to buy into believing everything they read.There are those in the media who will raise valid points and ask questions as to why maybe there should be a little less blindness to certain aspects of a performance but these generally get ignored as the bandwagon rolls on and big winning margins can mask a lot.
Along with that some people from outside Dublin will think foolishly that this is the opinion of all Dublin supporters which is not the case and there are a lot of followers who reserve judgement until they see something that warrants some of the rubbish written in the papers.
Don't get me wrong,I believe this is a very good team with some wonderful players who have the potential to win more silverware undoubtedly and hopefully we will have more good days to come.
I suspect also that some of the stuff written suits those who want to use it as a stick to beat Dublin with when the slip up and that will always be the case for the more high profile counties.
Anyway here's looking forward to 2015.

SLLY (Dublin) - Posts: 463 - 24/10/2014 18:30:07    1666968

The best footballer in the country right now, why wouldn't he be , sure his father is a Kilkenny man.

richiescats (USA) - Posts: 420 - 24/10/2014 18:55:16    1666970