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James O'Donoghue Leaves Kerry Panel

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Replying To Fairplayalways:  "But with Galway replies it all about Ja and Michael Donellan, they were great players, many many more have come (and gone since)...they need to broaden the net abit...good yes, but everyone mentioned here compared to them...Seamus Moynihan one of the best players I ever seen and almost forgotten about..."
Of course Moynihan is a football legend and probably just another "unfairness" is that almost no defenders get a mention when it comes to discussing great players in general, we are drawn to the scoring stars. But sure life's not fair.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 674 - 24/07/2021 17:19:35    2363516

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Replying To sligo joe:  "Of course Moynihan is a football legend and probably just another "unfairness" is that almost no defenders get a mention when it comes to discussing great players in general, we are drawn to the scoring stars. But sure life's not fair."
100% agree, I remember a Laois corner back, Joe Higgins, on the 2003 team, one of the most stylish footballers you'd come across, loved watching him play, but yeah in all sports its the fellas doing the scoring who get the plaudits.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1699 - 24/07/2021 19:11:23    2363558

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Replying To Galway9801:  "100% agree, I remember a Laois corner back, Joe Higgins, on the 2003 team, one of the most stylish footballers you'd come across, loved watching him play, but yeah in all sports its the fellas doing the scoring who get the plaudits."
Aidan O Mahony and the two Hasssets and Pa Laide...Mike Frank Russell and John Crowley are two forwards who would grace any team and are never mentioned as isn't Peter Canavan of Tyrone...Bernard Flynn of Meath, Mickey Linden of Down, Ronan Carolan of Cavan...

Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1034 - 26/07/2021 00:39:28    2364138

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Replying To Fairplayalways:  "Aidan O Mahony and the two Hasssets and Pa Laide...Mike Frank Russell and John Crowley are two forwards who would grace any team and are never mentioned as isn't Peter Canavan of Tyrone...Bernard Flynn of Meath, Mickey Linden of Down, Ronan Carolan of Cavan..."
Pa Laide was a very good player. He had a great year in 97. I remember Dara O'Sé telling a good yarn about the 97 semi-final against Cavan. Those were the days when you simply marked your direct opponent and tried to get the better of him. For Dara, keeping his direct midfield opponent scoreless was a big part of that equation.

Anyway, during the match at one stage Pa Laide's man got away from him and O'Sé had no option but to get to him, leaving his own man free in the process. The ball was popped over his head & Dara could only watch on forlornly as his man kicked a point.

Afterwards in the dressing room, despite Kerry having reached their first All Ireland final in years, O'Se was in a cranky mood and glaring at Laide about to let rip. Laide beat him to it though, saying, "What's wrong with you Dara boy, don't think my man scored at all today did he?"

:D

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9116 - 26/07/2021 15:55:19    2364338

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Pa Laide was a very good player. He had a great year in 97. I remember Dara O'Sé telling a good yarn about the 97 semi-final against Cavan. Those were the days when you simply marked your direct opponent and tried to get the better of him. For Dara, keeping his direct midfield opponent scoreless was a big part of that equation.

Anyway, during the match at one stage Pa Laide's man got away from him and O'Sé had no option but to get to him, leaving his own man free in the process. The ball was popped over his head & Dara could only watch on forlornly as his man kicked a point.

Afterwards in the dressing room, despite Kerry having reached their first All Ireland final in years, O'Se was in a cranky mood and glaring at Laide about to let rip. Laide beat him to it though, saying, "What's wrong with you Dara boy, don't think my man scored at all today did he?"

:D"
a good one...its they way ya tell it!!

Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1034 - 26/07/2021 18:27:21    2364401

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A class footballer who was at his best around 2013/14. Kerry definitely wouldn't have won the All-Ireland in the latter year without him.

I often think he would have prospered more in an earlier era though, as the massed defences often made it difficult to get the same supply of ball to the corner forwards. He had to sacrifice his own game in the 2014 final, for instance.

Best of luck to James in his retirement.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 27/07/2021 13:07:21    2364682

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Replying To Gleebo:  "A class footballer who was at his best around 2013/14. Kerry definitely wouldn't have won the All-Ireland in the latter year without him.

I often think he would have prospered more in an earlier era though, as the massed defences often made it difficult to get the same supply of ball to the corner forwards. He had to sacrifice his own game in the 2014 final, for instance.

Best of luck to James in his retirement."
I aggree totally, I see our own Niall McNamee (now at the twilight of his career, people saying "is he really that good?" yes is the answer but as you say, this blanket and double and tripple marking is ruining the game, no, its not a case of other players are freed up then if thats the case, but we rarely get to see the unique individual and team talenst of these players...mark my words, Clifford of Kerry, and that young chap in the corner for Mayo will be the same, we will see so much of them but not all, and it a pity the game is gone like that. Take Cork for example just to steer away from the sucessful teams, how many class forwards have they produced in the last 15 years or more, we got glimpses of them in the lower league maybe or early rounds of Munster, once it came to playing the big teams, they were neutralized. Players then dont enjoy the game and interest may wane off, or worse still they are getting battered and bruised every single game and say to themselves "I havent practiced and developed my skills for this treatment" etc...its all very wells saying do what you have to do to win, but poor games of football are rarely remembered, and there have been lots of them in recent years...

Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1034 - 27/07/2021 17:47:49    2364817

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