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The Best Full-Back of All Time

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I'd have to say Mick Lyons of Meath. Stephen O'Brien of Cork was a fine full back too.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 15/05/2023 11:03:05    2478620

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Noel Tierney (Galway's three in a row fullback)

togoutlads (Galway) - Posts: 1048 - 15/05/2023 11:11:14    2478625

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Don't think there's a right answer, every country has had a legendary full back that they'll always push for.

To name a few: Joe Keohane (Kerry), Mick Lyons (Meath), John O'Keeffe (Kerry), Darren Fay (Meath), Jack Quinn (Meath), Paddy McCormack (Offaly), Seamus Moynihan (Kerry), Sean Doherty (Dublin), Francie Bellew (Armagh). There's so many down the years and it's impossible to compare generations.

Football is obviously played different now and the full backs role has changed - but Darran Fay and Seamus Moynihan are the two outstanding full backs over the last 30 years for me anyway. Francie Bellew a close third, outstanding player.

hyperache (Meath) - Posts: 271 - 15/05/2023 11:15:24    2478629

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Darren Fay

OhReally (Limerick) - Posts: 26 - 15/05/2023 21:57:05    2478832

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Barry Owens - 2 All-Star awards with a county like Fermanagh is a huge achievement, especially considering he never won any silverware with them. Kept some of the best forwards of that generation quiet as well. He was outstanding in the National League '06 when Fermanagh both put Tyrone & Dublin to the sword in Brewster Park.

Still playing with Teemore, but serves his time in the other side of the pitch now at FF.

Bailah (Fermanagh) - Posts: 49 - 16/05/2023 11:36:23    2478917

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Mick Lyons - Meath - what a colossus of a full back. A rock that many a wave broke on
Darren Fay - Meath - carried on the mantel during another Boylan rebuild, loved watching him
Barry Owens - Fermanagh - fantastic player on a team that played great football
Kevin McCloy - Derry - always loved him and thought about how good he was to keep McCusker from full back during this time
Ronan McNamee - Tyrone - fantastic player as well as defender. Some longevity and Tyrone always look weaker without him
Neil Magee- Donegal - tough as fucking nails
Rory O'Carroll - Dublin - really good player who we probably never say the peak of

As a Kerry man I can't include most of our modern incarnations at full back as most of them weren't full backs. Then again, John O'Keeffe wasn't a full back either as one other poster said. Only natural full backs we have had in modern times are Barry O'Shea and Jason Foley.

Also, judging a full back on a roasting he got once is no way to judge. Moynihan got a hiding from Clarke, Darren Fay got ate alive by Iain Ryan, McNamee struggled with Clifford etc etc judge a full back on how rare those occasions are.

playonref (UK) - Posts: 9 - 16/05/2023 12:12:50    2478935

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Ricey Mc Mennamin and Conor Gormley were the toughest at their time. Phillip Jordan was brilliant too. The amount of top forwards they stopped was unbelievable

border Gael (Monaghan) - Posts: 909 - 16/05/2023 12:47:07    2478948

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lmfao...Mick Lyons was clean!!!!

I would have had Moynihan as one of the best ever Centre half backs rather than Full back. Not saying he was a bad full back but he held that middle as a CHB..

I had great time for Peter Forde

ponger (Cavan) - Posts: 550 - 16/05/2023 13:08:31    2478953

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Replying To border Gael:  "Ricey Mc Mennamin and Conor Gormley were the toughest at their time. Phillip Jordan was brilliant too. The amount of top forwards they stopped was unbelievable"
Of those 3, only Gormley ever lined out at full back, and only on a handful of occasions in a Tyrone shirt. He was an immense man marker alright. One you'd hate to mark.

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5246 - 16/05/2023 14:50:03    2478996

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Sean Purcell in the 1954 Connacht final ( I think). He was called The Master because he was the best player in any position on the field.

Triffic (Galway) - Posts: 166 - 16/05/2023 15:28:54    2479011

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Pat Hartigan by a country mile. There were many good full backs before him and after him but none with his shear hurling skills.

Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 3035 - 16/05/2023 16:54:23    2479039

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JOHN O GORMAN OF WEXFORD IN 80S WAS AS GOOD FULL BACK AS THERE WAS, NEVER RECONIZED BECAUSE HE PLAYED FOR WEXFORD

Stmunnsriver (Wexford) - Posts: 2971 - 16/05/2023 17:23:46    2479052

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Replying To Stmunnsriver:  "JOHN O GORMAN OF WEXFORD IN 80S WAS AS GOOD FULL BACK AS THERE WAS, NEVER RECONIZED BECAUSE HE PLAYED FOR WEXFORD"
And probably because he hailed from the most maligned parish in it too: )

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15681 - 16/05/2023 17:58:36    2479068

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Replying To Canuck:  "Pat Hartigan by a country mile. There were many good full backs before him and after him but none with his shear hurling skills."
A Freudian slip there - *shear* hurling skills for a full back could always be interpreted as cleaning a fella out of it :-) But you are right, Pat Hartigan was some yoke.. Lohan, Noel Hickey majestic too.

stpats1886 (Limerick) - Posts: 39 - 16/05/2023 18:35:55    2479075

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Jason Foley Kerry. Never cleaned out. As good as the John O'Keefe. Moynihan played best football at wing back.

kerryforsam23 (Kerry) - Posts: 5 - 16/05/2023 21:12:50    2479114

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Francie Bellew's first sit down interview, at 47!

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7970 - 19/05/2023 03:55:50    2479554

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In my time Jack Quinn of Meath.

Icehouse (Westmeath) - Posts: 81 - 19/05/2023 10:17:52    2479582

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Replying To OhReally:  "Darren Fay"
Padraic Joyce scored 10 points on Darren Fay in the 2001 all ireland final. 10! PJ missed an open goal chance too. In the build up to the final, everyone was talking about the Joyce v Fay match up, so it's not like Fay didn't know a battle was coming. Fay was favourite for footballer of the year up until he got cleaned by Joyce. The greatest full back of all time doesn't concede double digit scores to his marker in a all ireland final, so he ain't the greatest full back. Noel Tierney is!

togoutlads (Galway) - Posts: 1048 - 19/05/2023 10:40:03    2479591

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Replying To togoutlads:  "Padraic Joyce scored 10 points on Darren Fay in the 2001 all ireland final. 10! PJ missed an open goal chance too. In the build up to the final, everyone was talking about the Joyce v Fay match up, so it's not like Fay didn't know a battle was coming. Fay was favourite for footballer of the year up until he got cleaned by Joyce. The greatest full back of all time doesn't concede double digit scores to his marker in a all ireland final, so he ain't the greatest full back. Noel Tierney is!"
Noel Tierney probably was the best old style full back I ever saw. Brilliant under the high ball and his understanding with Johnny Geraghty was top class.
Geraghty never conceded a goal in Galway's 3 in a row win.

Breffni1969 (Cavan) - Posts: 510 - 19/05/2023 13:08:12    2479639

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Seamus Quinn - Leitrim. If the man played for Kerry or Dublin he's me a multiple all star and all Ireland winner. He won one all star with Leitrim which is no mean feat. Best full back I've ever seen

leitrim4sam (Leitrim) - Posts: 698 - 19/05/2023 17:20:54    2479687

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