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Keril Wade just never went onto Senior at all...not sure of injury or other but dont think he was...just no commitment I think, and I suppose its not for everybody...he is on the wall of supermacs in Ballinasloe with the great U21 teams etc...and there are many many more who spring to mind, the below is an extract with Noel Lane a few years back: "Lost talent number 1: Keril Wade. The corner-forward was the key figure in the 2004 minor hurling win, provided the winning point in the U21 decider a year later and nailed 1-4 in the '07 final annihilation of Dublin." Wade was a peripheral member of Ger Loughnane's senior squad in '07 and'08, but did not resurface the following year under the management of John McIntyre. "The question must be asked as to why the likes of Keith Kilkenny (2004 and '05 minor hurling wing-back and '07 U21 midfielder), Kenneth Burke ('05 U21 hurling corner-forward and captain), Tadgh Haran (introduced as a sub in '09 minor final and top scorer in '11 U21 hurling final), Cathal Blake (full-forward in '05 U21 football final), Brian Flaherty (wing-forward in '05 U21 football final win) and Michael Martyn (the contributor of 0-5 in the '07 minor final) never climbed the ladder, never fulfilled on their underage promise. Imagine having all that talent and not going on...I would have given my all to have the skill the likes of Wade and Keith Kilkenny etc. had ..what fine players..where are they now as they say... Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1037 - 23/04/2021 23:56:41 2338589 Link 0 |
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I know what you mean. Commitment and desire are gold qualities.. To want something so much that you're prepared to do everything necessary to achieve it. I was an average club hurler but I absolutely loved it, would have given anything to have played inter County but was way off the mark. Had an older brother who was brilliant.. Absolutely had it all.. Just couldn't be bothered. Certainly was good enough to play for Limerick but just decided It wasn't worth the hassle when he was called for a trial Skill set is only one part of the package. skillet (Limerick) - Posts: 1106 - 24/04/2021 09:42:16 2338601 Link 0 |
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Surprised that Noel Lane would have referred to Tadgh Haran as a lost talent in terms of the Galway senior inter-county team. He has been a terrific player for his club Liam Mellows but afaik he was always available to the county panel but none of the senior managers we've had since he starred at underage (I.e. McIntyre, Cunningham, and Donoghue) seem to have been that taken with him. He got a run in the panel again last year I think based on very good club performances but when it came to the championship he was not to be seen. Not sure if he was still on the panel at that stage. It so happens that some players can look really good at underage and just don't develop beyond the "very good club player or average intercounty player standard". I think Haran might have been in that category. Having said that, I'm sure in many counties outside of the top 3 or 4 he would have been a star performer. Kerril Wade was a class player who would have been a star at senior inter-county if he wanted to but he had other interests in life and that's fair enough. Training like a professional for a game that is amateur is a sacrifice not everyone in their twenties would be that keen to do. PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 2009 - 24/04/2021 10:28:37 2338607 Link 1 |
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Eugene Mulcahy. Of the lot, I'd say Pat Kirby had the most talent. Afaik, he's the youngest player ever to hurl senior with Limerick. He's still playing with Knockainey, afaik.
foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2196 - 24/04/2021 15:45:27 2338632 Link 0 |
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Richie Foley from Waterford was another guy who had a fantastic league campaign one year then seemed to peter out. He looked like a guy with a huge ability. Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2269 - 24/04/2021 18:39:14 2338647 Link 0 |
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NO mention of the great Johnny Brenner from Waterford brian (Meath) - Posts: 1981 - 24/04/2021 19:18:21 2338652 Link 1 |
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loads of names I remember there..I hope I have the right fellah and dont want to do an injustice to the man, but I think Enda Flannery of Clare was dropped by Ger Loughnane after a discipline issue...Loughane allowed him train and train hard the following nights training and noifified him afterwards he was dropped but the rumour was he was gone before the training started and Loughnane only trained and ran the sh*t out of him to teach him a lesson..I dont agree with that carry on either....if he did wrong call him aside and and have it out and whatever the result of that chat is so be it..Flannery was having a fine year that year..Ime guessing it was around 1998 and 1999 from memory...Liam Cahill was great in 1996, then dissapeared for a few years and came back again...deadly forward but very small I always thought...he was there just before Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett etc. came so I suppose Tipp like Kilkenny would have a steady supply and if one little thing didnt suit someone else was waiting their chance...Stephen Brown of Offaly was meant to be the next big star and had some good days with Birr and a few with Offaly..very friendly with the Whelehans and worked in Brians pub...I think he got injuries and other and I think the commitment was a factor too....Conor Gath I could never figure out..seen him in a few club games and an excellent skilful hurler...had the class an touch for intercounty and was a worker but never really tied up all these atributes into one and sometimes you need to be good over all and in general, as opposed to being full of skill, because with the skill if it doesnt happen for you and you dont get into the game the game passes you by...I think thats what happened Conor Gath..Stephen Doyle of Wexford had a few seasons of top performances for Wexford..Ger O'Grady was a legend but not suited to the current regime of discipline etc...but what a talent..every club and county has their own Redser....Alan Markam was kind of a squad player under Loughane..had some hazy dazy days in the Clare shirt and then just gone...Mark Lennon never really got into the Clare Senior set up at all...what a talent...Jack Kennedy of Waterford...always seemed to be a sub..but a good one..woluld start the next day then and would cover every blade of grass on the pitch but would be still subbed...just one of those players...If you google the NHL league of the early 1990s you will see loads of players who were top scorers for Tipp and Galway and Dublin etc. and then dissapeared...its sport and life I suppose...
Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1037 - 24/04/2021 23:18:59 2338680 Link 1 |
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Especially in an amateur sport the list of great players that move onto other things in their 20s, family, career etc, would be long and more so before the 90s. As the millenium turned and people have generally started families later in life this has dropped a bit though. And families tend to be smaller these days. More lads I think stay hurling or footballing intercounty these days. Certainly more seem to choose careers that help time wise such as health and fitness or teaching. And while travelling has become more common in the same time period it usually only means 1 year out from intercounty at most.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15509 - 25/04/2021 08:50:52 2338691 Link 0 |
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The kilkenny minor team of 1993 looked,a pretty formidable team of their time i have to say, ahead of their time if anything. preddan (Kildare) - Posts: 796 - 25/04/2021 20:10:28 2338734 Link 0 |
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In fairness to Richie he was dropped by Derek and is still a top player for his club. Jamie Nagle suffered the same fate the same time when he was the best half back in Munster the previous year. Managers can do that as they view players differently. Noel Connors an all star and among the best backs if not the best in the game. Liam exercised hid right to dump him.
Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 3026 - 25/04/2021 22:55:33 2338743 Link 0 |
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It is a surprise about Patrick not holding a place. Injury set him back also. Time is running out for him. D.J. Foran looks like he is getting a second chance. I think the requirement for a big strong forward is driving that and I can see him being put full forward. Colin Dunford (more sibling on the way there) another as well as Hogan. I think the second effort from these type of players is often the problem..
Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 3026 - 25/04/2021 23:02:24 2338744 Link 0 |
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Damien Cleere hurled a few leagues as far as I remember, but seemed to be gone for championship each year and then just went off the scene..I remember Ollie O'Connor but think he only had very brief senior stint...
Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1037 - 26/04/2021 00:01:44 2338754 Link 0 |
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The structure of a team often changes and the player fade out. The Waterford team winning minor and 21's under Sean Power was built to score goals and scored lots of them. Limerick on the other hand is a point scoring machine. Tom Devine was the spear head of that. Built like a tank Tom Cheasty style who went straight for goal and hard to stop. He got goals or the attention he attracted open up chance for the Pat Curran's to get goals. Tom now a surgeon was told if he was going to have the hands to do his profession hurling was out. He is still only 23 but hurling is over for him.
Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 3026 - 26/04/2021 14:44:16 2338824 Link 0 |
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Yeah that is another name for sure who would massively improve the current Waterford team. But you can't blame him there's a life beyond Hurling or football. That reminds me of a story from the 2001 football final I believe. Ollie Murphy broke 1 or 2 fingers in the second half. Think he was an apprentice electrician at the time and the physio was telling the sideline to get a sub ready Ollie was out. Ollie was insistent the physio taped a few fingers together and he'd deal with it after the match. Physio insisted and told Ollie he was coming off, no questions asked. He had a career beyond football to think off. Now maybe its an urban legend but i certainly heard that story more than once. brian (Meath) - Posts: 1981 - 26/04/2021 15:04:58 2338825 Link 2 |
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Justin McCarthy tells of being in the dressing room after they beat Tipp and congratulating the Brick on a great game. He noticed the Brick had two fingers plastered together. He asked "Michael what happened you fingers" " Ah! I broke them in training earlier in the week"
Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 3026 - 26/04/2021 17:16:46 2338838 Link 0 |
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Yeah Cleare was a decent bit of stuff as was David Buggy from that particular setup he never seemed to make much inroads at senior. I think he may have a been a cousin of Adrian Ronan too.
Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2269 - 26/04/2021 17:37:18 2338841 Link 0 |
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and Kilkenny are going through another line of players now too who are I am afraid going to just fade away...without going looking at the exact panel and seeing whos on it but Liam Blanchfield springs to mind..an awesome underage talent but sort of bit player on the Senior panel now for a while...I was watching Brian Turnbull of Cork the last few years, what another really excceptional talent...and whos to say in 10 or 15 years time we will be saying "what became of him"....hurling is very strange..the lesser talent might have all the necessary ingredients to make it where as the star player might not...they are placaded at under age but at Senior you are either in or out...in the main that is...
Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1037 - 27/04/2021 10:04:24 2338890 Link 0 |
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blackspot91 (Limerick) - Posts: 1055 - 03/05/2021 09:05:46 2339748 Link 0 |
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Roy Mannion of St rynaghs and offaly, looked a very tidy player similar in ways to Brian whelehan, got Mom In league final in 1991 but fell away after that, definitely looked a player that could have molded into the 94 and 98 offaly teams. preddan (Kildare) - Posts: 796 - 04/05/2021 00:06:23 2339875 Link 0 |
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you may have seen my reference to him (Roy Mannion) elsewhere in this post I started...Roy had it all, was an exceptional talent indeed, temprament was his only downfall (and that is not a meant as a black mark against him, he just took no prisnors as they say, but as we know you have to tow the line regardless of whos in charge) Roy and Eamonn Creagan never hit it off at all, with Cregan playing players out of position (just to see would they do what they were told) and Roy was asked to go into goals in training match one evening and point blank refused...rumour has it Michael Duignan tried to persuade him to go in and explained it was only a test, but Roy was resolute, rumour has it Duigan went in to goals himself to prevent a showdown there and then...Roy was told in the days afrer he was no longer required..but Roy was the same at club training, if things were not right he would be first to say it and petty things like a spare sliothar to restart quickly would be criminal to Roy..nothing wrong with theat either really...he did have troulble with his knees (his son Ethan was alos a gifted hurler but apparently the same knee condition) but between the two scenarios Roys career ended...I do wonder had he being around in 1994 would Limerick have got so much ball on our half back/full back line to go so far ahead, I know Offaly won in the end, 1995 is the year I fear we missed Roy Mannion most, and that defeat to Clare..a fit Roy Mannion would have been a wonderful asset to that team (not disrespecting Brian Whelehan, Huber RIgney and Kevin Martin on that half back line, Roy would have been fitted in somewhere in that defence...of that I have no doubt..to balance it up, I am sure Clare and Limerick can point to some player they had not got those years too...there are "Roy Mannions" in every county, but he was exceptional and for a county like Offaly he was a massive loss...Roy was Roy, and he would be a very genuine type of fellah..these things happen..
Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1037 - 04/05/2021 11:15:42 2339899 Link 0 |