S.Cavanagh & A O'Shea

Bluewave (Dublin) - Posts: 552 - 15/04/2013 16:23:59    1368155

THE_SNAPPER
County: Louth
Posts: 740

1367275
Although Paddy(Keenan)wears the no.8 Louth jersey his play is not limited to that particular area of the field, he's a trojan defender when need be and a prolific score getter also.

You could put your house on him plucking a high dropping ball out of the air in a crowded goal mouth and within a short number seconds he'd be at the other end of the field popping the ball over the bar.

All round footballer if you ask me.

Louth's only ever All-Star, probably the county's finest ever footballer, and an absolute gentleman to boot.

Well said the Snapper. His attitude is 100per cent.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 16/04/2013 15:42:39    1368754

Neil Gallagher cleaned up last year against Kerry and Cork in the all Ireland quarter an semi final so he's simply number 1 for me..
Would have to say Aidan Walsh then for the hard work up an down the field he does..
People saying Sean Cavanagh, no he has not returned to best. maybe a few years ago but certainly not now

john_wayne1 (UK) - Posts: 233 - 16/04/2013 20:15:47    1368924

Sean Cavanagh is easily the best. Back from injury and been in great form this year. Not sure about the hype surrounding Aidan O'Se though.

geoff (Tyrone) - Posts: 377 - 17/04/2013 08:58:53    1369006

Sean Kavanagh is good at present but no where near where he was a couple of seasons ago. Thought he tryed to do too much against Kildare and ran into corners and was disposed of the ball. A o Shea has to be up there, is big and can compete in air, can attack and score points and can also defend.

ballaghmen (Mayo) - Posts: 318 - 17/04/2013 09:33:31    1369011

The pairing of sean cavanaagh and david givney would be my pick.. aidin walshe would be there too

humptydumpty1 (Cavan) - Posts: 92 - 17/04/2013 09:55:44    1369018

Have to say I was really impressed with David Givney at the sigerson weekend. In himself and Gearoid McKiernan Cavan have the potential to have a titanic midfield. Paddy Keenan is pure quality too, and is probably the most technically gifted midfielder in the country along with Aidan Walsh. John Galvin is a collossis on his day, but mobility is now somewhat restricted with injuries and natural progression! For box to box midfielders, Sean Cavanagh is probably the best along with Murphy from Carlow and MDMC.
But judging on level of performances, consistency, and quality of opposition, i would have to pick Aidan O'Shea and Neil Gallagher.

galoping gazele (None) - Posts: 174 - 17/04/2013 09:56:36    1369020

The blind leading the blind again.

Aiden O'Shea is not even a regular midfielder for Mayo, he may go in there in or he may go in at 11. He's not mobile enough to be considered in the top two and will only become less so as the years go by. If you want a lesson in fielding and distribution look no further than the brilliant Gallagher from Donegal watch how he dominated against Mayo last year. If you want to see a contemporary midfielder able to bust through challenges and break forward it must be Michael Dara Mc and he's been consistent for over two seasons for Dublin.

take.yer.pints (UK) - Posts: 76 - 17/04/2013 10:41:07    1369036

I've been a massive Paddy Keenan fan now for a few years. As a midfielder I think he's the complete package. He and Sean Cavanagh are probably in the very same bracket. They have the all-round game in both defense & attack, which for me, is the most important asset. A fully fit John Galvin is another who would probably be in the same category as these two. Whether we'll ever see him reach the levels of a couple of years ago again though is another thing. And before I'm slated for it, Keenan & Cavanagh have probably both reached their peak, and may start a gradual decline over the next couple of seasons.

After these, there are a number of others who have been mentioned Givney, Walsh, O'Shea, Gallagher, all high-ball specialists. The early-season form of Givney & O'Shea particularly has been excellent. This is not an anti-Dublin thing or anything, but I would rate Michael Dara McCauley below all of these that I have mentioned. Good player, but when it comes to picking a top 2, he wouldn't feature in mine. Neil Gallagher is another that has been excellent at times, but again I wouldn't have him in my top. I'm slightly more in favour of a box to box type, scoring midfielder than a man who is just there to pull ball out of the clouds. My neighbouring county of Laois have some excellent options with Quigley & Begley. Brendan Murphy of Carlow also deserves a mention. Heslin of Westmeath is another great example. There was a Brennan lad playing for Clare a few weeks ago that also really impressed me. Although the standard of opposition provided by Offaly on the day left a lot to be desired.

For me, if they were all available to me, at their best, from 1 to 10, I'd take them in this order:
1. Keenan (Louth)
2. Cavanagh (Tyrone)
3. Galvin (Limerick)
4. Walsh (Cork)
5. Givney (Cavan)
6. Murphy (Carlow)
7. O'Shea (Mayo)
8. Begley (Laois)
9. McCauley (Dublin)
10. Gallagher (Donegal)

Heslin is one that I would expect will break into this list very soon.

OffalyBigBall (Offaly) - Posts: 635 - 17/04/2013 11:03:30    1369047

well said take yer pints. .

john_wayne1 (UK) - Posts: 233 - 17/04/2013 21:21:10    1369459

Aidan O'Shea is nowhere near the top 2. Cant understand why his name is even being mentioned. Sean Cavanagh by a country mile is the best midfielder at the moment. Michael Dara McAuley is 2nd. Honourable mentions to Neil Gallagher and Aidan Walsh

aidan64 (Kerry) - Posts: 668 - 18/04/2013 12:11:14    1369648

How is MD MacAuley classed as a top midfielder, he cant score, the last day against a weak mayo midfield, he burst forward and was scared to shoot in my opinion. Neil Gallagher was also mentioned by a poster, Barry Moran showed him a masterclass in midfielding.

saddam (Mayo) - Posts: 414 - 18/04/2013 12:22:19    1369656

Are you having a laugh Saddam? Are you trying to say that MDM is not one of the top midfielders in the country at the moment and that you would put Barry Moran in ahead of him?

aidan64 (Kerry) - Posts: 668 - 18/04/2013 12:38:05    1369674

Lots of guys mentioning Givney and fair play but if it's scoring midfielders you're after, Gearoid McKiernan is worth considering. Wouldn't consider either of them for the two best midfielders in Ireland......yet :)

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12387 - 18/04/2013 12:43:16    1369676

MDM has been brilliant for Dublin, to my mind he's played without a permant partner in there. He can carry, field, break ball, launch attacks he might not be as apt at scoring but then he's a decent front six to lay off to, he will always get a score or two and maybe he knows his limitations and I'm sure he wins the award for most fisted points or is that Willie Joe?

Gallagher top class

It's worth remembering that these fellas do it on the big stage and perform against the best opposition consistently. It's difficult to balance an argument wit all the unsung heroes when they seldom leave their respective provences. It's the Matt Le Tisser argument.....

take.yer.pints (UK) - Posts: 76 - 18/04/2013 13:24:07    1369718

David Givney and MDMC for me, one a superb fielder with a scoring threat, and the other a defensive workhorse. Perfect foil for each other.

Sergeant_Slash (Cavan) - Posts: 2182 - 18/04/2013 13:35:23    1369730

Aidan64 you are along the right lines, Cavanagh is the best by a mile and IMO MDMA is unreal, his ball winning and speed at carrying is scary.

geoff (Tyrone) - Posts: 377 - 18/04/2013 13:40:36    1369737

saddam
County: Mayo
Posts: 146

1369656
How is MD MacAuley classed as a top midfielder, he cant score, the last day against a weak mayo midfield, he burst forward and was scared to shoot in my opinion. Neil Gallagher was also mentioned by a poster, Barry Moran showed him a masterclass in midfielding.

Maybe because he has actually WON an All Ireland and delivered on BIG days when it counts. I named A'O'Shea in this thread mainly because of his potential but he performs in fits and starts and has not got the fitness for 70mins in Croke Park.

Bluewave (Dublin) - Posts: 552 - 18/04/2013 13:42:48    1369739

Lads Im with Saddam on this one. MDMA is a good athelete but one of the top midfielders he is not. Against mayo he got into scoring positions many times but did not take the oppurtunity to shoot. He will run all day, but I wouldnt have hime in the top 5. If MDMA is so good at midfield then why does cluxton hit so many balls short or out to the wings?

DLlegends (Donegal) - Posts: 503 - 18/04/2013 13:46:44    1369744

Re Cluxton's kick outs. Look it's a good point, I don't know for sure the answer but it could be.

Hoofing balls down the middle is quite old skool
The middle is too congested with often 6 fellas looking to break
Cluxton' has accurate distribution
MDM hasn't a settled partner too form a system with
It looks pretty

take.yer.pints (UK) - Posts: 76 - 18/04/2013 14:05:40    1369774