Roscommon...Team of all-time.

Aidan Brady.

Harry Keegan.
Pat Lindsay.
John Oliver Moran.

Danny Murray.
Gerry O'Malley.
Gerry Connellan.

Dermot Earley.
Eamonn Boland.

Donal Keenan.
Jimmy Murray.
Don Feeley.

Tony McManus.
Jack McQuillan.
Paul Earley.

9,10,11 and 14 are based on local opinion......As a contender for national honours, Gerry O'Malley is the pick of this bunch...Purcell himself, found him "awkward, tenacious, fearlessly competetive and bloody good".....

I would imagine Roscommon people would have a lot of the 43 and 44 team as their all time greats given their achievement of back-to-back Sams - the county's only senior championship successes.

Boxty has a lot of late 70's - early 80s lads and they too were a very good side and won the NFL. Dermot Earley was pure class, Pat Lindsay was as tough as they come and Harry Keegan won All Stars in 78, 80 and 86 which is some achievement given the Kerry dominance of the time.

Some omissions from Boxty's team worth mentioning might be Eamon McManus, brother of Tony, Mickey Freyne, Tom Heneghan, Jigger, John Newton, Seamus Killoran and Gay Sheerin.

Of recent years and the current bunch, Francie Grehan and Enon Gavin deserve a mention and Donie Shine certainly looks the part.

A good selection of tough men there Boxty, and a sad reflection of how far the Rossies have fallen that all the names on your side are lojng retired.

I would question the half back line though, and would suggest that any of the 1944 line of Brendan Lynch, Bill Carlos and Phelim Murray could have been considered on reputation.

Carlos, in particular, would have to be on any Roscommon XV, even if you wanted to move him from the centre to accommodate O'Malley. I read the late Cardinal Tomas O'Fiaich once said that his greatest sporting dream was simply 'to be able to play centre half back like Bill Carlos'.

Thomas Clarke wrote:A good selection of tough men there Boxty, and a sad reflection of how far the Rossies have fallen that all the names on your side are lojng retired.

I would question the half back line though, and would suggest that any of the 1944 line of Brendan Lynch, Bill Carlos and Phelim Murray could have been considered on reputation.

Carlos, in particular, would have to be on any Roscommon XV, even if you wanted to move him from the centre to accommodate O'Malley. I read the late Cardinal Tomas O'Fiaich once said that his greatest sporting dream was simply 'to be able to play centre half back like Bill Carlos'.

A valid point TC. Possibly a re-jig involving O'Malley to midfield, to the exclusion of Eamonn Boland may be the answer but hardly fair on Boland.
Feck it, I'll drop Gerry Connellan, start Carlos at 6 and throw O'Malley the No.7 jersey.

All happy....grand.