Re: Best Half Forward line of the last 25 years

**bocerty** Fri Jun 21, 2013 11:54 pm

GAA-Fan wrote:I am going to go for Fallon, Brogan and McConville. It is just a cracking combination of pace, strength and skill.

whilst i appreciate its every ones own opinion i dont know anyone else who would pick Brogan as top dog in the list of 6 who were nominated.

I'd even go as far as to say that he was lucky to make the shortlist of 6

**GAA-Fan** Sat Jun 22, 2013 12:38 am

bocerty wrote:
GAA-Fan wrote:I am going to go for Fallon, Brogan and McConville. It is just a cracking combination of pace, strength and skill.

whilst i appreciate its every ones own opinion i dont know anyone else who would pick Brogan as top dog in the list of 6 who were nominated.

I'd even go as far as to say that he was lucky to make the shortlist of 6

You are right, I am guilty of looking at Brogan in a way that would create a combination with the rest of the forwards.

**Loyal2TheRoyal** Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:07 am

Trevor Giles (Meath) - 2 AI - 3 All Stars - 2 FOTY - Outstanding creator, passer and scorer before premature decline

Ciaran McDonald (Mayo) - 1 All Star - Gifted playmaker for Mayo - people underestimated his toughness

Declan O'Sullivan (Kerry) - 4 AI - 3 All Stars - Balance, speed, acceleration, skill and work rate

**bald eagle** Sat Jun 22, 2013 2:51 pm

Giles/McDonald/O Sullivan for me here! After much thought though!

**Thomas Clarke** Sat Jun 22, 2013 3:04 pm

It looks like the closely contested half forward line is beginning to take shape, with Giles, McDonald & O'Sullivan beginning to establish some daylight between themselves and their closest rivals.

I'm surprised at how well McDonald is polling here - I always thought him a brilliant player, but without the substance and end product of some of the others listed, and certainly without the ball winning skills of a Tompkins, Blaney or McGuigan. Still, it's his jersey to lose now!

**Boxtyeater** Sat Jun 22, 2013 7:19 pm

Thomas Clarke wrote:It looks like the closely contested half forward line is beginning to take shape, with Giles, McDonald & O'Sullivan beginning to establish some daylight between themselves and their closest rivals.

I'm surprised at how well McDonald is polling here - I always thought him a brilliant player, but without the substance and end product of some of the others listed, and certainly without the ball winning skills of a Tompkins, Blaney or McGuigan. Still, it's his jersey to lose now!

McDonald, without diminishing his natural ability, is an odd choice for me. Granted, he garnered massive time on the ball, principally because on a day he was busy most of his time was spent behind midfield collecting handy "out-ball". Then the customary couple of solos before BOOM....
Where BOOM went is anyone's guess. To a better placed colleague, over the bar, over the sideline or into a space that only he saw himself.

I'll admit to his latent physicality, but this was more often used to break the first tackle than grappling for dirty ball, he will always be synonymous with the point against Dublin in 2006, but he would be well behind Blaney or even Tompkins of the nominees for this position IMO.

**Thomas Clarke** Sat Jun 22, 2013 7:55 pm

Boxtyeater wrote:
McDonald, without diminishing his natural ability, is an odd choice for me. Granted, he garnered massive time on the ball, principally because on a day he was busy most of his time was spent behind midfield collecting handy "out-ball". Then the customary couple of solos before BOOM....
Where BOOM went is anyone's guess. To a better placed colleague, over the bar, over the sideline or into a space that only he saw himself.

I'll admit to his latent physicality, but this was more often used to break the first tackle than grappling for dirty ball, he will always be synonymous with the point against Dublin in 2006, but he would be well behind Blaney or even Tompkins of the nominees for this position IMO.

I'd agree with all of that. Again, I thought him an excellent player, and a strong, brave boy. But, to my eyes, overall contribution, impact, consistency and end product would be well below Tompkins, Blaney and probably McHugh & McGuigan. And most of those had just as much skill as he did (some of them had the extra bonus of possessing two feet!)

**bald eagle** Sat Jun 22, 2013 9:57 pm

McDonald alone is a player i would have happily paid the entrance fee to watch, a truly wonderful player who had such an awareness of the ball that just made him a spectators dream. Sure, he may not have any All Ireland SFC medals in his back pocket or have won you any wars bit he was entertainment personified and had an ability to take outrageous scores and make even more outrageous passes. He is the type of player that we will not see for a long, long time and it truly saddens me to think a player of his majesty will never hold an All Ireland SFC medal.

**Boxtyeater** Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:17 pm

What do you want Baldy, The Treorchy Male Choir or Pavarotti......

Yer' clearly not a Mayo man...

**Early_Ball_In** Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:05 pm

Thomas, they were both superb but I think McDonald was a genius. He carried Mayo to a pair of All-Ireland finals and, although Mayo didn't cover themselves in glory in '04 or '06, he performed well in both games I felt. Having said that, now that I see how many actually voted for Blaney I sort of regret my choice! ha

**Thomas Clarke** Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:33 pm

Early_Ball_In wrote:Thomas, they were both superb but I think McDonald was a genius. He carried Mayo to a pair of All-Ireland finals and, although Mayo didn't cover themselves in glory in '04 or '06, he performed well in both games I felt. Having said that, now that I see how many actually voted for Blaney I sort of regret my choice! ha

To be honest, bar a tiny handful, I don't think any of the players nominated in any position would be out of play being the overall preferred selection. I mean, I'd have Alan Brogan as my 6th ranked CHF, but he still has 3 All Stars and a FOTY! McDonald, if selected would be in the same boat, i.e. not my choice, but a worthy winner.

**Boxtyeater** Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:34 pm

Early_Ball_In wrote:Thomas, they were both superb but I think McDonald was a genius. He carried Mayo to a pair of All-Ireland finals and, although Mayo didn't cover themselves in glory in '04 or '06, he performed well in both games I felt. Having said that, now that I see how many actually voted for Blaney I sort of regret my choice! ha

Thinly veiled "He had a high count in TV footage" but failed to actually deliver in real terms post from EBI.**

**Thinly veiled is a proprietary nuance of the writer.

**bald eagle** Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:16 am

I've actually seen the Treorchy Male Voice Choir boxty, supporting our favourite Max Boyce! None could play like McDonald though!

**Boxtyeater** Sun Jun 23, 2013 2:39 am

quote="bald eagle"]I've actually seen the Treorchy Male Voice Choir boxty, supporting our favourite Max Boyce! None could play like McDonald though![/quote]

True indeed Bald Eagle.....

I'd put McDonald along with our friend Max, Up there, a nearly man, but a long note apart from the legends that are Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey.

Have I forgotten the beautiful Cerys....Here's the Welsh version of McDonald....A Gallery Man, A poor man's Hugo Duncan ....

[

Meanwhile ....Quality will out.

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