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Post by longpuck on Dec 18, 2011 15:55:27 GMT
I think the great man should get a thread of his own. Its a shame he didn't get to finish off his career in the East Kerry final. But what a career. 4 All Irelands, 9 Munster Championships, 4 National Leagues, 2 Munster Under 21 Championships, 1 Munster minor championship, 1 Raleway Cup. 3 All Stars, Player of the Year, Ireland Captain.
Outside of intercounty 4 Sigerson Cups with UCC and Tralee. 3 County Championships, 1 Club Championship and 5 East Kerry Championships.
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Post by kerrygold on Dec 18, 2011 17:06:35 GMT
Is Seamus Moynihan heading for the out wintering paddock?
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Post by southward on Dec 18, 2011 17:09:41 GMT
Gone to stud I believe. Last game today.
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cool1
Senior Member
Posts: 275
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Post by cool1 on Dec 18, 2011 17:31:31 GMT
One of the all time greats. Never found wanting for Club, District or County. Enjoy your retirement
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Post by leftoutside on Dec 18, 2011 18:21:05 GMT
Only one word to describe Moynihan - LEGEND
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Post by kerrygold on Dec 18, 2011 18:57:51 GMT
I think the great man should get a thread of his own. Its a shame he didn't get to finish off his career in the East Kerry final. But what a career. 4 All Irelands, 9 Munster Championships, 4 National Leagues, 2 Munster Under 21 Championships, 1 Munster minor championship, 1 Raleway Cup. 3 All Stars, Player of the Year, Ireland Captain. Outside of intercounty 4 Sigerson Cups with UCC and Tralee. 3 County Championships, 1 Club Championship and 5 East Kerry Championships. Dont forget the Hogan Cup in 1992. Some achievement to play senior championship football 20 years later. Probably the final remaining link back to the famine during the late '80s to mid '90s to be still playing.
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Post by hurlingman on Dec 18, 2011 20:11:07 GMT
Great player indeed. How he only won 3 All Stars i just dont know. Would like to get Veterns viewson him. Even this year when East Kerry needed him he answered the call
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Post by mike1970 on Dec 18, 2011 22:13:32 GMT
yes an absolute legend, if we had him in September in croker I am sure Sam would be in Killarney for xmas
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Post by misteallaigh abú on Dec 18, 2011 23:00:42 GMT
He was so inspirational in 2000, as captain. Particularly against Armagh in the two game semi final. Some blocks and tackles on those August afternoons were out of this world. His performance against Pádraig Joyce in the finals speaks volumes about the man, especially when you look at Joyce's performance in the 2001 final against Meath. A mighty man, a colossus on the pitch and a gent off the pitch.
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Post by bishop on Dec 19, 2011 10:34:20 GMT
Misteallaigh abu i agree 100% with you about his performances in 2000. Out of this world is right. Words cannot describe Seamus as a man and as a footballer. 11 years later and he still handled the ball more times yesterday than any 2 men on the field put together. It was a real pity Glenflesk didnt do it yesterday. Up and coming team that rattled the life outta Crokes. Their experienced lads, Seamus, Shane Dennehy and Paul Favier really stood up to be counted. And Currow gave Rathmore enough of it too in the other semi!!
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Post by ArthurG on Dec 19, 2011 13:36:28 GMT
one of the true greats. His reading of the game was the key - he was always in the right place.
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Post by backmest on Dec 20, 2011 11:17:08 GMT
Moynihan calls it a day 20 December 2011
Colm Cooper and Seamus Moynihan in a happy mood after beating Cork in the All Ireland Final Kerry great Seamus Moynihan has announced his retirement from gaelic football.
Five years after bowing out of intercounty football, drawing the curtain down on a glittering career with the Kingdom, the 38-year-old Glenflesk clubman has hung up his boots for good.
Moynihan played his last club match on Sunday, finishing up on the losing side in the East Kerry SFC semi-final against Dr Crokes.
The four-times senior All-Ireland winner was honoured by Glenflesk chairman John Culloty in today's Examiner:
"He is one of the greatest club players of all time, anywhere in the country. I don't think anyone can argue with that. Whether it was playing or training or helping out with the young lads, Seamus was always there, always willing to help the club.
"After training, he was always there to help out the young players. For young fellas to have Seamus Moynihan helping, it's a big boost. He was very committed to Glenflesk throughout his career. Even after he finished up with Kerry back in 2006, he still played away with his club. Glenflesk was always Number One.
"What other fella would give the commitment that Seamus has and for so long? Even this year he fell in to help out with East Kerry in the county championship when they needed him."
As recently as last season, Moynihan was selected as East Kerry Footballer of the Year, beating the likes of Colm Cooper, Aidan O'Mahony and Eoin Brosnan to the award.
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Post by longball2 on Dec 20, 2011 11:51:03 GMT
A great player for club college division and county. Great attitude to the game and a great guy.
His sense of position was unreal and seemed to have load of time on the ball like all great players. We will see him in management Im sure and no doubt he will master that too.
One of the best ever in a Kerry jersey.
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Post by wornout2 on Dec 20, 2011 12:37:32 GMT
Dont think there is anybody in the country who doesnt hold Seamus in high regard. The one man that there is a united opinion about- Simply a Great. His performances for Kerry be it at No. 3,5,6 or 8 were a joy.. Huge servant for his club and im sure he'll continue to be in some capacity..
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Post by greenandgold on Dec 20, 2011 15:54:41 GMT
definately one of the best ... in terms of skill and attitude, dedication. Interesting bit in Ger Hartmann's book about how Moynihan fought against injury cause he wanted to badly to keep playing. Tks for everything for club and county Seamus and enjoy the retirement ..I've a feeling he won't be staying too far away from football pitches though
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Post by shescurling on Dec 20, 2011 19:35:18 GMT
My favorite of all time. He'd hands, pace, excellent reader, blocking ability, versatility, courage, good distributor and most importantly he was a massive presence. Future manager for sure. A true gentleman. Enjoy the rest of you'r non playing football life.
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Post by mafi97 on Dec 20, 2011 21:06:06 GMT
He was so inspirational in 2000, as captain. Particularly against Armagh in the two game semi final. Some blocks and tackles on those August afternoons were out of this world. His performance against Pádraig Joyce in the finals speaks volumes about the man, especially when you look at Joyce's performance in the 2001 final against Meath. A mighty man, a colossus on the pitch and a gent off the pitch. This post captures so much of what I would want to write about Seamus. It saves me having to try to illuminate the attributes that made Seamus the player that he was and the man that he is. My respect for this man is boundless. So much so, that I find it hard to write anything about him without descending into hagiography, which would be to miss the essence of the man. Just a few vignettes. There was the day in Killarney - a minor match against Cork. By half-time this game was over, courtesy of two tall lanky "minor" midfielders, (the type that Cork seem to produce off the conveyor belt). The only thing to be decided was the final margin. These guys were not just your usual "big minors" - one may have been Fachtna Collins (but could be completely wrong on this) - they were good. For the second-half, Seamus moved to mid-field. There was no way, we were ever going to win this game - but, for 30 minutes, Seamus got in amongst the two big guys and just took them on. Conceding inches and pounds, he fielded, punched, tackled, blocked and, most of all, led. Basically, he saved us from a massacre. My father, who had seen them all from the '30's onwards, said that evening, "he is a good a bit of stuff as I have ever seen in a Kerry jersey". A year or two later, again in Killarney but now as a fledgling Senior against Cork, he executed a perfect block. Nothing unusual in that for our Seamus, except that he followed up immediately with two more - both the latter blocks launched from a kneeing postion on the ground. I have never seen three blocks executed one after another. Obviously, the Press Corps assembled on the day were quite used to such heroics - not a mention the following day. Another day in Tralee. A League game against Armagh, with brownie points at stake. Seamus was not in the line out, having been out with injury. Armagh were in assertive control in the kind of game that suited them. Mid-way through the second half, Seamus came on in the forwards - maybe in the full line. He immediately set about changing the structure of the game. He scored a point which in inspirational terms was worth about three and half points. The crowd came alive and transmitted their energy to the players, who all lifted their game by at least 20%. If I remember correctly, Marc scored a late goal. The point was that we pull off a win that simply would not have happened on the day, without Seamus' introduction. I don't believe that when Seamus was in his prime that there was ever a year when he should not have got an All Star. But the very qualities that made Seamus Seamus, are the qualities that escape the modern journalists and commentators in their relentless pursuit of the flash and the transient. In my time, there have been so many GREATS who have worn the Green and Gold. There have been so many that for people of my generation. our default emotional setting can only be one of gratitude. All of these have made us so proud (and lucky) to be from the Kingdom. Nobody has made me more proud than Seamus.
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Post by veteran on Dec 20, 2011 21:47:17 GMT
I heard Weeshie on his programme last Monday declare that Seamus was the best Kerry footballer he had seen. As far as I know ,Weeshie's memory would outstrip my own by a few years. He, therefore, has seen a lot of Kerry's finest.
It was an extraordinary brave, perhaps perceptive, or if you want to approach from a different angle, an extraordinary foolhardy statement to make. The point I am trying to advance is that it is nigh an impossible task. The paradox is that the further back your memory takes you, the more mountainous your chore becomes by virtue of the fact that every era throws up another contender ,or more ,for that elusive accolade. I am not belittling Weeshie's viewpoint or his choice for the ultimate honour. Weeshie is a very knowledgeable football man and Seamus is indeed a worthy nominee.
The problems in this exercise are twofold for me. The first problem is what are the criteria for evaluating a player in this context. Indeed, what are the criteria for even drawing up a shortlist. The second problem I will deal with later.
Sometime ago on this forum, I named four players whom I felt were possibly the four most complete Kerry players I had seen. They were in no particular order- Tom Long, Mick O'Dwyer, Paudie Lynch and Seamus Moynihan. Incidentally, another member of this forum, with justification added another name, the wonderful Seamus Murphy. The criterion for drawing up my short list was the appreciation that a chosen player could be expected to operate with acceptable competence, at least, in any outfield position. I have no doubt the above named five would perform with distinction, in all cases did in most positions, in any outfield role. I feel this entitles these men to be on any short list of "the best Kerry player I have seen". Should the supreme award be conferred on a player drawn exclusively form this list, worthy as any of them would be? Not so sure.
What about Mick O'Connell? You see, he was also the complete Kerry footballer but in different sense to the previously mentioned "complete" Kerry footballers. However, he could kick with precision with either foot, out of hand or off the ground and he could leap and catch with a grace that I have never seen equalled. Surely that is completeness also. The best ever then? That is the imponderable puzzle. Could be play with the sustained, consistent effervescence of four times footballer of the year, Jacko? What about Pat Spillane? Forget about his nerve grating persona but rather remember his uncontrollable performances before and after that horrific knee injury. Have you seen many better? What about the cold blooded Maurice Fitzgerald? He was probably a better kicker than Mick O'Connell. Indeed, he was no slouch in the air either. He also belongs to that special race of Kerry footballers who performed had to be seen to be believed deeds when we were in the doldrums for several miserable years, thus helping us to maintain the faith before we reached the land of milk and honey again. Never forget those Kerry footballers who dazzled as individuals while we struggled to keep above water line as a team. Other examples form that cast would be Donie O'Sullivan, Denis O'Sullivan, Mick Fleming, Pat Griffin, Seamus Moynihan indeed, and others and others and others. I remember one old man lamenting during the bleak period from the 1986 that it would be impossible to regain supremacy unless we produced another wizard like Mikey Sheehy. Impossible he felt. I am not sure if that poor man is still alive but if he is I have no doubt he would acknowlege that the impossible was achieved, a successor to Mikey was unearthed. Colm Cooper. Wouldn't any of the O'Se boys be on the short list? I never mentioned John O'Keeffe, John Egan, Declan etc etc etc.
The foregoing is an effort to outline the monumental task that deciding Kerry's numero uno entails. Unattainable I suggest, undesirable indeed. At the outset I stated that this task revealed two problems. The first and obvious one is that of arriving at a conclusion. The second and less obvious one is the offence that it may cause. If I come down on the side of Jacko, am I not offending the likes of Mick O'Connell. If I come down on the side of Pat Spillane, am I not offending the likes of Maurice Fitzgerald. If I come down on the side of Colm Cooper, am I not offending the likes of Mikey Sheehy. Does any Kerry person want to cause offence to a supreme Kerry footballer, particularly by undertaking an exercise which can never be concluded satisfactorily. In any case, is it necessary to adjudicate on who was Kerry's best ever? Simply glory in their uplifting contribution to Kerry's football story. Thank your lucky stars that you have witnessed them. Thank your lucky Kerry stars. That's good enough for me anyway.
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Post by Corner Back on Dec 20, 2011 22:04:27 GMT
He was so inspirational in 2000, as captain. Particularly against Armagh in the two game semi final. Some blocks and tackles on those August afternoons were out of this world. His performance against Pádraig Joyce in the finals speaks volumes about the man, especially when you look at Joyce's performance in the 2001 final against Meath. A mighty man, a colossus on the pitch and a gent off the pitch. This post captures so much of what I would want to write about Seamus. It saves me having to try to illuminate the attributes that made Seamus the player that he was and the man that he is. My respect for this man is boundless. So much so, that I find it hard to write anything about him without descending into hagiography, which would be to miss the essence of the man. Just a few vignettes. There was the day in Killarney - a minor match against Cork. By half-time this game was over, courtesy of two tall lanky "minor" midfielders, (the type that Cork seem to produce off the conveyor belt). The only thing to be decided was the final margin. These guys were not just your usual "big minors" - one may have been Fachtna Collins (but could be completely wrong on this) - they were good. For the second-half, Seamus moved to mid-field. There was no way, we were ever going to win this game - but, for 30 minutes, Seamus got in amongst the two big guys and just took them on. Conceding inches and pounds, he fielded, punched, tackled, blocked and, most of all, led. Basically, he saved us from a massacre. My father, who had seen them all from the '30's onwards, said that evening, "he is a good a bit of stuff as I have ever seen in a Kerry jersey". A year or two later, again in Killarney but now as a fledgling Senior against Cork, he executed a perfect block. Nothing unusual in that for our Seamus, except that he followed up immediately with two more - both the latter blocks launched from a kneeing postion on the ground. I have never seen three blocks executed one after another. Obviously, the Press Corps assembled on the day were quite used to such heroics - not a mention the following day. Another day in Tralee. A League game against Armagh, with brownie points at stake. Seamus was not in the line out, having been out with injury. Armagh were in assertive control in the kind of game that suited them. Mid-way through the second half, Seamus came on in the forwards - maybe in the full line. He immediately set about changing the structure of the game. He scored a point which in inspirational terms was worth about three and half points. The crowd came alive and transmitted their energy to the players, who all lifted their game by at least 20%. If I remember correctly, Marc scored a late goal. The point was that we pull off a win that simply would not have happened on the day, without Seamus' introduction. I don't believe that when Seamus was in his prime that there was ever a year when he should not have got an All Star. But the very qualities that made Seamus Seamus, are the qualities that escape the modern journalists and commentators in their relentless pursuit of the flash and the transient. In my time, there have been so many GREATS who have worn the Green and Gold. There have been so many that for people of my generation. our default emotional setting can only be one of gratitude. All of these have made us so proud (and lucky) to be from the Kingdom. Nobody has made me more proud than Seamus. A few other days come to mind. Most people remember 2000 semi's and finals in which he was exceptional. I recall a league game in the Gaelic Grounds against Limerick (2002 if memory serves correct) Limerick had not beaten Kerry in a lifetime. Seamus was at full back but Limerick dominated midfield and led by 11pts at half time. At half time my memory cast back to the same venue ten years earlier. This could be embarrasing. The selectors made one switch at half time. Moynihan to midfield. Limerick won the game by one point. A ten point turnaround. 2006 All Ireland Quarter final. Darren got the goal. Kerry got the smell of blood. Armagh won posession and a high ball launched towards Clarke/McDonnell. Moynihan won it uncontested (to possibly the 2nd loudest cheer of the day) and burst forward. It was not a bad kick but Moynihan had it read before it was ever kicked. He had dropped back to protect the full backs. This symbolised what he was about. He was not forward looking for the glory. Mind the house for the team. A man that could play anywhere. I heard it said that if you played him corner forward he would finish the game with a couple of goals. Who was I to argue! I remember the execptional games he had. I remember the great games he had. They were the only two types of games that I ever saw him play.
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Post by kerrygold on Dec 20, 2011 23:30:35 GMT
Two great pieces, mafi97 and veteran. Enjoyed the read.
The biggest compliment we can pay Seamus, and indeed Maurice and Darragh is that all three would be on a kerry team of all time.
All three have been cornerstones of Kerry's recent golden years era and stood up to the plate, '97 in particular.
It is unlikely that we have heard the last from Seamus and football.
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Post by manoffewwords on Dec 21, 2011 0:59:50 GMT
It’s been a long time since I posted here, but felt compelled to on this occasion. just wanted to give a different view of things. I remember maybe 6 yrs ago when Seamus was playing with Kerry and being in absolute awe of the man, I was lucky enough to play with Seamus on a few occasions with East Kerry around them yrs. When people say, `never meet your heroes you will only be disappointed`, well this is definitely not true for Seamus, its quite the opposite! I will never forget my first time meeting Seamus, it was at an East Kerry training session, the man was there a half hr before everyone else, he was like he was getting ready for battle, I was dying afraid I would have to mark him! I togged off beside him just to absorb some of his aura. To my amazement he knew my name (and me being just an average club footballer from an average clubside just jumping on board the ship) and chatted to me about training and what we have to do to win next game, but I later realised that is just the way Seamus is, a savage down to earth kind of guy and knows every players name in east Kerry no matter there skill level. I remember coming out of the dressing room like a man transformed only wanting one thing-not to let the man down. I could have ran up and down carrauntwohill the whole day after them few words he had bestowed on me. That’s Seamus tho, an inspiration. the same training session what struck me the most about the him was that he was training like he was playing an ireland final, it was a week after the munster final, it was an unbeleivable insight into what east kerry meant to him and club football in general. Iv no doubt that Seamus will manage Kerry in the future and be a major success..
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Post by lobitin on Dec 21, 2011 10:03:42 GMT
Great post manoffewwords. I remember seeing Seamus play an All- Ireland Colleges final back in 1992 with the Sem and thinking to myself... 'I cant wait for this guy to step up to intercounty football'. I was with a colleague who hailed from Kilkenny and he said to me coming out of Thurles Stadium that day 'Seamus Moynihan... ffs... he is one of the reasons, Kilkenny will never win an All-Ireland football final...' I lived in the US in 2000 when Seamus lifted Sam and as I sat in a Boston bar... I thought... 'I told you so.!' Seamus you are one of the greats..... thank you!
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Post by himself on Dec 21, 2011 12:07:53 GMT
Unbelievable footballer. People forget about Glenflesk winning the Millenium Cup in 2000 and contesting a Munster Final - now just consider the playing population they have to draw from. Mind you, they had the likes of Davy Donoghue, Pat Dunn, John Crowley (I never heard him referred to as 'Johnny' Crowley except in national newspapers). But any one of them will tell you that they were there because of Seamus Moynihan. Mafi97 is correct about that Munster minor Final. Cork had Fachtna Collins in midfield. The other was an even bigger man, Pat Hegarty, who played a few senior games but didn't really fulfill his promise as a minor. Fachtna Collins had actually beaten Seamus well in a colleges game earlier in the year, but Seamus had been recovering from flu. Joe Kavanagh was centre forward and clearly had the makings. I was told at the game that they had a few dual stars, one in particular had huge potential. I didn't rate the Brian Corcoran lad at all; I thought he had a rangy kind of a look about him alright but not a lot of skill, but Kerry's attack wasn't great the same day. Shows you what I know. My most memorable meeting with Seamus Moynihan was also my first and it was nothing to do with football. A close friend (the man still is, and would be known in football circles too) and I went into the Failte Bar in Killarney to meet some friends of his from Glenflesk. We were seriously raw garsoons - pooling all our resources, we had enough for one pint each and a half one between us. So we had one each, supping very slow, and having a great football conversation with his crowd - I know that the Donovan and Brosnan brothers were there, as were Donal Moynihan and his younger brother, I don't recall the others. We bought our half one and surreptitiously poured it into our glasses. We were playboy heroes alright! Next thing, Donal arrived with four pints, one for himself and Seamus, and one each for us. Later on - the craic and caint is still mighty - Seamus goes up to the bar, returns with four pints. My friend quietly explains to Donal our situation, apologising for us not getting a round. Donal only waves him away. They had known all along. Remember, my companion was a friend of theirs, but they didn't know me from Adam. Seamus Moynihan. Great man on the field. Even better man off it, and his brother along with him.
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Post by OnTheForty on Dec 21, 2011 13:30:46 GMT
Moynihan not just player of the year in 2000, sports star of the year also, that's how good the man was. Here's an article from the Indo archives as a reminder.
Sunday December 31 2000 Selecting the Sportstar of 2000 was not easy. So many competed so successfully. Racing alone had a string of claimants John Oxx, Johnny Murtagh, Ruby and Ted Walsh , Tony McCoy . . . and there was Sonia in Sydney , Brian O'Driscoll in Paris, the late Joey Dunlop's final flourish in the Isle of Man . . . Séamus Moynihan's glorious summer . . . and so many more. PAUL KIMMAGE recalls a lively and lengthy debate in the Sunday Independent sports room, while TOMMY CONLON profiles the final choice A FEW years ago, a young sportswriter at The Sunday Tribune had the temerity to suggest to the editor, Vincent Browne, that after three days of extensive trawling in Liverpool, it was "impossible" to secure an interview with John Aldridge. Vincent, a devout Aldo fan, wasn't very impressed. "They've put a man on the surface of the moon", he snorted. "They've built a tunnel under the sea between England and France! And you're telling me its impossible to interview a footballer!"
His logic could be devastating.
I was reminded of that logic more than once recently, when our sports department convened to select the inaugural @@styl CF,PLAI Sunday Independent @@styl CF,PLA Sports Star of The Year. There were nine of us gathered round the table and after more than an hour of heated debate:
"That's bull*!"
"What an extraordinary statement!"
"I disagree emphatically!"
"What a load of crap!"
... progress was slow.
Our sports editor, Adhamhnán O'Sullivan, had set a truly @@styl cf,plai impossible @@styl CF,PLA task. They built a tunnel under the sea between England and France? Sure they did. They put a man on the surface of the moon? Sure they did. But try applying science and high-powered tools to a seasonal debate on sport!
What sort of gauge do you use to measure a marathon runner with a javelin thrower? A footballer with a hockey player? A jockey with a trainer? An Olympian with a paralympian? A paralympian with a paralympian? The Olympic Games with the All-Ireland Hurling Championships? The Isle of Man TT races with the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe? The US Open with the Six Nations Championship? A team sport with an international dimension to a team sport without one? And shouldn't gender be a consideration?
Are we that hard-up at Independent House that we can't at least select a Sportsman of the Year and a Sportswoman of the Year? Shouldn't there be more than one award?
But the sports editor was adamant. "We're nailing our colours to the mast," he insisted. "There'll be no wishy-washy kicking for touch. We're choosing one award, one champion, our Sports Star of The Year. On Saturday nights in pubs the length and breadth of the country, this is what sports fans haggle about." And at 11.0 on the morning of December 19, nine fans convened and the haggling began.
"Can I say, from the outset," George Hook announced in his typically forthright way, "that I don't think the award should go to Sonia O'Sullivan ... I mean, making a Sports Star of The Year out of someone who lost is a dichotomy."
"How do you define loss?" Kevin Kimmage countered.
"She finished second."
"But second out of how many? It's not rugby! It's not as simple as win or lose!"
"Of course it is."
"I think George has a point," Dermot Crowe concured. "I think there was a definite sense of anti-climax when she didn't win gold. And for an athlete of her stature, that does taint the performance a little bit."
Adhamhnán seems pleased from his seat at the table. "Okay," he smiles. "Before we get into the various arguments can we first establish the candidates?"
A good year for sport? It certainly wasn't a bad one. After a short debate, the list of 11 stars of the year almost picks itself.
DJ CAREY: Hurler of the Year, the Kilkenny forward finally buried a ghost with a performance to silence his critics in the All-Ireland Final.
DARREN CLARKE: His win over Tiger Woods at the World Matchplay Championship was the finest performance by an Irish golfer since Fred Daly's Open triumph in 1947. Finished the season as the European Number 2.
JOEY DUNLOP: Would the late, great, Joey have made our list were it not for his fatal crash in July? Probably not. But his passing has heightened our awareness of how special he was. A legend.
PADRAIG HARRINGTON: If one of the keynotes in sport is triumph over adversity, then Harrington's reaction at the Belfry in May, when he was disqualified when leading the B&H International Open for failing to sign his card, was the true measure of a sportsman. Twice a tournament winner, he finished the season as the European Number six after his best ever season.
ROY KEANE: Week-in, week-out, still the best player in the Premiership. Has been doing it so consistently for so long that we tend to take him for granted. Was voted by his peers as the Player of the Year in April.
DECLAN KIDNEY: The Munster and Ireland A coach doesn't make a lot of noise about himself, but his achievements this year were remarkable.
SEAMUS MOYNIHAN: Another who likes to let his deeds do to the talking, the Kerry captain was a unanimous choice as The Footballer of the Year.
JOHNNY MURTAGH: After a brilliant double-Derby summer, the 31-year-old Meathman stepped from the shadows of Eddery, Fallon and Kinane at Longchamp with his win on Sinndar in the Arc. 12 Group One winners. Jockey of the year.
BRIAN O'DRISCOLL: Strange things happen at Lansdowne Road when O'Driscoll takes the ball and runs. We haven't had so much excitement packaged in a green shirt since Simon Geoghegan.
JOHN OX: We've been reading about the training feats of Vincent O'Brien for years, but Ox's achievements with Sinndar this year, was as good a training performance as we've had for 50 years.
SONIA O'SULLIVAN: Eight years after Barcelona, four years after Atlanta, at last, finally, an Olympic medalist.
But 11 heroes is ten too many. Clarke, Dunlop, Harrington, Keane and Ox are eliminated in the first ballot. O'Sullivan and Murtagh are promoted to the final shake-up. The call is now Moynihan or Carey; O'Driscoll or Kidney.
Tommy Conlon: I think what Moynihan did for Kerry was greater than what Carey did for Kilkenny.
Dermot Crowe: I agree, And not just that, but what he did for the game itself. The flamboyance of him ... the talent ... the skill ...
Moynihan is given the nod, but the O'Driscoll/Kidney battle is much more animated. Brendan Fanning has championed O'Driscoll's cause. George Hook is making a case for Kidney.
Brendan Fanning: If ever there was a game that was hanging around the neck of Irish rugby, it was the game in Paris. And not only did we blow the French away, but O'Driscoll scored three f**king tries in the process! You could not have scripted it. When you were sitting there, watching it, it was like 'Christ is this actually happening?'
But George is not convinced.
George Hook: O'Driscoll is an individual. Kidney's effect has been extraordinary on groups of individuals. What Munster achieved was directly attributable to his involvement. And Ireland A never did anything until Kidney arrived. O'Driscoll's is a purely individualistic contribution. And two of the tries he scored in Paris were from less than ten yards. He is very talented but he is also very lucky: luck has gone his way this year and we'll have to wait and see whether the next year is going to be the same when it really gets hard.
Brendan Fanning: But this is O'Driscoll's second year.
George Hook: But my problem with both of the rugby candidates is that I don't honestly feel that either of them merit being Ireland's sports star of the year. I don't want to knock either but I'm not excited enough. Listening to what is being said about Moynihan makes me very excited.
Adhamhnán O'Sullivan: I say we kick out rugby. I think Moynihan's case is stronger than either of those.
A vote is taken. O'Driscoll and Kidney are chopped.
THREE stars, one award, nine empty coffee cups and a room buzzing with opinion and proposition. Was Sonia O'Sullivan's finest hour at the Olympic Games in Sydney a silver medal won or a gold medal lost? Is Seamus Moynihan, the nation's best footballer, lucky he cannot compete in the international arena or unlucky? How great was the element of fortune in Johnny Murtagh's success? Was he really the Jockey of The Year? Wouldn't Kinane and Eddery and Fallon have won on Sinndar as well?
Ian McLean: "If you take the top six jockeys and give them the same book of rides, you will tend to get the same results. There isn't a great difference between them, so the element of luck has to be acknowledged. Having said that, if you had been told at the beginning of June that Johnny Murtagh would ride 12 Group One winners, you wouldn't have believed it. Was he the year's best jockey? Undoubtedly. Is he the world's best jockey? Not yet.
Paul Kimmage: Okay, you've just talked him out of it for me. Let's make a case for Sonia.
Tommy Conlon: I feel a bit guilty of Sonia fatigue at this stage.
Paul Kimmage: Well, maybe we all do, but that's irrelevant. It's not a personality contest.
Tommy Conlon: No, but. I had mixed feelings when she came across the line as well. It seems to me that Sonia O'Sullivan has reached the age of 30 without ever really getting to grips with championship running at its most extreme.
Paul Kimmage: Not true. We're talking about a former World Champion, double World Cross Country Champion and European champion! Ask Coughlan or Treacy their opinion and they'll tell you she's the greatest athlete we've ever had.
Tommy Conlon: Well the point I'm trying to make is that for a woman of her extravagant natural talents, she has been consistently undermined by her mental frailties throughout her life. And I believe that was the case also in Sydney.
Dermot Crowe: I agree. Of course she is the best we've ever had, but isn't there a nagging doubt at the back of your mind saying: 'If she had only won that gold at the Olympic Games?' And she is such a strange individual. We almost feel like a father and mother to her every time she runs!
Adhamhnán O'Sullivan: I think it's important to remember that we are picking the Sports Star of 2000. We must judge her on her achievements this year.
Paul Kimmage: Fine, but you cannot dismiss everything that has gone before. She came into that race with so much baggage. And the reason that has to be taken into account is when you consider who we're measuring her against: Murtagh needed a trainer and a good horse under him!
MOYNIHAN needed 14 other players! O'Sullivan travelled to Sydney with 3m people watching and a gun pointed to her head. There was no lonelier sports star in Ireland when she lined up for that race. It was all down to her.
Brendan Fanning: But you have to address the achievement. Before the race in Sydney, did you say 'In order for this woman to banish her demons, she must come home with a gold medal?' Or did you say 'In order for this woman to overcome her demons she must come home with a medal.'
Paul Kimmage: Okay, let's forget all that stuff and just look at the race, and again, this is a point you've made about O'Driscoll. Wasn't that last lap, when she moved onto Szabo's shoulder, absolutely magical? Wasn't that a wow! The moment of the year? Isn't that what its all about?
Brendan Fanning: Yeah but roll the video on a bit. She is on Szabo's shoulder, we are getting wildly excited but she can't get past and we are suddenly disappointed.
George Hook: Sonia O'Sullivan is the female equivalent of Ron Clarke. Ron Clarke broke more world records in 5,000m and 10,000m than anybody else.
Kevin Kimmage: She's never broken a world record.
Sean Ryan: She's a racer, not a record breaker.
George Hook: The point I was trying to make is that what undermined Ron Clarke's career is that he never won a gold medal at the Olympics.
Adhamhnán O'Sullivan: Okay, the question now is why Moynihan, rather than Murtagh and O'Sullivan?
Dermot Crowe: Well I would choose him because of his impact, not just in terms of his performances for Kerry, but his impact in the wider sense. Gaelic football has been going through a very rough patch in the last couple of years and the standards have been pretty woeful. Moynihan is an out-and-out footballer. His performances were outstanding.
Kevin Kimmage: His biggest achievement was that he played in a position he had never played in before this year. He didn't want the position and he didn't like it because he is more of a ball player than a man-marker, but he basically held the defence together.
Tommy Conlon: He accidentally reinvented full back play. He was an extraordinary amalgam of all sorts of qualities. Sprint out to a low ball? He's quick! Change direction? He'll do it in a flash. The corner back is in trouble? The Moynihan fire brigade arrives! The range of functions he performed was exceptional. There were times in the press box when you shook your head and thought 'My God that was just fantastic!'
Paul Kimmage: But haven't we said the same things in other years about players like Trevor Giles? How does he compare?
Dermot Crowe: Well you will always have a footballer of the year, but I think he was a notch above that again. I think he brought it on to a different level, reminded us what a fantastic game it can be, but hasn't been for so long.
After 95 minutes of heated debate it is time to make a decision. After a vote, Seamus Moynihan is elected our Sports Star of The Year. It wasn't a unanimous decision, but there are no qualms with the outcome: 'My God he was just fantastic!' Thanks for making the year in the press box so much fun.IT is the 14th minute of the All-Ireland football final and Séamus Moynihan makes his first big play of the day. Galway's Derek Savage wins a ball out by the sideline on the new stand side, looks up for an option and sees one. It's Pádraig Joyce, steaming through from centre half forward, arm in the air: he wants the ball. Moynihan is in pursuit and a few yards behind.
In the game that everyone wanted to see happen, between the two best teams in the country, this was the confrontation that everyone wanted to witness, between the two best players in the country - full back and full forward, team captains, good friends and former college team mates.
It takes a delicate touch, this pass, getting it to dip over the head of the defender into the arms of your target man. Savage has a cut, dashing it off his left foot as the two players reach the 21-yard line. Everyone in the packed stadium knows instantly and exactly what he is trying to do. It is one of those moments that are hard to find when you have 30 players on a field: a duel between two men who - with no one else around to interfere or help out - literally have no place to hide.
Facing his own goal and running towards it at full tilt, trying to maintain contact with Joyce while also looking over his shoulder at Savage, this is awkward for Moynihan. He is not in control. Yet, in a flash, he is. Savage's pass is nearly good enough but not quite, and in the millisecond available to him, Moynihan reacts to the flight of the ball, adjusts his feet and sticks it to his hands as a shivering "ooooh" ripples through the crowd. God, that was close. Four inches higher and the ball was Joyce's and maybe the goal was on. But suddenly the panic is over.
Back at the start of the year when Barry O'Shea broke down and Kerry hadn't another full back in the county, the Moynihan debate took off. Sure, he'd do a good job at full back, but at what cost to the team? It was a waste: he was to be the launch pad at centre half back, the glue that would hold the defence together, sweep up behind midfield and provide a bit of punch in the attack. At full back he would be out of position, tied down and underemployed. But the arguments were over long before the season was: the man was quite simply phenomenal.
It is the 44th minute of the drawn All-Ireland semi-final, Kerry are playing Armagh and the Ulster champions are turning the screw in the second half. Kieran Hughes, the Armagh right half back, comes bursting through midfield and feeds his corner forward Steven McDonnell on the 21. Hughes keeps coming and McDonnell plays the return over the head of his marker, Michael McCarthy, leaving the ball in space for Hughes to run onto.
Moynihan, retreating and watching developments from the last line of defence, makes his move, abandoning his man in one sudden and decisive burst to get to Hughes, some 10 yards away. Just as Hughes picks up the return Moynihan meets him with what can only be described as a mighty shoulder, bang on, which flattens him and kills the move.
It ends with a hit-and-hope effort from Oisín McConville which is caught by goalkeeper Declan O'Keeffe and Kerry come away with the ball. But they give it away almost immediately and Moynihan is back in action, this time under a high ball which he breaks down. A Kerry and Armagh player contest it but while they're dithering over it, Moynihan slides in, prods the ball clear, picks it up and offloads.
WHERE to start. Maybe from the bottom up: his feet. He is so good on them, so well-balanced, and able to adjust them so quickly that he can match the twists and turns of the best forwards in the game. "Here's Oisín McConville," said Ger Canning in the 63rd minute of the same match, "taking on Moynihan." One-on-one, McConville tried to go inside - blocked; outside - blocked also. There was no way past. In the replay McConville didn't even try to go by him. Confronted by Moynihan he just fired from where he stood, and with some success too.
If the Kerryman wasn't as quick on his feet he would not have got to Hughes on time and if he wasn't as sharp on them he wouldn't be able to brake almost instantly, the way he can, when he needs to stop and change direction. Nought to 60, and 60 to nought, either way in a flash.
As in the final minute of extra time in that replay, when Armagh were making a desperate bid for the goal that would rescue them. Moynihan came flying across his square, left to right, to cover an Armagh substitute. The sub stepped inside and shaped to shoot, Moynihan braked and by the time the player had dropped the ball to his foot, he was coming back right to left and diving full-length to make a fingertip block on the ball.
It is five minutes into the second half of that drawn game with Armagh, perhaps the busiest half of Moynihan's season and the best too, when - with respect to the brave young backs around him - he becomes a virtual one-man Kerry defence. It is a tour-de-force of tackles, blockdowns, interventions, catches and clearances.
McConville has taken a pass at speed in midfield and with most of the Kerry defenders sucked out the field, looks to have a clear run on goal - if he can get by Moynihan. Which he should do, coming at speed against a player who is necessarily static, waiting for him to arrive. And he very nearly does but Moynihan manages to get something on him - a tug on his left arm as it happens, which is illegal but missed by the referee. It's enough to check McConville's run but he still figures on having enough time and space to kick for a point except that suddenly the space is filled by the Kerryman's frame just as the ball leaves McConville's boot.
The full-length diving blockdown is not just inspirational, it also deserves marks for artistic impression too: neat, symmetrical and perfectly-timed. The ball ricochets off his arms towards the left corner. Moynihan is off his knees and after it in a flash - McConville looks shocked. The number three offloads to a colleague and Kerry score at the other end.
From the feet and legs to the hips and torso: loads of power up top and he knows how to use it. The videos of this year's championship are littered with demonstrations of his force at close-quarters, winning several 50-50 contests for the ball with his low-centred power and active shoulders.
And how come he always seems to occupy the right ground under the incoming ball? Presumably because he has won the physical argument with whoever else wanted to occupy it as they waited for it to arrive. Time and again he is in the right position to meet it while the opponent is that bit behind, or too far forward, or slightly to the left or right and therefore badly-placed to dispute it.
IT is the 33rd minute of the drawn All-Ireland final and Niall Finnegan, the Galway corner forward, has slipped by Moynihan's rash lunge along the endline. He is on his feet so fast, however, that when Finnegan chances a solo, perhaps a second later, Moynihan is back to actually snatch the ball from the Galwayman as it travels the tiny distance between his foot and his hand. Just plunders it from him and away.
At the top there is the head and that was busy too this year, reading the play, making judgement calls - should I stay or go? - and anticipating the arrival of the ball into his territory almost before the kicker has delivered it. It's called being in the right place at the right time but it goes nowhere near to explaining the mystery behind it. Along with the anticipation and judgement there is the concentration, this ability to sustain his mental application over the full length of a game. Mistakes, therefore, are a rarity.
But there were a few, usually connected to the fact that despite everything, he is not a natural full back. He does not share the inherent caution of that breed, or their pathological aversion to committing themselves for fear of leaving the path to goal open. Moynihan doesn't - and didn't - hold back and once or twice it might have been expensive.
It is the 35th minute of the drawn semi-final and the Armagh midfielder John McEntee launches a garryowen. Three Kerry men and a couple of Armagh men converge underneath it. That's plenty to be going on with but Moynihan cannot resist and he too joins the throng, arriving late and jumping for it. The ball breaks, Paul McGrane pops it to McConville who has a free run on goal with the full back out of position - he blasts it over, a let-off.
So he's not a natural full back but, big deal, the way he played the position, in one big game after another, at times left you shaking your head in wonder. He played it in fact with a quality that is the opposite to caution - freedom. He never marked his man obsessively, like many do, standing on their toes even when the ball is a hundred yards away. These are the ones who tend to be the all-important yard behind when the ball is eventually sent in.
Moynihan could often be seen several yards away from his man, preferring to be guided by the ball than by the movements of his direct opponent. It is usually called ball-watching but the way he did it, no one could argue: he wasn't just a ball-watcher but a prolific ball-winner too.
As a bonus it meant that there wasn't a hint of negativity in his game. Here was someone not playing the man, but the ball, and coming out on top time and again. It proved that you could be implacable without being cynical, and that you could defend not just with total authority, but integrity too. It is perhaps the future: in modern football it is getting more and more costly for backs to foul forwards. The best defenders in time to come will be the ones who are quick enough and good enough to beat the forward to the ball - not beat him when he has it.
When Maurice Fitzgerald dominated the All-Ireland final in 1997 he redefined the extent to which one man could influence a 15-man game - his contribution was so disproportionate it could safely be said that Kerry would have lost the All-Ireland without him. Three years later and another Kerry player was so demonstrably superior to all his peers that, again, it could be said that without him, they would not have won the All-Ireland. They would not even have got there. You could say that Kerry is lucky to have Moynihan or, if you like, he is lucky to have Kerry - probably both.
Either way, and whatever about the Kingdom, the biggest winner is the battered old game itself.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Dec 21, 2011 13:43:16 GMT
Moynihan, retreating and watching developments from the last line of defence, makes his move, abandoning his man in one sudden and decisive burst to get to Hughes, some 10 yards away. Just as Hughes picks up the return Moynihan meets him with what can only be described as a mighty shoulder, bang on, which flattens him and kills the move.
Don't know why but this piece reminds me of Tom Crean!!
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Post by mikelyster on Dec 21, 2011 17:08:22 GMT
What a man! Loved by everyone he ever came across. Funny enough though my Seamus Moynihan moment came this year when he answered the call for East Kerry and put in a huge performance against Mid Kerry. He was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch that day. It convinced me he could have been playing inter county up to this day also. One of a kind, in my opinion Kerry's best ever back as for greatest player ever well that's an entire different kettle of fish but no doubt he would be in the mix. No doubt we will see him in future managerial positions. I was actually surprised he wasn't either apart of Fitz' under 21 backroom team or Mickey Ned's for the minors. LEGEND
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Post by greengold35 on Dec 23, 2011 9:58:45 GMT
No doubt he was one of the greatest players we have been privileged to see in the green and gold; 2000 was his year and the Armagh games were his finest- I remember the replay and the extra time; sitting in the lower cusack with Kerry defending the canal end; the guy beside me kept telling Armagh to kick it in around the house- bemused, as I assumed he was a Kerry fan, I asked him why- his explanation was simple- Moynihan will win it and we are safe again!
My own personal memory is of a Feb day in Killarney again vs Armagh- he was wing back and we had our backs to the wall; an Armagh attack saw a short ball played to Paddy O'Rourke- had he gotten it there was somebody free inside- out of nowhere Moynihan arrived, took man and ball and set up another attack. He was immense and no words of mine could do justice to this colossus of football. Hope we see him in the dugout sooner rather than later with our future teams.
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