Best Kerry15 you have ever seen-tapes do not count

[expert05]

This should be interesting.
O Keefe

Mark O Se
Mike Mc
Stack

Tomas O Se
Liam Flaherty
Eamon Breen

Dara O Se
Moynihan

Aodan Mc
Hassett
Spillane

MFR
Maurice
Gooch

[FatTom]

Well I could claim some players from a very young age but I won't.
I'll claim those I remember seeing in flesh.

Declan O Keefe

Mike MacCarthy
Seamus Moynihan (outta necessity)
Tom Sullivan

Tomas O Se
Liam Flaherty
Eamonn Breen

Darragh O Se
Donal Daly


Maurice Fitzgerald
Darragh O Cinneide
Liam Hassett


Mike Frank
John Crowley
Gooch

[buck02]

After an hours deliberation:

1 Deco Keeffe
2 Paidi Se
3 Sean Walsh
4 Mike Mc
5 Tom Se
6 Seamus Moynihan
7 Ogie Moran
8 Darragh Se
9 Jacko
10 Ger Power
11 Fitz
12 Pat Spillane
13 Gooch
14 Bomber
15 Mikey Sheehy

[austinstacksabu]

Wouldn't change one of BuckO2's team - suspect similar vintage. Saw the great team in action in Croke Park for the first time in '84 (I'm a wee fella) and would nearly put that team in with Maurice and Seamus there somewhere.

[kerrygold]

i'm a wee bit older than some of ye but still a child at heart,and very much still a kerry fanatic.went to my all-ireland in ,75,that time your father could lift you over the style for free.my first memory of an all-ireland is 1969,a wee toddler barely walking, i got crush in the door of the house as i made a failed attempt to dash for the car with the others heading up.

my best kerry fifteen.
1 charlie neligan,2.jimmy denihan.3 johnno keeffe,4.paudi lynch,5paidi se,6.tim kennelly,7.seamus moynihan,8.jacko shea,9.sean walshe,10.maurice fitzgerald,11.oige moran,12 pat spillane,13 mickey sheehy,14.eoin liston.15.john egan/ger power.

in keeping with the spirt of the thread my best kerry fifteen from 1990 to 2005.
1.charlie neligan,2.tom sullivan,3.mike mc carthy,4.eamonn breen,5.tom se,6.tom spillane,7.liam flaterty.8.dara ose,9.seamus moynihan,10.maurice fitzgerald,11.pat spillane,12.jacko shea,13.colm cooper,14.eoin brosnan,15,dara o cinneade/mike frank.

[Walter Mitty]

Jesus lads I feel like a child against some of yee relics!!!

[inforthebreaks]

My team of kerry players i have seen in the flesh

Nelligan

Deenihan
john O Keefe
Paidi

Power
Kenelly
Moynihan

Jacko
Mick O connell

Maurice fitz
Oige
Spillane

Gooch
Bomber
Sheehy

Mick O Connell was way past his best when I saw him playing but he was lining out with Valentia for years after I started going to games.

[seamus]

I picked the same team as Buck02. Reckon it would win 4 in a row and trash all the Ulster boys!

[kerrygold]

how about the best from the 3 in a row verus the best from the three times winners.

3 in a row. .3 times winners.
1.charlie neligan, .declan o keeffe.
2.paidi o se, .tom sullivan.
3.sean walsh, .mick mc carthy.
4.mick spillane, .stephen stack.
5.tommie doyle, .tomas o se.
6.tom spillane, .liam flaterty.
7.ger lynch, .eamonn breen.
8.jacko shea, .dara o se.
9.ambrose o donavan, .seamus moynihan.
10.john kennedy, .dara o cinneade.
11.oige moran, .maurice fitzgerald.
12.pat spillane, .liam hasset.
13.mickey sheehy, .colm cooper.
14.eoin ilston, .johnnie crowley.
15.ger power, .mike frank russell.

[Attacking Wing Back]

tom sullivan, mike maccarthy declan o keeffe tom se cooper do not have 3 al ireland medals

[kerrygold]

jimmy2 said:

tom sullivan, mike maccarthy declan o keeffe tom se cooper do not have 3 al ireland medals

i meant from the collective group of players who have won 3 all-irelands,ie '96 to '05 versus the 3 in a row team '84 to '86.

[kerryman]

Was watching that DVD from the star showing All Ireland highglights from 1995 to 2004.

One thing that really stood was how good Mike Frank was. Some of the ball winning and pints he scored were second to none. It really is a shame that he seems to have lost that brilliance. God willing he'll get it back. We could do with it!

[kerrygold]

kerryman said:

Was watching that DVD from the star showing All Ireland highglights from 1995 to 2004.

One thing that really stood was how good Mike Frank was. Some of the ball winning and pints he scored were second to none. It really is a shame that he seems to have lost that brilliance. God willing he'll get it back. We could do with it!

i've been saying it on this forum for a long time how good mike franks was/is.when he came on the seen in 97 he was the next big thing,i loved the way when he won the ball how he seemed to step away from the tackle in one step and kick the ball left or right foot over the bar from distance and varing angles.he is a massive loss to kerry and he would be a massive decoy for the gooch and take a lot of the pressure of him.He never seemed to be the same again after the 2002 final,just after the second half started he won a ball and did his trade mark step away from the tackle but shot wide,ive never seem him on his game fully since the second half of that game,he was on fire that summer especially v cork and galway,a time i think kerry played there best football.I cant imagine him having a great relationship with jack the way he was shafted for the final v mayo and also last year for the semi v cork.I thought he did enough v mayo to indicate he might be coming back to form and showed a few signs of form.Once you loss your confidence in a specialised position like corner forward and are doubted your in serious trouble.I wonder is there enough been done to get mike frank back in form,he is far too gifted to lose and would be a massive addition to the kerry forward line,a full league campain and a full munster championship would be a big start,it might be an investment for the future.My fullforward line for the duration of the league would be cooper brosnan mike frank,if the three of them could be got going to gether they would represent serious fire power in the fullforward line.Mike frank should be at his peak now,if we continue to isolate the gooch on his own up front the same thing could happen to him,perish the thought,over dependancy on fitzie contributed greatly to his place on team being called into question from'99 on also.

[smellUlater]

Kerrygold u say Mike Frank was shafted, by Jack for the final in 2004,at that time he was lauded by picking John Crowley for the final. I afraid Mike Frank might be like bread, nice and tasty one day but gone stale a few days later.He was a class act no doubt but 2 crap seasons in a row,hasn't really been firing for his club either suggests that his inter county days are coming to an end.The problem with Mike Frank is not when he has the ball but the fact he can't win it now in a tight match

[kerrygold]

it was a tight enough call between johnnie and mike frank last year,johnnie hadn't exactly being setting the world on fire either that summer,luckily the call went in our favour,however as things transpired on the day i dont think we could argue that mike frank wouldn't have done as well as johnnie on that particular day.mike frank was the man in possession of the jersey that summer and was no better or worse than johnnie that summer.I felt it was a hard call and in my opinion mike frank was shafted.I agree mike frank hasn't being setting the world on fire,i thought he showed signs of improving against mayo this year and even mike sheehy said during this summer that he thought it was only of time before mike frank roosted some corner back soon,again he wasn't given the chance to do so.I still feel he worth been given one decent chance,but i wouldnt be supprised if he walked away from it at this stage.

[JOAN]

Kerrygolds pick of the two teams would be right on the money in my book. I would remember the four in a row team through to present day. Well done nice picks

[sullyschoice]

Walter Mitty.. you feel like a child...well I played against Pat Mc Carthy (I think he retired from inter county in mid 70's) and on the same team as Brian Mullins older brother...how old does that make me feel.

Pat Spillane has to make it on to any team being picked...so does Fitzy, Horse Kennelly, Ger Lynch, Egan, Nelligan, Ogie, Sheehy, Moynihan, Paidi, Jacko, Gooch, Paudie Lynch, Sean Walsh,Bomber.......

This is far too difficult.

[clancarre]

What do ye think of Paidi's comment on T na G that the 1975 Kerry team would have the present one beaten off the field after 15 minutes.

[madmac999]

clancarre said:

What do ye think of Paidi's comment on T na G that the 1975 Kerry team would have the present one beaten off the field after 15 minutes.

jasus i wouldn't say 15 mins.. give it till half time.. Would be some clash. Paudi marking Paul Galvin. The Horse on Brosnan, Tom Sullivan on Mikey Sheehy!!! Not to mention Dara vrs Jack O Shea!!!

[austinstacksabu]

Speaking of greats from the past, did anybody see the programme on RTE One last night about the charity work done in Malawi recently where some famous GAA players of past and present held GAA training classes and sessions in a local village. Bomber and Jack O'Shea were there along with Barney Rock, Joe Cooney, Brian Whelehan, Henry Shefflin and one of the Meath team of 1990 / 1991 (feckin name escapes me now if anybody can help).

Great to see the lads giving back what they are fortunate to have themselves, very proud of the Kerry men out there.

[clancarre]

I saw my first Munster Final in 1959, first All Ireland in 1964. It is hard to leave somebody out but my criteria is 1)how did this player perform when we were being beaten? 2) could the player carry his club? This is what I've come up with 1. Charlie Nelligan. 2. Seamus Murphy. 3. Seamus Moynihan 4. Paudie Lynch 5. Paidi O'Se 6. Tim Kennelly. 7. Mick O'Dwyer 8. Dara O'Se . 9. Jack O'Shea 10. John Egan. 11. Tom Long. 12. Pat Spillane. 13. Mikie Sheehy. 14. Eoin Liston. 15. Colm Cooper.

[austinstacksabu]

Interesting selection Clancarre. No sign of Mick O'Connell there but you must have seen a fair amount of him. Any reason for leaving him out?

[clancarre]

He was definitely the greatest exponent of the skills of Gaelic Football I have ever seen, but his best performances were in the National League, and Railway Cup when he was vastly fitter than his opponents or teammates. In championship when the heat was on I cannot recall heroic performances except perhaps for the semi finals of 1959 or 1962, neither of which I attended.

[austinstacksabu]

Interesting - had heard something along those lines before alright.

[watchdahop]

Clancarre,

I think your point re Mick O'Connell is interesting.

I also note that you excluded Maurice Fitzgerald from you team is it for the same reason as Mick O'Connell.

In regards to Mick O'Connell I never saw him play and have never even seen good highlights of him on the TV so I can't really agree or disagree with the point you make about him.

I also note that you include Seamus Murphy. Again I never saw him play but a lot of the old timers say he was top notch. Unfortunately for him he doesn't seem to be as well known nowadays.

I think of the current team Mick McCarthy might go the same way. He won't be as well remembered even though hes a very good player.

[clancarre]

Journalists tend to rate some players more highly, because they have a certain personality, or because they can do something exceptional as O'Connell and Fitzy certainly did, so they develope a certain aura. Other players such as Paudie Lynch, Seamus Murphy, or indeed Mike McCarthy don't get the same recognition. When I pick the best 15 I saw in the flesh, I am using the criteria I referred to, and I cannot see which of my fifteen I could drop for O'Connell or Fitzgerald. But as O'Connell once famously said "that is only one man's opinion".

[madmac999]

I m only a wee whipper snapper compared to some of ye grey haired and beared fella's but my best kerry15 goes something like this. Probably remember matches from 1989 onwards so i ll work off that.

1. Murphy.. has not put a foot wrong. O'Keeffe was good but Murphy is absolutely outstanding.

2. Marc O Se.. Best ball player on the team. Reads the game fantastically.
3. Moynihan.. Had to put him in here somewhere. Was outstanding at full back. In 2000 vrs Galway in replay he gave Joyce a footballing lesson.
4. Stephen Stack.. might be a biased view but not once did he leave his county down gave a 110% always.

5. Tomas O Se.. Power House. Of all the players at the moment he deserves to be captain. Anyone agree that he is better than Paudi?!
6. Liam Flaherty.. Would have liked to say The Horse but have only seen tapes. Flaherty like Stack was another die hard kerry man.
7. Ogie Moran

8. Dara O Se.. When on his game not a midfielder in the country comes near him
9. Jacko O Shea.Managed to catch a glimpse of Jacko towards the end of his career and still he was outstanding.

10. Maurice Fitz.. no explanation needed
11. Hassett. See Flaherty & Stack for explanation
12. Breen..Though as nails..ok weird positional choice could swap with Ogie. If i m not mistaken though he did line out in a Munster final vrs Cork one time at centre forward!!

13. Mike Frank Russell. On his day the best forward in the country bar Cooper.. Remember the replay vrs Armagh in 2000 the goals he got that day were outstanding.
14.Bomber got a glimpse of a overweight Bomber when i was a young lad and even then you could tell he was a fantastic player. Suppose u don't lose that class over night.
15. Cooper.. same as Fitz no need for explanation

Honourable mention.
Peter O'Leary
Billy O Shea
Pa Laide
Brian Clarke!!!!!

They don’t build players like Stack,Flaherty,Breen and Bomber anymore!!!

[FatTom]

Strange you don't have 3 time All Star Mike Mac there.

[madmac999]

Well i suppose it really was a toss up between Marc and him... Not saying he is not outstanding footballer or anything. He is absolute quality. I just admire Marc O Se as both a defender and a ball player. He brings so much to the team in both his primary job as a defender but also as a attacker. He has a great scoring record for a corner/wing back.

[peig]

D. Murphy,
Páidí Ó Sé, Seán Walsh, Mike McCarthy
Tomás Ó Sé, Séamus Moynihan, Ger Lynch

Darragh Ó Sé
Jack O’Shea

Maurice FitzGerald, Dara Ó Cinnéide, Pat Spillane
Mikey Sheehy, Bomber, Gooch

Phew! That was a tough one!