Best XV opposition - Finbarr Cullen
By David Farrell
Following
on from last weeks ‘Best XV’ players that he had played with for both club and
county, former Offaly captain Finbarr Cullen sat down to discuss the ‘Best XV’
players he played against.
There are
just five counties represented on the team with Meath dominating the selection
with no less than six players. A total of four Kerry men made the cut with
Kildare (2), Down (2) and Tyrone making up the rest of what looks to be a
formidable team on paper.
“It wasn’t
easy picking this team to be honest. There are some big names missing from it
in fairness. I played against some great players like Paul Barden (Longford),
Jarlath Fallon and Michael Donnellan of Galway,
Dessie Dolan with Westmeath and Kevin O’Brien of Wicklow but ultimately in the
forwards I’ve gone for lads that I man marked on a few occasions".
The rules
are simple. You can only choose a player you actually played against.
1.
Declan O’Keefe
(Kerry)
2. 3. 4.
Robbie O’Malley Seamus
Moynihan Darren
Fay
(Meath) (Kerry) (Meath)
5. 6. 7.
Graham Geraghty Glenn Ryan Martin O’Connell
(Meath) (Kildare) (Meath)
8.
9.
Darragh Ó’Sé Johnny McDermott
(Kerry) (Meath)
10. 11. 12.
Maurice Fitzgerald Tommy Dowd John Doyle
(Kerry) (Meath) (Kildare)
13. 14. 15.
Mickey Linden Peter Canavan James McCartan
(Down) (Tyrone) (Down)
_______________________________________________________________________
- I
couldn’t look past Declan O’Keefe
for the number one position. He was very agile, so dependable and he had a
great kick-out too.
- Robbie O’Malley was a brilliant
leader for Meath and a terrific reader of the game. I heard him numerous
times on the pitch and how he spoke to his players. He was excellent.
- What
needs to be said about Seamus
Moynihan? He was simply a class player and again I’m going to say a
great reader of the game. It is such an important attribute.
- Another
fantastic player that I played against. Darren Fay physically was one of the strongest players I ever
played against. He was a superb player.
- His
pace as a wing back was truly exceptional. Graham Geraghty scoring record from half back was brilliant
and that’s probably why he ended up in the forwards.
- Another
man that was a brilliant leader for his team. Glenn Ryan was brilliant at reading the game and just so
dependable. You knew he was going to give it everything.
- My
last defender is Martin O’Connell
of Meath. He was an exceptional footballer and he made the team of the
millennium. No other explanation needed!
- Where
do you start when you want to praise Darragh
Ó’Sé? He had everything a midfielder could possibly want. His
distribution always stood out for me because he just never gave the ball
away. He was the ideal all round midfielder.
- He
captained Ireland
when I played with him and he was brilliant. Johnny McDermott was a great fielder of the ball, his work
rate was excellent and he was a great leader.
- One
of the most talented players I played against. Maurice Fitzgerald had two great feet and he was a great man
to get scores. He was brilliant at reading the game too.
- One
of Tommy Dowd’s best attributes
was his ability to win his own ball. He worked tirelessly and he was
physically very strong too. He never gave you an easy day.
- A
natural forward. John Doyle had
brilliant ability and he was so genuine and honest. He was a great free
taker and a top player for Kildare. His All-Star was well deserved.
- A
compliment I could give Mickey
Linden is that I actually learned so much from marking him. He made
terrific runs, was very clever, he had two great feet and he was very
accurate.
- He
was one of the greatest ever players. Peter
Canavan was just so dangerous, so elusive and so hard to mark. He was
extremely intelligent and his all round game was exceptional.
- I’d
probably have to say James McCartan
was the hardest man I ever had to mark. He had a phenomenal low centre of
gravity and unbelievable pace to go with it. His work rate always stood
out too.
(Extract from the Offaly Topic)