Declan Farrell's 'Best XV'

Post date: Jun 24, 2015 9:23:40 PM

By David Farrell

Former Edenderry and Offaly footballer Declan Farrell recently discussed the ‘Best XV’ players that he played football with for both club and county.

The current Offaly selector and four times county medalist has chosen four former club mates at Edenderry, all three Lowry brothers from Ferbane, three from Gracefield and Walsh Island with Rhode and Tullamore making up the remainder of the team.

The rules are simple. You can only choose a player you actually played with.

1.

Martin Furlong

(Tullamore)

2. 3. 4.

Mick Fitzgerald Adrian Murphy Mick Lowry

(Gracefield) (Edenderry) (Ferbane)

5. 6. 7.

Pat Fitzgerald Sean Lowry Finbarr Cullen

(Gracefield) (Ferbane) (Edenderry)

8. 9.

Padraig Dunne Thomas Connor

(Gracefield) (Walsh Island)

10. 11. 12.

Peter Brady Richie Connor Gerry Carroll

(Edenderry) (Walsh Island) (Edenderry)

13. 14. 15.

Johnny Mooney Matt Connor Brendan Lowry

(Rhode) (Walsh Island) (Ferbane)

• 1. In goals I’ve gone for Martin Furlong. He was a great goalkeeper. He was fearless, he was brave and he was inspirational.

  2. My right corner back is Mick Fitzgerald. Nothing ever fazed Mick and he was a very dependable player. He was a good man marker too.

  3. At full back I’ve gone for Adrian Murphy of Edenderry. Similar to Mick, nothing ever fazed Adrian. He was big, strong, fast and a good man marker.

  4. Mick Lowry completes my full back line. He was very tough and was well able to hold his own. I played against him too for Ferbane and he was excellent.

  5. My number five jersey goes to Pat Fitzgerald. He was so fit and could run all day. He was a good passer of the ball and he always used it well.

  6. My centre back could play anywhere really. Sean Lowry was a great reader of the game and he was physically very strong.

  7. From a club and county point of view, Finbarr Cullen was a terrific player. He got the absolute maximum from himself. He was a great leader and he was brilliant defensively and going forward.

  8. Gracefield’s Padraig Dunne gets my vote for the number eight position. He was a great fielder of the ball, a great ball winner and his work-rate was very good.

  9. I would have to go with Thomas Connor for the second midfield position. Thomas was a great worker and an excellent fielder of the ball. On his day he could catch it with the best of them.

  10. Along with Finbarr he was a huge leader for the club. Peter Brady was as good as anyone in Ireland at one time. When Peter trained with Edenderry I found it was always better. It was much more intense and to a higher standard because he demanded it from himself and everyone around him. He had it all.

  11. A brilliant attitude, a brilliant leader and a brilliant captain. Richie Connor was a great footballer. He was physically very strong and could play in a few different positions too.

  12. I’ve given the number twelve jersey to Gerry Carroll. Gerry and Peter were very alike in many ways. He was a great fielder of the ball, he was very fast and athletic and a very good reader of the game.

  13. Johnny Mooney could play anywhere. He was an all round brilliant footballer who could win his own ball, take a score and he was well able to look after himself. He had a good physical presence about him.

  14. At full forward I’ve chosen Matt Connor. His record speaks for itself. He was top scorer in the country for a number of years. He was fast, strong and a great free taker too. There wasn’t too many better than him in the history of GAA.

  15. My last jersey will have to go to Brendan Lowry. Once Brendan got the ball he didn’t even need to look, he just knew where the goals were. He was a deadly finisher off either foot.

Next week Declan reveals the 'Best XV' players he ever played against.

(Extract from the Offaly Topic)