You forgot 
to go with your 
[QUOTE=“scumpot, post: 955304, member: 182”]oh dear…
Macdonald’s right foot was for standing on for a start…[/QUOTE]
So is Messi’s.
What’s your point?
I think that Canavan, Gooch, and Fitzgerald were all superb footballers, and more or less on a par.
Ciaran McDonald is one of my favourite ever players but should probably be taken out of this discussion as he never performed to the same standards as others on the biggest stage of all - the All Ireland final.
[QUOTE=“farmerinthecity, post: 955411, member: 24”]I think that Canavan, Gooch, and Fitzgerald were all superb footballers, and more or less on a par.
Ciaran McDonald is one of my favourite ever players but should probably be taken out of this discussion as he never performed to the same standards as others on the biggest stage of all - the All Ireland final.[/QUOTE]
I didn’t bring McDonald into a direct comparison to Canavan, Gooch or Fitzgerald on who had a better career or who was the better player. I just brought him into the discussion after another lazy and clueless statement from Kevin that “nobody had anything near Fitzgerald’s skills” for his size. Ciaran McDonald was of a very similar frame/stature and was in my opinion as skilled as Fitzgerald.
But you never saw Fitzgerald. So stop it.
Maurice Fitz took frees from his bad foot in an All Ireland final. Nobody comes within an asses roar of that kind if skill.
The fact you don’t appreciate what really are the skills of Gaelic football reveals your cluelessness.
Putting Ciaran McDonald in with Maurice Fitz is hilarious, but very revealing.
I think the biggest loser here though is your supporter the dancing baby who has made a pure clown out if himself supporting you, seemingly cos you are from Ulster. Bizarre stuff really. Is he your uncle or something?
[QUOTE=“caoimhaoin, post: 955432, member: 273”]But you never saw Fitzgerald. So stop it.
Maurice Fitz took frees from his bad foot in an All Ireland final. Nobody comes within an asses roar of that kind if skill.
The fact you don’t appreciate what really are the skills of Gaelic football reveals your cluelessness.
Putting Ciaran McDonald in with Maurice Fitz is hilarious, but very revealing.
I think the biggest loser here though is your supporter the dancing baby who has made a pure clown out if himself supporting you, seemingly cos you are from Ulster. Bizarre stuff really. Is he your uncle or something?[/QUOTE]
Good point and very well made.
Hard to argue with some of those points as there are just so insightful, well-thought and intelligently made - when I pass my junior cert exams I hope I can one day be able to state my case as well as you.
a) Firsty I never saw Maurice Fitzgerald. Well I was in Croke Park when he broke Armagh’s hearts in 2000. I remember watching that terrific point he scored to equalise the game in injury time against Dublin live on TV. I remember watching his outstanding display against Mayo in an All Ireland final. I know good and well what a fantastic player he was and have made no attempt to argue to the contrary. But of course you’re right - I never saw him and once again the way you stated your case was top class debating.
b) I also remember watching Ciaran McDonald, one game I was also on first hand to witness was when I was in Croke Park to see him absolutely destroy Tyrone in 2004 where he single handedly knocked out the All Ireland Champions that day. I also remember him putting in similar momentus performances against the Dubs, one of which was probably the same summer and another probably a few years after him. The sheer abilty of McDonald was unbelievable, definitely the best passer of a ball I’ve see in Gaelic Football and his ability to hold off serious pressure was magnificent.
c) Great stuff on your last point about thedancingbaby. You really showed him, mate.
[QUOTE=“caoimhaoin, post: 955432, member: 273”]I think the biggest loser here though is your supporter the dancing baby who has made a pure clown out if himself supporting you, seemingly cos you are from Ulster.
[/QUOTE]
Eh what ???
How am I getting dragged into this.
Fitzgerald was the better player but such a comparison isn’t ‘hilarious’.
Also McDonald was introduced into the argument not as being comparable to Fitzgerald overall but as a player who was big and had skill.
It was 2006 mate but I agree fully, McDonald was awesome.
Was that the day Mayo warmed up in front of the hill and the Dubs charged em?
Yes. A lot of us who were there that day have greater recollections of Leitrim’s brave but ultimately doomed attempt to win The Tommy Murphy Cup in the curtain raiser.
Mayo mugged Dublin off good and proper that day.
McDonald was immense that day- I know I only saw it on tv so my opinion doesn’t count but it was one of the best dispalys I have ever seen, on tv.
[QUOTE=“caoimhaoin, post: 955432, member: 273”]But you never saw Fitzgerald. So stop it.
Maurice Fitz took frees from his bad foot in an All Ireland final. Nobody comes within an asses roar of that kind if skill.
[/QUOTE]
Diarmuid Connolly’s left footed free from a difficult angle against Kerry to level the scores with 2 minutes to go in last year’s semi was arguably better.
One of the most memorable McDonald performance for me was against us in Carrick in 2006. Mayo were leading and we turned in a great second half display to reduce the gap. Pat Harte got sent off and we were really on top. McDonald was everywhere, back in his own fulback line fighting for ball, our lads bouncing off him given his great upper body strength.
Of course you may say ‘sure that was only Leitrim’ but that was real backs to the wall, not pretty stuff from McDonald that he is not known for.
He hit a point from a line ball against Dublin in 2006 that was incredible and up there with Fitzgerald’s in Thurles. Maybe not as much pressure but amazing technique.
Was that out of his hands?
[QUOTE=“farmerinthecity, post: 955464, member: 24”]One of the most memorable McDonald performance for me was against us in Carrick in 2006. Mayo were leading and we turned in a great second half display to reduce the gap. Pat Harte got sent off and we were really on top. McDonald was everywhere, back in his own fulback line fighting for ball, our lads bouncing off him given his great upper body strength.
Of course you may say ‘sure that was only Leitrim’ but that was real backs to the wall, not pretty stuff from McDonald that he is not known for.
He hit a point from a line ball against Dublin in 2006 that was incredible and up there with Fitzgerald’s in Thurles. Maybe not as much pressure but amazing technique.[/QUOTE]
McDonald’s physique was always something that intrigued me, he did not seem to be overwhelmingly built, he seemed to be quite scrawny and lean when you saw him but he had this wonderful ability to leave huge men flat out in the ground and be able to hold off the most intense of pressure. In the 2004 game against Tyrone I remember him leaving Kevin Hughes in a heap on the ground at one stage, he had this ability to contort his body into all sorts of shapes and slip challenges and throw is man on the ground or at least lessen the force he was able to take. He was like a matador in the way he was able to absorb or evade challenges whichever way you want to look at.
Now there is a lad with talent. Physically as good as any of them. Mentally nothing Gooch or Fitz though. He has become far more consistent, but still he’d have to have a ridiculous end to his career to match them.
Ah he was a big fucker. He was fond of taking his jersey off after a match - he was certainly not scrawny.
[QUOTE=“farmerinthecity, post: 955441, member: 24”]Fitzgerald was the better player but such a comparison isn’t ‘hilarious’.
Also McDonald was introduced into the argument not as being comparable to Fitzgerald overall but as a player who was big and had skill.[/QUOTE]
It is farmer. You are re-writing history now. I’m a huge fan of McDonald but he had too many no-shows and off days to be compared to Maurice Fitz. His kicking could be beautiful, but he hit a lot of wides too going for the spectacular. Fitz only went for it if it was needed.
There is simply no comparision. Similar in ways, but great greats have consistency of performance.
And the pressure is what made MF point better. To ignore the magnitude of that would be silly.