Breheny's top 20 footballers of last 50 years

[Iggy]

A very long list. Even by Breheny standards.

Gaelic football’s greatest players of all time ranked in every position – from goalkeeper to left corner-forward

In an extract from a new book, Pulse of the Nation: GAA 140 Years Rankings, Ratings, Tales & Drama, Martin Breheny and Donal Keenan reveal the best footballers across the pitch from one to 15

The Pulse of the Nation

A selection of the top Gaelic footballers of all time

The Pulse of the Nation

A selection of the top Gaelic footballers of all time

Martin Breheny and Donal Keenan

Today at 02:30

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”

– Wilma Rudolph, who in Rome in 1960 became the first American female athlete to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

Who is the greatest? It’s a question that has intrigued sports fans through the ages, with opinions as varied as the numbers answering.

Whether adjudicating on current or past players or a mixture of both, answering is a highly subjective matter – especially when teams are involved. Even in an individual sport, like athletics, where performances are measurable, it’s impossible to be definitive when comparing athletes from different eras.

World records continue to tumble, but are the athletes individually better than their predecessors?

Roger Bannister’s achievement in breaking the four-minute barrier for the mile in 1954 will always be feted, but a similar run now would leave an athlete a long way behind the winner.

At face value, that puts the modern generation of athletes – and, indeed, all those who improved on that sub-four-minute over the past 70 years – ahead of Bannister. But it’s not that straightforward.

Professionalism, better training methods and equipment, improved body conditioning and nutrition, better running tracks, psychological advances, plus other aids have all combined to help athletes run faster. What if those advantages could be superimposed on Bannister’s natural talent? Would he be quicker than all the rest right up to today? The same applies to other sports, including Gaelic games.

Assessing players from different generations creates two camps. A younger generation tends to look at the past as largely crude and unsophisticated compared to modern times.

While an older generation asserts that there was more substance – certainly in Gaelic football – to games in the past and that it has been replaced by a robotic structure, high on organisation and imitation, and low on individualism, head-to-head contests, risk-taking and excitement.

In all probability, the truth rests in between the two.

Requirements for players have certainly changed over the years, but the basic texture of football and hurling has remained the same. It’s still about goals and points – scoring as many and conceding as few as possible.

The means of achieving both objectives have evolved and changed, but top players would be good in any era. So how do you compare and evaluate them?

For this exercise, we drew on our own experiences of watching games for over half a century. Of course, that wasn’t enough in an organisation that is 140 years old.

To bring players from as far back as possible into the mix, we also drew on the opinions of the media correspondents who covered the games.

Given that media coverage of Gaelic games was sketchy and haphazard for many years, it’s nearly impossible to find reliable guides to player prowess for the association’s earlier years. However, as coverage expanded, more emphasis was placed on highlighting individual excellence.

We absorbed as much of the earlier coverage as we could and mixed it with the ever-increasing analysis from the 1930s onwards – we rely on our own opinions for the past 50 years. Pulling all the strands together, we have come up with a one-to-ten ranking across each position in football and hurling.

Given that we have watched all the players for the past half century, there may be a leaning towards that timespan, but as far as was possible, we have been mindful of what went before – we have not neglected the early years.

How football in particular has changed made comparisons from different eras very difficult. For instance, before 1960, goalkeepers fouled the ball if they touched it on the ground in the square. It called for a different skill set to what followed when that rule was abolished.

The requirements for outfield players have changed over the years, too. The demands on a modern-day full-back are completely different to what they were even 20 years ago. Back then – and previously, too – a player needed to be big, strong and assertive.

Aerial bombardments were frequent, so the full-back needed to have an imposing presence, capable of making high, spectacular catches, while also repelling ground offensives.

Right throughout the field, individual battles were waged. It was largely 14 versus 14 outfield contests, unlike today when, to a large degree, systems and structures supersede individual expertise. We have tried to take all that into account when compiling our rankings.

Another factor, which added to the challenge, involved versatility and the ability of players to excel in a variety of areas.

Many played in several positions in defence or attack; others switched from defence to attack, or vice versa, during their careers, while midfielders have always had a wide range of qualities.

The most versatile performer is at a disadvantage in positional rankings. It’s a tribute to their adaptability, but they tend to lose out against those whose careers were spent in one position.

But then, this is not an exact science. It is an attempt to put the comparative talents of players in some order. Restricting it to 10 in each position made it all the more difficult – suffice to say, many great exponents of football and hurling have been omitted.

As for those who made the lists, their status as players whose standards reached incredible heights is unquestionable.

The Pulse of the Nation

GOALKEEPER

1. Stephen Cluxton (Dublin) Who would have thought when he made his senior championship debut against Longford in the 2001 Leinster quarter-final that Cluxton would become one of the most enduring and inspiring players in GAA history? His influence goes beyond basic goalkeeping techniques, which he took to a new level, and extends to preparation, leadership, application and mental toughness. Add to all that a longevity few achieve in any sport, local or international.

2. Dan O’Keeffe (Kerry)

3. Martin Furlong (Offaly)

4. John O’Leary (Dublin)

5. Johnny Geraghty (Galway)

6. Billy Morgan (Cork)

7. Paddy Cullen (Dublin)

8. Aidan Brady (Roscommon)

9. David Clarke (Mayo)

10. Brian McAlinden (Armagh)

RIGHT FULL-BACK

1. Enda Colleran (Galway) Colleran’s star quality was first spotted in 1960 as a member of a minor team that won that year’s All-Ireland title. Several of the team went on to feature in Galway’s triple senior success in 1964, 1965 and 1966. Colleran was captain for the 1965 and 1966 seasons when his leadership qualities were very much in evidence. His excellence was recognised in 1984 when he was chosen on the Team of the Century and, in 2000, when he was selected on the Team of the Millennium.

2. Robbie O’Malley (Meath)

3. Páidí Ó Sé (Kerry)

4. Marc Ó Sé (Kerry)

5. Harry Keegan (Roscommon)

6. Donie O’Sullivan (Kerry)

7. Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry)

8. Willie Casey (Mayo)

9. Paddy McCormack (Offaly)

10. Gabriel Kelly (Cavan)

FULL-BACK

1. John O’Keeffe (Kerry) It said much about his maturity that at 19, John O’Keeffe was at centre-back when Kerry won the All-Ireland title in 1970. Two years later, he was at midfield when they lost to Offaly in a replayed final. These experiences broadened his knowledge, and he adapted well when he relocated to full-back, as Kerry embarked on a history-making run under Mick O’Dwyer in 1975. O’Keeffe brought style and guile to the many demands of the position at a time when its role was evolving. He won four All-Star awards at full-back and one at midfield. 2. Paddy O’Brien (Meath)

2. Joe Keohane (Kerry)

3. Noel Tierney (Galway)

4. Jack Quinn (Meath)

5. Darren Fay (Meath)

6. Paddy Prendergast (Mayo)

7. Mick Lyons (Meath)

8. Steven O’Brien (Cork)

9. Eddie Boyle (Louth)

LEFT FULL-BACK

1. Seán Flanagan (Mayo) Chosen at left full-back on the GAA’s Team of the Century in 1984 and on the Team of the Millennium in 2000, Seán Flanagan’s reputation as a defender of outstanding ability was based on a career that saw him captain Mayo to successive All-Ireland titles in 1950 and 1951. His influence on team affairs extended beyond playing, having also taken a significant role in training the squad and matchday tactics. Clearly, he was a man ahead of his time.

2. Keith Higgins (Mayo)

3. Robbie Kelleher (Dublin)

4. Michael Fitzsimons (Dublin)

5. Tony Scullion (Derry)

6. Graham Canty (Cork)

7. Kevin Kehilly (Cork)

8. Tom O’Hare (Down)

9. Conor Gormley (Tyrone)

10. John McKnight (Armagh)

RIGHT HALF-BACK

1. Tomás Ó Sé (Kerry) There wasn’t a more encouraging sight for Kerry supporters than Tomás Ó Sé powering upfield from right half-back, soloing the ball with a controlled technique few of his peers could match. Quite often, it ended with him kicking a point. His capacity to make those breaks when his side needed them most was invaluable. He was equally efficient in defensive duties during a career that yielded five All-Ireland senior titles and five All-Star awards between 2000 and 2009.

2. James McCarthy (Dublin)

3. Lee Keegan (Mayo)

4. Séamus Moynihan (Kerry)

5. Seán Murphy (Kerry)

6. Tommy Drumm (Dublin)

7. Niall Cahalane (Cork)

8. Paul Curran (Dublin)

9. Brian McEniff (Donegal)

10. Eugene Mulligan (Offaly)

CENTRE HALF-BACK

1. John Joe O’Reilly (Cavan) Revered in song and story, John Joe O’Reilly’s name has an iconic ring – and not just in Cavan, with whom he won two All-Ireland titles in 1947 and 1948 (both as captain). A noted sprinter and basketballer, he brought many of the requirements from those disciplines into his football. His approach to the No 6 role was ahead of its time, especially the expertise he brought to tackling. He was chosen on the Teams of the Century (1984) and Team of the Millennium (2000). Sadly, he died in 1952 at the age of 34.

2. Kieran McGeeney (Armagh)

3. Gerry O’Malley (Roscommon)

4. Glenn Ryan (Kildare)

5. Tim Kennelly (Kerry)

6. Dan McCartan (Down)

7. Karl Lacey (Donegal)

8. Bill Casey (Kerry)

9. Paddy Moriarty (Armagh)

10. Cian O’Sullivan (Dublin)

LEFT HALF-BACK

1. Martin O’Connell (Meath) Martin O’Connell’s career may have featured him in attack at times, but it was as a left half-back that he made the biggest impression over many years, including in 1987 and 1988 when Meath won the All- Ireland two-in-a-row. Chosen at No 7 on the Team of the Millennium in 2000, O’Connell won All-Star awards in that position in 1988, 1990 and 1991, before adding a fourth at left full-back in 1996, when he was also chosen as Footballer of the Year, having won a third All-Ireland medal.

2. Jack McCaffrey (Dublin)

3. Philip Jordan (Tyrone)

4. Paudie Lynch (Kerry)

5. Stephen White (Louth)

6. Colm Boyle (Mayo)

7. Jim McDonnell (Cavan)

8. Pat Reynolds (Meath)

9. Seán Óg de Paor (Galway)

10. Jim Reilly (Cavan)

MIDFIELD

1. Jack O’Shea (Kerry) Jack O’Shea was the complete package: seven All-Ireland senior medals, four Footballer of the Year awards in six seasons, six successive All-Star awards, 11 All-Star nominations and chosen on the GAA’s Team of the Century in 1984. That’s quite a haul for a man whose inter-county career ran from 1976 to 1992. A superb fielder, an accurate kicker and a smart reader of the game, he also had limitless energy, which he used effectively all over the pitch.

2. Mick O’Connell (Kerry) It’s unfortunate more footage of Mick O’Connell’s exploits aren’t available in the archives, since his career ran from the 1950s to the 1970s. Despite that, he was known everywhere as a real superstar, due mainly to his exceptional fielding skills and accurate kicking. Footballer of the Year in 1962, he won an All-Star award in 1972 and was chosen on both the GAA Team of the Century (1984) and Team of the Millennium (2000).

3. Brian Fenton (Dublin)

4. Brian Mullins (Dublin)

5. Darragh Ó Sé (Kerry)

6. Tommy Murphy (Laois)

7. Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone)

8. Dermot Earley (Roscommon)

9. Paddy Kennedy (Kerry)

10. Willie Bryan (Offaly)

11. Anthony Tohill (Derry)

12. Pádraig Carney (Mayo)

13. John McDermott (Meath)

14. Jim McKeever (Derry)

15. Joe Kernan (Armagh)

16. Gerry McEntee (Meath)

17. Kevin Walsh (Galway)

18. Colm McAlarney (Down)

19. Peter McGinnity (Fermanagh)

20. John Galvin (Limerick)

RIGHT HALF-FORWARD

1. Seán O’Neill (Down) During a 16-year inter-county career, Seán O’Neill displayed speed, a remarkable range of skills and on-field intelligence that were central to Down’s successes. He was right half-forward on the first Down team to win an All-Ireland senior title in 1960 and when they retained it in 1961. They won a third in 1968, with O’Neill at full-forward, a performance that contributed to his Footballer of the Year award. He won eight Ulster titles, three National Leagues, eight Railway Cups, plus two All-Star awards.

2. Maurice Fitzgerald (Kerry)

3. Trevor Giles (Meath)

4. Anton O’Toole (Dublin)

5. Ger Power (Kerry)

6. Ja Fallon (Galway)

7. Paul Mannion (Dublin)

8. Brian Dooher (Tyrone)

9. Barney Rock (Dublin)

10. Seán O’Connell (Derry)

CENTRE HALF-FORWARD

1. Seán Purcell (Galway) When people debate who is the greatest footballer of all time, Seán Purcell’s name is always prominent. ‘The Master’, as he was known in Galway, was an outstanding full-back, midfielder and centre half-forward, the position he played when he won his only All-Ireland senior medal in 1956. He won six Connacht championships, a National League in 1957 and three Railway Cup medals with Connacht. He was

chosen on both the Team of the Century (1984) and the Team of the Millennium (2000).

2. Larry Tompkins (Kildare and Cork)

3. Michael Murphy (Donegal)

4. Mattie McDonagh (Galway)

5. Jimmy ‘Jamesie’ Murray (Roscommon)

6. Eugene McKenna (Tyrone)

7. Martin McHugh (Donegal)

8. Greg Blaney (Down)

9. Tony Hanahoe (Dublin)

10. Declan O’Sullivan (Kerry)

LEFT HALF-FORWARD

1. Pat Spillane (Kerry) The Spillanes and their extended family were football royalty in Kerry. Pat was ‘The King’. Possessed with wonderful natural ability, he had a huge work ethic in games, on the training ground and in the gym. He won the first of eight All-Ireland medals in 1975; the last three were consecutive from 1984 to 1986 and arrived after he recovered from a career-threatening knee injury. Twice Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1986, his career as a pundit has been equally successful.

2. Matt Connor (Offaly)

3. Mickey Kearins (Sligo)

4. Michael Donnellan (Galway)

5. Ciarán Kilkenny (Dublin)

6. Paddy Doherty (Down)

7. Tony McTague (Offaly)

8. Séamus Leydon (Galway)

9. Kevin O’Brien (Wicklow)

10. Declan Browne (Tipperary)

RIGHT FULL-FORWARD

1. David Clifford (Kerry) The rise of a superstar: in 2016, David Clifford scored 2-5 for St Brendan’s, Killarney in the All-Ireland Colleges final; in 2017, he scored 4-4 for Kerry in the All-Ireland minor final, winning his second medal in the grade. He moved to the senior grade where he has improved on each passing year. His range of skills seems never-ending and some of his exploits have been breathtaking. He won his fifth All-Star in 2023 at the age of just 24.

2. Mikey Sheehy (Kerry)

3. Colm Cooper (Kerry)

4. Colm O’Rourke (Meath)

5. Alan Brogan (Dublin)

6. Steven McDonnell (Armagh)

7. Eugene ‘Nudie’ Hughes (Monaghan)

8. Charlie Gallagher (Cavan)

9. Mickey Linden (Down)

10. Dessie Dolan (Westmeath)

FULL-FORWARD

1. Peter Canavan (Tyrone) Possessed of all the skills, accompanied by a vision that enabled him to pick out passes most others would not see, and with an instinct for scores, Peter Canavan enjoyed a career that lasted for 15 years. He captained Tyrone to two All-Ireland Under-21 titles in 1991 and 1992 and won the first of six All-Star awards in 1994. Despite injury, he was an inspirational figure when captaining Tyrone to their first All-Ireland senior title in 2003 and added a second two years later.

2. Tom Langan (Mayo)

3. Pádraic Joyce (Galway)

4. Eoin ‘Bomber’ Liston (Kerry)

5. Frank Stockwell (Galway)

6. Jimmy Keaveney (Dublin)

7. Con O’Callaghan (Dublin)

8. Paddy Moclair (Mayo)

9. Kieran Donaghy (Kerry)

10. Frank McGuigan (Tyrone)

LEFT FULL-FORWARD

1. Kevin Heffernan (Dublin) Most famous in modern times as the managerial architect of the dramatic Dublin revival in the mid-1970s, Kevin Heffernan’s hugely successful career as a player is sometimes overlooked. In a 14-year senior career (1948–1962), he played 115 league and championship games with Dublin, scoring 52–226. His sharp tactical brain brought an added dimension. An All-Ireland winner as Dublin captain in 1958, he was a regular on Leinster teams, winning seven Railway Cup medals. He was selected on both the Team of the Century (1984) and Team of the Millennium (2000).

2. Mick O’Dwyer (Kerry)

3. John Egan (Kerry)

4. Bernard Brogan Jnr (Dublin)

5. Stephen O’Neill (Tyrone)

6. Tony McManus (Roscommon)

7. Packie McGarty (Leitrim)

8. Conor McManus (Monaghan)

9. Bernard Flynn (Meath)

10. Matty Forde (Wexford)

[neilld]

Thanks, very interesting. Gun to my head, I’d have James McCarthy and Lee Keegan ahead of Tomas O’Se at RHB great and all as he was. His Kerry team were brilliant but they were often cleaned out on breaks when it really counted. Mayo might have been, but never Keegan personally and same for McCarthy really.

[Elvis_Brandenberg_Kr]

Breheny is a cretin.

[Domhnach_Cearnach]

nobody does a list like Martin Breheny

He’s been doing nothing but writing lists for twenty years or more

[Cheasty]

That’s number 5 in my list of best Martin Breheny lists.

Like any published list of this sort, there’s some obviously laughable and intelligence insulting selections in there to provoke engagement and in classic GAA list style has lots of players played out of position.

[binkybarnes]

Enda Colleran had the best jumpers when he was on The Sunday Game. Not sure that makes him the best corner back.

[Cheasty]

@binkybarnes

Enda Colleran had the best jumpers when he on The Sunday Game. Not sure that makes him the best corner back.

He was surely the inspiration for the Know Your Sport jumper.

[farmerinthecity]

I’d have Jack McCaffrey instead of Martin O’Connell and either Gooch, Mickey Linden or Maurice Fitzgerald ahead of Clifford.

[neilld]

Forgot McCaffrey, a head to head nightmare for any opponents in his prime. He is a bit like a boxer who went in and cleaned out his weight division in a couple of years and then just left the scene. Hard to know how good he actually was but I’d never bet against him.

[Biff_Egan]

Thank god he put Canavan in to placate the chippy Nordies

[Cheasty]

None of Kevin Moran, Henry Downey or Keith Barr are in the top 10 centre half backs but Glenn Ryan is. Conor Gormley shunted over to a low placing in the list of left corner backs.

Liam Hayes not in the top 20 midfielders.

You have to love this sort of stuff. That’s why Breheny is a wily old pro at the game.

[peddlerscross]

My father agrees with most of it, so that’ll do me.

[Julio_Geordio]

How’s he picking the likes of John Joe O’Reilly and he never seen him kick a football

[Cheasty]

It’s lovely to see the usual “pat on the head” selections for weaker counties like Declan Browne, Kevin O’Brien, Mickey Kearins, Packie McGarty, Mattie Forde, Peter McGinnity, John Galvin etc.

Disappointing that Paul Barden, Dessie Barry, Mickey Quinn and the likes couldn’t have been fitted in. Needed a Carlow man too. Not sure who fits that bill but there has to be somebody.

London had a fella back around the early 1900s who was a glaring omission and then what about Wexford 1915-1918, the four in a row kings?

[farmerinthecity]

@Cheasty does similar all the time here.

[Jimmy_Mc_Nulty]

Naming Glen Ryan the fourth best centre back of all time is fucking hilarious

[Cheasty]

@farmerinthecity

@Cheasty does similar all the time here.

I’ve never picked John Joe O’Reilly in a team?

[Fagan_ODowd]

@Cheasty

It’s lovely to see the usual “pat on the head” selections. Needed a Carlow man too. Not sure who fits that bill but there has to be somebody.

Paddy Quirke dual star and perennial replacement all star in both codes. Tommy Dwyer made the International Rules selection. Or seen as he left Liam Hayes out he could have had his father Jim who was the star of the 44 team that won their sole provincial title.

[Arthur]

One player from the Dublin 6 in a row team?

[myboyblue]

His wife ran a great B&B