Sorry, I forgot about CO’N. Very true.
Colin Coughlan and Adam English might be in mix as well.
You could raise YHOTY to Under 23 and the competition would still be pretty weak.
Young lads today just aren’t up to it.
What about Shane Barrett and Cathal O’Neill? Colin Coughlan came on in the AIF.
Adam English is the only one I think could be the answer.
Even that Cork Under 20 team this year, I wouldn’t really rate any of them as being in any way special.
Hannon is a fine hurler and excellent at what he does. I am not trying to knock him, more so explaining the reasons why I have De Burca ahead of him.
I think he plays a key role for Limerick and he goes about it with little ego which is what you want in a captain but due to the players around him it often means he doesn’t get to dominate in the way that a more orthodox centre back would. I also think that Limerick would continue to be an excellent side without him while Waterford had huge struggles at centre back in three of their five games in this years championship without De Burca.
And again it is me nit picking but great centre backs don’t typically get subbed off late in tight games regardless of depth. If you want to put Hannon up on the level of the great centre backs you have to judge him by that standard
De Burca can hurl it any way you want. A quintessential Rolls Royce.
Lets hope he gets to back to his best after the second cruciate op.
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Ciarán Joyce and Pádraig Power look two talents.
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This is my Kilkenny All-Star selection over the past 50 years. Since we’ve won the most AI’s in that time we should work off of this list and argue who is better in each position.
GK - Eoin Murphy
RFB - Joe Hennessy
FB - Noel Hickey
LFB - JJ Delaney
RHB - Tommy Walsh
CB - Ger Henderson
LHB - Willie O’Connor
MF - Frank Cummins
MF - Mick Fennelly
RHF - DJ Carey
CF - Henry Shefflin
LHF - Eddie Keher
RCF - Richie Hogan
FF - TJ Reid
LCF - Eddie Brennan
I’d say that everyone on this list has received at least 3 All-Stars which more than qualifies them. *edit, Eoin Murphy only has two All-Stars but he has a chance to win more tbf.
We’ll see.
I just think the standard of hurler in the country under the age of 23/24 is an absolute mile back on where it was 10 years ago, even 5 years ago.
Agree whole heartedly with Joyce. Not sold on Power yet. I think Darragh Flynn is very good also.
20 years ago the whole country nearly knew about Eoin Kelly/Andrew O’Shaughnessy etc playing schools/underage…
Joe Canning/Richie Hogan were nationally known at Under 16 in the mid 2000’s.
Everyone in Tipp at least, knew how good Noel McGrath/Callanan etc. were when they were under 12 nearly.
Tony Kelly/Cian Lynch were well flagged up as superstars from an early age.
Nowadays in an era with social media when the hype should be even bigger, there is no one really garnering reputations as the next big thing as they just aren’t really there.
Timmy Wilk, Ciaran Joyce and Ben O Connor have massive reputations in Cork.
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He is the absolute lynchpin of the team that’s won three of four all Ireland’s. The loss of him or Quaid would be the two players that would affect the team most IMO. Less prominent as we’ve come to dominate more but has absolutely owned his position. I think he’s already at that level. Maybe like the Quaid v Murphy debate he is losing out because he has less to do in a team that’s completely dominating.
Joyce and Power are serious talents. O’Connor from the minors also. But the challenge for Cork bringing through these guys is the senior team they are coming into is weak enough and lacks confidence and leaders. Cork really need a few from the U20’s to be central players next year. Possible but a big ask. Contrast that to Coughlan/English coming into the Limerick team. A huge difference.
Mark Coleman demonstrates Cork’s conundrum very well. He is only effective in a sweeper role as he cannot go man to man across the half back line and is not strong enough under high ball. You cannot afford to be so rigid in structure as to carry a defender that cannot play traditional defence also as circumstances might dictate - so perhaps midfield? Well that was tried also…problem is physicality and manic workrate in crowded situations. Coleman is one of Cork’s best players and a supposed leader.
Cork will need to continue to win at underage with a focus on picking players with the attributes required to make it at senior level if there is to be any hope of senior success in medium term.
Greatest is defined as much by performances in big games and dominating as much as it is by medal haul, reputations are forged when games are on the line and when games are going against a team and greats step up and reputations are forged, to me Hannon doesn’t have those moments or performances that the true greats have. Now maybe that is down to Limerick’s dominance he hasn’t had the opportunities but when you are talking about great centre halves you can list out the outstanding performances from the likes of Sean McMahon, Corcoran, TDB, Ken McGrath Ronan Curran etc where they were utterly colossus when they needed to be.
I think Hannon is a quality hurler in a technical sense who would standout anywhere on the field and a very important player for Limerick and is a very good hurler in the grand scheme of things and has been very successful and deserved recognition and I don’t want my posts to be seen as me trying to bash the lad.
But he is at the level below the names above when it comes to those real standout performances IMHO, and that may not be entirely on Hannon as hurling has changed and centre backs for the most part operate differently these days with free men and centre forwards dropping to midfield but TDB utterly thrived in 2020 playing a far more broad role at centre back than what Hannon does.
Sorry… Wrong post.
You are remembered for how you played the game, not by AI Medals or All Stars.
All true. Need to play MC wing bacl. And probably CJ at centre back.
I think PP can develop well. Must look up DF more.
Nice team – but I think Richie Power Jr was a fair bit better than Eddie Brennan.
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