What was that?
Henry Shefflin over Tommy Walsh for me. Walsh was basically dropped at the age of 29/30 in 2014 which always surprised me. Suppose Kilkenny won a double in 14’ and 15’ so Cody was vindicated.
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In that OTB interview this morning he threw the boot into Skehill for basically hinting he’d be one of 4 retirees. Hours later Skehill was proven correct.
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TJ Reid only really established himself as a starter at inter-county level in his 8th season, in 2014 when he was pushing 27. Joe was the main man from Day 1 on debut as a teenager scoring 2-12 against Cork in 2008.
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Eoin Kelly of Tipp or Waterford?
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Galway have always had magnificent players capable of challenging for All-Ireland’s. People talking like he dragged a team like Wexford over the line to win an All-Ireland.
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Joe is the best I’ve ever seen. He carried average Galway teams for years on his back straight after minor, did it at club level, and lead his county to a crown in 2017, ending a 29 year famine.
More than that, he was the most enjoyable player to watch, a real “cúchulainn of a man”. He could do things with a ball that nobody else could. There really is no show like a Joe show. GOAT.
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Galway has won 4 All Ireland’s in 120 years when Joe started out in 2008. Wexford and Dublin had each won 50% more than that with 6. Joe almost single handedly dragging one of the weaker counties like Galway to All Ireland glory is worth about 5 All Ireland’s in Kilkenny.
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Going for glory from 120 yards against Limerick in 2018 will always blot Joe’s copybook
First half of his Galway career alright you could argue he didn’t have much to work with relatively speaking. Some very good players on those sides but a few too many passengers as well. From 2015 to 2019 though, Galway had a very talented side. Full of top players. Reached 3 All-Ireland finals in 4 years. Lost the semi-final by a point the other year (with Joe off injured early). Went out early in 19 but were without Joe that year until the final 20 minutes against Dublin.
Not in the least, they’d not have been in touch to do so without him. Genius gets its freedom or it isn’t genius.
Yeah certainly not the fault of Joe Canning that Galway didn’t win more AI titles (he’s been tremendous) during his career but they always had the potential to do so. All-Ireland finalists in 2001 and 2005 before his arrival and they’ll probably be in a couple of All-Ireland’s in the next few years as well. Galway have always been a great team to watch over the past 20 years.
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In terms of aesthetics and pure hurling and striking ability Canning was as good as there is.
But there is more to hurling that striking a ball. Canning is up there with the very best but if you were asking me if I could have one forward in their pomp to build a team around I would have to pick Shefflin over the rest.
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A fud
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Ah Joe is up there with TJ tbf
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Scored the last 5 points against Tipp in the 17 semi. Did he miss a free in the 17 final? The pass to Maloney in the 15 semi. Giving digs to Joe while praising the likes of Cathal Mannion who always goes missing when things get tough.
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No. He missed nothing in the final in '17.
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Shefflin was surrounded by stars throughout his career. What TJ Reid is doing now is far more impressive.
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That isn’t really true. Shefflin was winning A/I and the standout hurler in the country in the early 2000s surrounded by John Hoyne, Martin Comerford, James Coogan et al and 30 something DJ Carey who might liven himself when there was an A/I semi on the horizon.
It was only 2006 that the rest of the stars stated to appear and Shefflin already had the bones of half a dozen all stars and three all Irelands by then
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