Retiring GAA Stars tribute thread - May cause brain/neck damage

Were you sitting on Hill 16 for that game mate ?

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Ger Reid, was he the bald full back? Who was the full forward in that time? I remember him and Moose Delaney having some big tussles in league quarters and semis back in the day.

Get go. :rollseyes:

:rollseyes:

Right.

Stevie McDonnell scored twice and Marsden scored a solitary point against Tyrone in 2003.

Cooper managed more than that twice on his two outings against Tyrone 0-3 from play in 2005 and the same return in 2008.

If we take a wider look and include all of the All-Ireland finals that Ulster sides have played in since 2000 Cooper scored eight points across three games.

The closest per game average, from an member of the full forward line is Stevie McDonnell who scored 2 points v Tyrone in 2003.

If you discounting free scored as well then what about Canavan, who is the only inside forward that I hold in higher regard than Cooper, only scoring one point from play against Dublin in 1995 and missing the free at the end to give Tyrone a second shot at the Dubs.

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He never does it in the Clutch

Thats bad form, you should always pay some attention to the clutch, no one likes a selfish lover.

I lost a lot of respect for Cooper in 2015 in Thurles he spent the entire second half goading Acheson and grinnng into his face whenever Kerry would score.
Eventually Peter gave him a shoulder off the ball and he went running to the ref.
The fastest he moved during the game was when a row started in the Tipp square … he legged it to the other end of the pitch and hid.

Savvy play. Sounds like he mugged the emigrant right off.

I was a bit disappointed as my eldest daughter is/ was a big fan of his.
I’d rather he not goad people during a game as it’s a poor example for kids.

She’ll be some terror on the camogie fields when she’s goading opponents worse than that Aisling Thompson tramp.

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She’s a terror as it is. Although only just gone 12 she’s gone up with the 14s this year. You’d know you’re marking her too.

She didn’t lick it off a stone.

Peter Canavan

Word for word from The Last Word last night, you can listen to it here from around 1 hour 47 minutes.

Time after time he delivered on the big stage. I think from our point of view of course you were trying to see if there were any weaknesses and we soon found out that he had very few weaknesses. A few of our players maybe tried to engage him in other things and occupy his mind but it didn’t seem to hinder him or you couldn’t really frustrate him but, in fairness to Mickey, when we were planning for games against Kerry, the big games, you were never able to nullify the Gooch completely. I think you had to accept he was going to be involved at some stage in the game, that his was an outstanding talent, he was going to get scores but you were just trying to limit his input in the game.

But I would have to agree with everything that Marc (O’Sé) has said. A wonderful player and a master at his trade. If you look at any of the best players in the game - the said that Pat Spillane was going to be a one off, they said that Mikey Sheehy, Maurice Fitzgerald, these players were one off players and yet you get the Gooch who was a combination of them all and could do virtually everything with the ball.

I think I have Kerry have been in a very privileged position to have someone of his ilk playing with them this past 15 or 16 years.

You dreaded coming up against him because you knew that he could be quiet for 30/40 minutes of a game and then he’s liable to explode and score a goal 3/4 points or increasingly, and Marc has described how he was able to bring other players into the game and in recent years, Matt, he was an expert at that. I think he realised you know that, with the blanket defences it very hard to get the ball, the perfect pass to an inside forward sp he was able to roam out around the '40 and play like you stereotypical quarter back, get on the ball, dictate games and orchestrate things from the '40 and he was well able to do that and of course chip in with a few points.

His awareness, his vision, you know everybody talks about his score taking and the great goals that he got but he was able to take so many other players into the game as well and could sense his decision making on the ball. You know when it was right to shoot. How many times have you seen the Gooch blocked for example? Very few because when a defender was close enough and when not to do it and when to off load it.

So, I spoke him earlier Matt and that, from a coaching point of view, when you’re coaching young lads about forward play and about trying to get scores you use the Gooch time after time as the exemplar in how not to get tackled, how not to get blocked and in creating that yard of space that you need to get you shot away or to make a bit of space for a team mate so, you know, he’s the perfect example in so many ways.

Conor Gormley in The Sun

He said: “He’s up there with Peter Canavan for me, or maybe next in line!
https://www.thesun.ie/sport/gaa-football/821478/former-tyrone-defender-conor-gormley-admits-marking-colm-cooper-gave-him-nightmares/

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Ger Reid bald full back.

Bumpy was full forward.

So Canavan thinks he was better than himself.

Case closed.

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Gooch disappeared in big matches when they were in the melting pot on a regular basis. If you’re contending otherwise you’re being dishonest.

Not sure thats the fella I’m thinking of. I’ll have a look.

Ah thats the one, Hoolie, thats the fella I was thinking of.

I’m not being dishonest, I’m quoting hard statistics scored more then the other players you compared him to.

You’re being ridiculous and ignorant in disregarding these statistics and pure blind in trying to sum up the contribution of one player throughout a game his side lost to the last few minutes.

Has the highest average scored for an inside forward from play in All Ireland Football finals after the year 2000.

You have been deceived by a couple of goals and points at the end of games and have neglected the overall contribution of a player of the entirety of a game.

Tyrone were better than Kerry in 2005 and 2008 and still Cooper managed to keep his team in touch by accomplishing more than his peers faced with the same situation.

:grinning: :pint:

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