[QUOTE=“Elvis Brandenberg Kremmen, post: 1052388, member: 1624”]Eoin Kelly was a fine hurler but, having seen both throughout their careers, I’d consider English the better of the two.
Kelly’s free-taking could be erratic at times and he often fluffed simple scores at vital times. In particular, the final game of the trilogy v Limerick in 07. The game was deep in extra-time, Limerick led by a point and Mark Foley was scandalously blown for a shoulder charge on Seamus Butler. The free was no more than 50 metres out and Kelly failed to reach the goals with it. He missed straightforward frees too often IMO.
He had great wrists and a serious eye for goal but there were a lot of defenders who usually got the better of him with regularity, the aforementioned Damian Reale and Brian Murphy, to mention two. His fitness was often suspect and, other than the Limerick game in 2006, which has been flogged to death here by the Stonethrowers, I don’t recall him singlehandedly winning games for Tipp as much as many have claimed.
English, in his prime, was a fantastic hurler. Bear in mind, for the first 3 or 4 years of his career, Tipp were utter shite and he was the sole driving force behind them in the early to mid-80’s. He took some terrible timbering also. There were so many occasions when he turned games in favour of Tipperary, much more than Eoin Kelly. Even on days that they lost, he very nearly pulled it out of the fire for them - the 85 Munster Final in Cork being an example.
As a Limerickman, I respected and admired Kelly but I feared English.[/QUOTE]
Never missed a free in his four All Irelands
Yeah, was a dirty late stroke alright. A sign of frustration at that stage that his legs were gone. Canning & Kelly had some battles over the years, but Kelly was wrong that day.
[QUOTE=“Elvis Brandenberg Kremmen, post: 1052388, member: 1624”]Eoin Kelly was a fine hurler but, having seen both throughout their careers, I’d consider English the better of the two.
Kelly’s free-taking could be erratic at times and he often fluffed simple scores at vital times. In particular, the final game of the trilogy v Limerick in 07. The game was deep in extra-time, Limerick led by a point and Mark Foley was scandalously blown for a shoulder charge on Seamus Butler. The free was no more than 50 metres out and Kelly failed to reach the goals with it. He missed straightforward frees too often IMO.
He had great wrists and a serious eye for goal but there were a lot of defenders who usually got the better of him with regularity, the aforementioned Damian Reale and Brian Murphy, to mention two. His fitness was often suspect and, other than the Limerick game in 2006, which has been flogged to death here by the Stonethrowers, I don’t recall him singlehandedly winning games for Tipp as much as many have claimed.
English, in his prime, was a fantastic hurler. Bear in mind, for the first 3 or 4 years of his career, Tipp were utter shite and he was the sole driving force behind them in the early to mid-80’s. He took some terrible timbering also. There were so many occasions when he turned games in favour of Tipperary, much more than Eoin Kelly. Even on days that they lost, he very nearly pulled it out of the fire for them - the 85 Munster Final in Cork being an example.
As a Limerickman, I respected and admired Kelly but I feared English.[/QUOTE]
In the 4 all Ireland finals he’s played in he never hit one wide from a free.
[QUOTE=“Piles Hussain, post: 1052424, member: 363”]Have to disagree here Kev, Shefflins influence on Kilkenny has been immense. Sure, the talent was there in the forwards anyway, but he was driving the bus up there all the time when he was fit. The conducter of the orchestra, no question about it, would we have been as dominant without him? No way.
Eoin Kelly was a wonderful hurler, certainly one of the best I’ve ever seen, definitely the best from Tipp. Having seen a fair bit of English, I’d have to rate Kelly higher. Career a lot like DJ in that he had to carry average teams for many years.[/QUOTE]
I would say Tommy Walsh, JJ, Latkin and Cha were all equally and more influential in many different big games. Cha was the main man for two years and it’s often forgotten. I can’t specifically remember Sheflin winning games in his own.
I’d rate JJ as high as him and matches up in most ways with TW slightly behind them.
Don’t get me wrong, you are right, he was brilliant at involving other players. But that always looked better because of those individuals finishing abilities.
Kelly was the best Tipp hurler I’ve ever seen to play the game. Used to invoke serious fear in any set of backs in the country in his prime, His battles with Reale in 07 were class.
no way. Kelly all day long. Yeah Flynn could do something great the odd time, but at least you get a good consistency with Kelly. Flynn easily stunk in games and fucked up frees etc and went hiding. A great player no doubt, but Kelly was far better.
[QUOat alllasagusban, post: 1052554, member: 1533"]At their best, Paul Flynn or Eoin Kelly? I’d lean towards Flynn because of his propensity to do something utterly unexpected original and brilliant.[/QUOTE]
Not at all
Paul Flynn or Eoin Kelly in the same sentence. Absolutely outrageous. Its not even an arguement.
[SIZE=3]Kelly all day, every day and twice on a Sunday.[/SIZE]
