Right I was trying to put together a little debate about who was the best Gaelic football forward of the last 20 odd years but felt that an A v B debate lacked a but of nuance and there there have been many quality marquee forwards who are in the mix.
I have chosen eight and left off the likes of John Doyle and Colin Corkery because neither ever was able to lift their teams to All Ireland titles despite being in good sides. Andy Moran & Cillian O’Connor for similar reasons, both excellent players on their day but O’Connor too reliant on frees and Moran is probably not in that marque bracket. Same too the likes of Declan O’Sullivan, Donaghy, Connolly, McGuigan who were all talismen and play makers/creators for their teams as opposed to the finishers who stood up and kicked the scores for their team. Bernard Brogan gets the nod for the Dubs from the last decade, Rock is a level below the lads mentioned but an exception clutch free taker.
I tried to keep it to one player per county or one team across different generations - hence Canavan for 95-2003 and Cavanagh for later Tyrone sides. All but one have come from the All Ireland winning teams of this century
Maybe off the back of this we will take the players who garner the vast majority of the votes and put the two or three of them into a new debate.
What I would ask TFK’ers to think about when deciding - Who would be the marquee forward you would pick if you were 3 points down with 15 minutes to go and need someone kick scores for you as opposed to the lad who is going to kick scores for fun when his team is well on top (hence why Corkery and O’Connor weren’t included). Who is the player you would pick if you were building a team from scratch and wants a star forward?
I went for Michael Murphy here, I think he is a talisman and marquee forward/target man/workhorse/playmaker all rolled up into one. His leadership and ability to both kick scores for fun and also be an selfless team player are superb traits.
Joyce, Canavan, Cooper, McDonnell and McManus are all silkier players but Murphy’s ability to standout anywhere on the pitch gives him the nod from me with Canavan and Joyce probably in second and third.
I’d take most ahead of the Gooch who was an excellent player but I’d rather Brogan, Murphy, Canavan, Joyce and McDonnell in the last 20 minutes of a tight game.
98 Final, Galway massive underdogs against Kildare and trail 0-5 to 1-06 at the half. Charlie McCreevy thinks its in the bag. Stall the digger says PJ and blasts the ball beyond a hapless Christy Byrne who he left on his arse on his way to scoring 1-2. Galway win the Sam Maguire with a Final Score 1-14 to 1-10
Fast forward to 01 Final and it’s a measly 6 points each at the half against a measly Meath side who had destroyed Kerry in the semi and were huge favorites. The game was going according to script for the royals, scrappy, taut, ugly, exactly the kind of enviroment they thrive in. The writing was on the wall, Sean Boylan was dancing a jig on the line. Wisht Anois shouts PJ, we came to play FOOTBALL and off he goes and score 9 of the greatest points Croke Park has ever seen in the 2nd half. Galway win 0-17 to 0-08
The greatest there ever was and the greatest there ever will be (bar Shane Walsh cc @Faldo ) and also the best looking forward the game has ever known, Ladies and Gentlemen I give you, the Messiah himself, Paraic GOAT Joyce
No way Dublin even get close to Mayo in 2013 without Brogan. 2-3 in an All Ireland.
The “process” sorta killed his instinctive style but before that, he was a scoring machine for Dublin. Great man to nick a score when needed or when the team was up against it
Colin Corkery has to be the greatest if we are talking maquee forwards in say last 25 years
did any of ye see him play that saturday night in the park in 2002 in the replayed semi final v kerry - kicking points from under the stand- unreal- did the same with Nemo
i love a forward who takes on and kicks points Corkery had it, Walsh the Galway FF has it ( that one in Pairc tailteann a few weeks ago for example)- Campbell has it, he’s a rolls royce of marquee forwards.
Going back a bit Charlie Redmond and i agree with @Fagan_ODowd on Colm O Rourke BTW - watch those x3 all ireland final 87 and x2 88 ( i have enough) and the sagas v dublin - unreal
add Connolly as well - that step, point on the run v Kerry in 2016 AISF …
of recent times - Murphy also is a smashing player who is getting better with age
Macbrearty also is a man to kick scores - lethal
