WE FIND ourselves 15 years into the new millennium yet it feels like yesterday when, as a fresh-faced 18-year-old, I was trying to get into clubs and discos in clothes that didn’t fit me. As my friends would testify, ordering tops a size smaller may have worked for Armagh, but it didn’t work for me.
Tomás Ó Sé recently stated that he still dreams about pulling on the Kerry jersey when the lights go out, and I can empathise. When football has consumed your life for so long, when your earliest and some of your happiest childhood memories are dominated by the game, it is hard to stop dreaming about it.
I’ve been thinking about some of the great players I was lucky enough to play with and against over the course of my career, and with 2015 drawing to a close, the time is right to pick the best 15 players I encountered on the pitch since the turn of 2000.
No doubt there will be cries of derision, and I welcome praise and criticism in equal measure. So here it is, my selection, and to a degree I’ve been influenced by the opinions of other players who’ve faced these men over the years. There will be oversights and, no doubt, controversial exclusions, not to mention a clear Ulster bias...
1) STEPHEN CLUXTON (DUBLIN)
It wasn’t until the latter days of the ‘noughties’ that Down faced Dublin, but as soon as we did there was no getting away from the fact that Cluxton was a class above all the other goalkeepers in the country.
Honourable mentions go to Pascal McConnell and our own Brendan McVeigh, who were both top-class in their own right. Benny Tierney was definitely the loudest goalkeeper I faced, but Cluxton just has to get the nod.
2) ANDY MALLON (ARMAGH)
People forget how good Andy was. He was lightning quick, fit and strong, and you never got much change out of him. It was no coincidence that his break from inter-county football met with a dip in Armagh’s fortunes, and his return was a welcome one.
Honourable mentions go to Donegal’s Damian Diver and Gerard O’Kane of Derry.
3) MICHAEL SHIELDS (CORK)
Cork’s Mr Consistent was one of the key reasons the Rebels won the All-Ireland title at our expense in 2010 and he carried them through tight games on any number of occasions. He gave Benny Coulter such close attention any time we met Cork from 2008 onwards that Benny swears he is still following him.
Other full-backs who ran him close were Francie Bellew and Cormac McAnallen, whose positional switch cost me an Ulster medal in 2003.
4) RYAN McMENAMIN (TYRONE)
‘Ricey’ built up a reputation as being a nasty player during Tyrone’s run to their first All-Ireland in 2003. Yet, as he matured as a player, he became a lot more accomplished and is actually a great lad. He no longer needed that edge of his early days as his football improved and eventually did the talking for him.
Honourable mentions go to Donegal stalwart Neil McGee and Dessie Mone of Monaghan.
5) KARL LACEY (DONEGAL)
He epitomises the modern half-back in terms of consistency and energy, and Lacey was playing like that 10 years ago when he burst onto the scene. He has always carried a mobility and scoring threat, even when football still resembled the traditional 15 on 15 model.
Davy Harte was a class act, as was Aaron Kernan, and you could make a case for their inclusion, but Lacey gets it on account of his numerous Allstars, some of which secured when Donegal were in the doldrums.
6) KIERAN McGEENEY (ARMAGH)
In terms of leadership and an ability to influence a game, there have been few like ‘Geezer’. People will tend to look towards 2002 and perhaps even earlier when thinking of his glory days, but I recall him single-handedy turning games against us well after that, when we got so close on a number of occasions.
A huge shout must also go to Tyrone’s three-time All-Ireland winner Conor Gormley, who had no equal when it came to reading the game.
7) PHILIP JORDAN (TYRONE)
The sheer volume of his Championship appearances over the years, and the fact his performance levels never wavered, give you an indication of Jordan’s enduring class. He might not be as good a columnist as me, but he will always be able to show me his medals, not to mention multiple Allstar awards.
Frank McGlynn is still a brilliant talent, as is James Loughrey.
8) SEAN CAVANAGH (TYRONE)
He may need stabilisers at times, but Cavanagh was, and is, a class act who will rightly be regarded as an all-time great alongside Jack O’Shea and Brian Mullins. The complete midfielder, and indeed an all-round footballer. When he eventually steps away from Tyrone, he will probably prove to be irreplaceable.
Honourable mentions go to Fergal Doherty and Paul McGrane, not to mention current Monaghan star Darren Hughes.
9) DERMOT McCABE (CAVAN)
I lost count of the number of times we played Cavan in both League and Championship over the years, and McCabe was invariably the difference. As soon as he entered the fray, injured or not, he bossed proceedings. He looks like a man who could tussle with whales, but he could play.
Kevin Cassidy and Eoin Lennon were others under consideration.
10) BRIAN DOOHER (TYRONE)
We played Tyrone at Casement Park in the 2010 Ulster Championship semi-final. Given his age and the injury battles he was fighting, it was decided that we would let Dooher roam freely and attempt to exploit the spare man. It worked for about 15 minutes, before Dooher got his second wind and it all went down hill from there.
11) EAMON O’HARA (SLIGO)
He had a wicked tan and a great tailor but you have to remember that O’Hara was a very special player. One of the best carriers of the ball I’ve seen, he was strong and athletic, another complete sort of player.
This was one of the hardest positions to fill, with Brian McGuigan and Leighton Glynn having huge shouts for inclusion, although I doubt they’ll care too much about missing out.
12) OISIN McCONVILLE (ARMAGH)
Look at the statistics. They really speak for themselves. Oisin was unorthodox and completely off the cuff and that’s what made him brilliant. Pulled Armagh through games when all looked lost.
Paul Galvin and Paul Flynn were also in the mix, but I went with the Ulster option.
13) COLM COOPER (KERRY)
Joe Brolly may call him the ‘greatest first half player in history’ but he is and always has been a class act. One of the greatest in history, he is admired by opposition defenders and forwards in equal measure.
14) PADDY BRADLEY (DERRY)
I could include Peter Canavan but he retired in 2005 and I went for a younger version. Bradley has definitely been one of the best Ulster players of the last 15 years. Part of Derry’s problem over the years was their total reliance on him to win big games.
15) BENNY COULTER (DOWN)
‘King Benny’, as he is affectionately known in the Mourne county, has represented Down, Ulster and Ireland with distinction on numerous occasions. He could, and still can, turn a game on its head in a matter of minutes. His reputation as a footballer and person extends far beyond these shores and he has been a shining light for Down since making his debut in 1999. He is coming back for 2016, but regardless of how things go, he will always be worthy of a jersey in any generation.
