Let the debate commence.
Ryan McCluskey has been around the block more than most at this stage.
He’s been ploughing along with Fermanagh for over a decade and he’s finally going back to an All-Ireland quarter finals to face none other than Dublin.
That journey along the way has brought with it some mighty challenges for the Erne defender though and he managed to cobble together an ultimate 15* of Gaelic Footballers from down through the years.
*NB – McCluskey was told, in no uncertain terms, to put himself into the side and he wasn’t keen on including any current players.
1. Brendan McVeigh (Down)
Old school, no-nonsense. He was just a massive presence and I know that we’ve had many encounters with Down over the years and he was a daunting figure to face, not that I was up at that side of the pitch too often. But I think his sheer presence and shot-stopping ability was something that was unquestioned.
2. Ryan McMenamin (Tyrone)
Ricey would have to be there. At that level, you need that streak and you need that hard streak and Ricey had it in abundance and probably could still be playing the game at this stage. Tough, tough player, tough character and somebody I have a lot of admiration for.
3. Darren Fay (Meath)
I always admired Darren. Maybe as the years went on, his style of football may not have moved with the modern game but I suppose, again, his no-nonsense approach of winning the ball was second to none. We had a couple of characters like that, you could probably put Barry Owens in that category as well – massive figures and massive influences on games.
4. Francis Bellew (Armagh)
He wasn’t the nicest player to run into on the pitch.
5. Barry Monaghan (Donegal)/Kieran McGeeney (Armagh)
I feel quite sorry for Barry, I played with him for a number of years and on the same side as him in the provincial series for a number of years. An outstanding player who probably didn’t get his rewards on the pitch and was unfortunate that he was coming towards the end of his career when Donegal made a real challenge over the last number of seasons.
McGeeney was a massive influence in that All-Ireland winning side but getting to know him off the field over the last number of years and getting to know how much of a leader he has been in terms of how he has pushed the likes of the GPA on and his influence in that sense, a leader on and off the pitch. I had a few run-ins with him as well so I know what he’s all about, a born winner.
6. Ryan McCluskey (Fermanagh)
As much as I was delighted about John Maughan giving me my debut many moons ago, I used to hate corner back. I would just like to be able to get out there and get my hand on some ball and be able to influence the game in some way, that’s always nice.
7. Philip Jordan (Tyrone)
That was a fantastic Tyrone side and people were obviously singing his praises about getting forward and, yes, he took some crucial scores in big games but I don’t think he got enough credit for his defensive side.
8. Paul McGrane (Armagh)
We were sickened that, on a number of occasions, we were beaten in quite a number of games by Armagh and his work rate and athleticism and something else that wasn’t really highlighted: the consistency of the man to turn over massive performances week in, week out and maybe not get the credit that he deserved.
9. Anthony Molloy (Donegal)
Yes, they won an All-Ireland and, yes, he was an integral part of that and captain at the time. But it was the first time I had met a county star when I met him in a local sports shop many moons ago and I was kind of in awe of this figure and the fact that he gave me the time of day when I went up and said hello when I was about eight or nine, my jaw kind of dropped to the ground.
10. Graham Geraghty (Meath)
Sheer work rate and his class on the ball was something that was very hard to track on any day. I know from the games that we played against him, he was somebody that was high on our list to keep an eye on.
11. Brian Dooher (Tyrone)
I spent a lot of days chasing him and I mean chasing him. His appetite for the game was incredible. He’s probably one of the fittest players I ever marked and the fact that the man played until he was nearly 69, he’s a great ambassador for the game and he has a proven track record.
12. Trevor Giles (Meath)
From Meath’s dominance, it was great to see a player of his ability with such a wide range of skills and array of talent. He was a bit of a trend-setter with that cut top he trialed in the All-Ireland final.
13. Stevie McDonnell (Armagh)
Manys a fun moment, me and Stevie have had. There were a lot of heated days, a lot of nice discussions on the pitch about the weather and whatnot but ultimately it’s a handshake and it’s left on the pitch. We’ve crossed paths after it and it’s been nice to reminisce about the days that he got the better of me and I got the better of him. He might argue that he got more but I would argue that I got more. But him and Clarke in there were a destructive pair on their day and, if you look at the way the game is played now, and the way it was played then, you question why we never played anybody in front of them.
14. Peter Canavan (Tyrone)
Just, Peter Canavan…
15. Oisin McConville (Armagh)/Conor Mortimer (Mayo)
I’ve had encounters with the two of them and the two of them broke my heart on two of the biggest occasions. In club football, Oisin broke our hearts on a number of occasions and his record and his medal collection is probably one of the best in the country.
Conor Mortimer, I still have a few nightmares about that second day in Croke Park (All-Ireland semi final, 2004). He was head and shoulders above myself that day and him and his brother, Trevor, did a lot of damage. It was a tough few weeks and months after.
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