And he’s still one of Dublin’s best club players.
For 18 years, Mossy Quinn has been as much of a fixture for the St Vincent’s seniors as the blue and white jersey itself but he’s still going as good as he ever was.
That’s why it’s 18 going on 19.
The old saying goes that the most important muscle in a GAA player is the one between the ears and while Quinn was never the strongest or the fastest player on the pitch, he was always one of the cleverest.
And both Dublin and St Vincent’s have that muscle in between the ears to thank for plenty. One of the country’s most decorated club players, he’s won four Dublin championships, four Leinsters and two All-Irelands with Vinnies, while he has seven Leinster medals and one All-Ireland from his time with the Dubs.
From the top of the left, he played a crucial role in every one of them. From scoring seven in his first All-Ireland club win with Vinnies’ over Nemo on a day when he was the captain to hitting 1-4 in the 2014 Leinster final win over Rhode.
But he’s still doing that type of thing now.
This year, Vincent’s didn’t win the Dublin championship but Quinn’s form was unwavering, the veteran scoring 2-2 in the first round, 1-4 in the second and 1-6 in the quarter final against Caslteknock.
When you’ve brains like he has, it’s no wonder age is rendered irrelevant – those brains perfectly captured by these highlights from one of his finest hours.
@JOEdotie @TheScoreGAA @offtheball @SecondCaptains @DubMatchTracker The best bits from Tomas Quinn's 1-8 yesterday http://t.co/T6cz6HWL4X
— GAA BEO TG4 (@GAA_BEO) November 25, 2013
A smart forward, he doesn’t move for the sake of moving, he doesn’t pass for the sake of passing. He moves and he moves with purpose when the moment is right and he passes when the pass is on. A composed forward, he knows how and he knows when to finish too, an example for any aspiring forward.
And that’s why they’re still travelling to see him.
https://twitter.com/RoyBurn1/status/1072978873502105600
A wintry December Wednesday up in St Margaret’s and Quinn is still in the number 15, Quinn is still winning with Vinnies. They defeated Ballyboden in the Dublin senior football league final on Wednesday night on a scoreline of 0-18 to 3-4.
Some things change, some things stay the same.
If you have to play the league final at this time of year then at least it’s good to come out with the tin. Beautiful night for a game! Year 18 is in the books #GAA pic.twitter.com/Sp5MSUQSh9
— Tomás Quinn (@mossyquinn) December 12, 2018
His water-bottle trick in the team photo was a bit of a classic too.
