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Football

23rd Mar 2020

Ranking the most audacious and ridiculous skills pulled off by Irish sports stars

Niall McIntyre

The games will never be the same again.

So much pent-up audacity, hordes of newly acquired flicks, skills and tricks; nobody can wait for the games to recommence and when they do, there’s sure as heaven going to be a full blown revolution of bold, breath taking trick-plays.

Maybe the little break will be no harm.

We’re only a fortnight or so out of collective training and in the lock-down, Irish sports stars have found their calling. Rather than rest on their laurels, they’re expressing themselves in back gardens, lighting up the local field, showing off the skills they’ve honed and trained for years.

It’s freestyle sort of stuff and there’s lots to be learned from it. Even better, many are using their profiles and their skills to promote good causes, none better than the Do It For Dan trust, the brave Laois boy who’s fighting for a chance at a normal life.

With the skills flowing thick and fast, we decided to poll the games, the moves, the brazenness of it all with an Innovation, Audacity and Difficulty table, with it all ranked out of 30.

Let us know how we’re wrong, and send us in any skills that deserve a shout.

 15 Eoin Cadogan,Cork (15)

Now you’re hurling.

Innovation: 10/10
Audacity: 3/10
Difficulty: 2/10

 14 Sligo Rovers women (16)

Tekkers.

Innovation: 5/10
Audacity: 6/10
Difficulty: 5/10

13 Orlagh Farmer, Cork (17)

Co-ordination and stamina.

Innovation: 6/10
Audacity: 5/10
Difficulty: 6/10

12 Oisin Flynn, Sligo (18)

Innovation: 6/10
Audacity: 5/10
Difficulty: 7/10

11 Tom Parsons, Mayo (19)

Innovation: 8/10
Audacity: 4/10
Difficulty: 7/10

10 TJ Reid, Kilkenny (20)

Be careful with those toilet rolls.

Innovation: 9/10
Audacity: 5/10
Difficulty: 6/10

9 Brian Hurley, Cork (21)

Sent that boat for a battered cod.

Innovation: 9/10
Audacity: 6/10
Difficulty: 6/10

8 Keirra Cairns, Donegal (22)

Gaelic football meets crazy golf.

Innovation: 9/10
Audacity: 7/10
Difficulty: 6/10

8 Kenneth Healy, Sligo (23)

Innovation: 5/10
Audacity: 9/10
Difficulty: 9/10

7 Aine McAllister, Derry (24)

A prodigiously talented dual star in Derry, the Ballinascreen youngster has been talked about for a while, and she’ll be heard tell of in the future.

Fantastic stuff.

Innovation: 9/10
Audacity: 7/10
Difficulty: 8/10

6 Patrick Horgan, Cork (25)

Hoggieeee.

Innovation: 8/10
Audacity: 9/10
Difficulty: 8/10

5 Cillian, St Kevin’s Boys (26)

Audacious with a capital A.

Innovation: 7/10
Audacity: 10/10
Difficulty: 9/10

4 Cian Lynch, Limerick (27)

Not just a hurler, you’d know he spent a while in Ireland’s top soccer academy, St Kevin’s Boys.

Poetry in an oh-so beautiful motion.

Innovation: 7/10
Audacity: 10/10
Difficulty: 10/10

3 Mickey Quinn, Longford (28)

Quinn, the former AFL star and current Longford footballer is a box of tricks, all outrageous and confusing in their own right.

The PE teacher could teach us all a thing or two.

Innovation: 10/10
Audacity: 9/10
Difficulty: 9/10

2 Cian Cassidy, Longford (29)

Disgraceful.

Innovation: 10/10
Audacity: 10/10
Difficulty: 9/10

1 Ciaran Lyng, Wexford (30)

Good night and God bless.

Innovation: 10/10
Audacity: 10/10
Difficulty: 10/10

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