This is going to ruffle a few feathers.
It’s an unenviable task this, ranking players.
Everyone is bound to disagree, that’s just the nature of it.
There was only room for 15, initially, it was 10 but it was hard to narrow it down but before we start we’ll give the list of honourable mentions.
- James McCarthy
- Brian Fenton
- Michael Darragh Macauley
- Cian O’Sullivan
- Colm Boyle
- Ryan McHugh
- Colm McFadden
- Neil McGee
- Kieran Donaghy
- James O’Donoghue
- Donnchadh Walsh
- Sean Cavanagh
15.Conor McManus
McManus is the only player on this list that has never played in an All-Ireland final and the reason he makes the cut is that he’s simply that good.
International Rules manager Joe Kernan described the Monaghan forward as “the best finisher in the country” and we’re not going to disagree.
With two Ulster titles to his name, McManus is undoubtedly the biggest influence in that team and has a couple of All-Stars to his name too for good measures
14.David Moran
Despite making his debut for Kerry nearly a decade ago it was only in 2014 that David Moran really started to get back into the swing of things for Kerry.
Moran suffered back-to-back ruptured cruciates but since he has been fully fit he has been sensational.
The Kerins O’Rahilly’s man played in the 2014 All-Ireland final and was superb, he was the standout player for most of 2015 only to not play his best football in the semi-final and final but the league final against Dublin this year to snap their winning streak just proved how much better Kerry are with him in the team.
Another couple of years fully fit and he could be higher up this list.
13.Paul Geaney
One of the big calls of this list was leaving James O’Donoghue from this list and Geaney rightfully gets in ahead of him. O’Donoghue may have won Player of the Year that year but through his injury absence Geaney has established himself as Kerry’s marquee forward.
The Dingle man may well be the only player from outside Dublin and Mayo to win an All-Star in 2017 and when Kerry lifted the All-Ireland back in 2014 he netted a cool 1-2. Not bad.
12.Aidan O’Shea
Oh how we could be up so much higher on this list.
On his day Aidan O’Shea is unstoppable but sometimes you just get the sense that Mayo don’t know what to do with him, one day he’s full forward the next he’s midfield.
There’s also the problem with O’Shea’s consistency, maybe it is unfair that people hold him to such a high standard that when he doesn’t play his best he gets bashed but there have always been question marks about him in big games.
But he’s still miles apart from a lot of players, maybe twelfth is harsh
11.Paul Flynn
Paul Flynn may be far from the marquee name of this great Dublin team but he has been through it all and is exactly what Jim Gavin looks in a player, does a job and does it right.
Flynn was thrown into midfield for the 2016 All-Ireland Final replay and did enough to get a job done and personified the calm head on a pair of shoulders that Dublin have preached over the last half-decade.
He was also the first Dublin player to win four consecutive All-Stars since the qualifier era was introduced. Impressive.
10.Keith Higgins
Five provincial titles since the turn of the decade and Mayo have reached the All-Ireland Final on four separate occasions.
And through all this Keith Higgins has been the cornerstone of Mayo’s defence, if Andy Moran deserves an All-Ireland title this man deserves one ten times over.
Paul Flynn may have won four All-Star awards consecutively but Higgins won three with a team that just couldn’t get over the line, in many ways that is as impressive if not more so.
9.Philly McMahon
It’s nearly a blast from the past watching Philly McMahon, he is an old school defender.
Anyone that plays GAA, or any team sport, will know that nice guys finish last and you need a few dirty players in your team to do anything and everything to help the cause and McMahon is just that.
The Ballymun Kickhams’ man isn’t afraid to indulge in the dark arts of cynical fouling and play to get his advantage over his opponents.
It’s rare you see McMahon be outdone by his man in a one on one battle and also is incredible at choosing his moments to go forward and get his name on the scoreboard.
8.Colm Cooper
We couldn’t leave him out, could we?
Cooper’s best years may have been behind him coming into the 2010’s and didn’t play a part in their 2014 through injury but he’s just that good that the Gooch just couldn’t be left out.
There were just the five provincial titles for the Dr. Crokes man along with All-Star awards in 2010, 2011, and 2013.
7.Karl Lacey
The Donegal man recently retired from inter-county football after an illustrious career with Donegal.
The Four Masters clubman was everything Jim McGuinness represented, important in the blanket defence and lethal on the counter-attack.
Lacey was Donegal’s standout player when they won the 2012 All-Ireland and was head and shoulders above the rest as he scooped the Footballer of the Year Award and was equally as instrumental in their run to the final in 2014.
6.Diarmuid Connolly
We can see the comment sections now, this is going to ruffle a few feathers but hear us out.
There are not many players out there that are more talented than Connolly and when the St.Vincent’s man is on fire he is unstoppable.
The only thing holding him back is that on the big days he maybe hasn’t shown up quite as much as some of the players ahead of him and his disciplinary record speak for itself.
Probably the most talented player on the list (in a tussle with Colm Cooper) but there are still question marks there, sixth is harsh but you can’t please everyone.
5.Jack McCaffrey
Not only do we love watching Jack McCaffrey making a fool of himself behind Jim Gavin and Stephen Cluxton in their interview with RTÉ but he is a joy to watch on the pitch too.
The Clontarf man may have missed the 2016 Championship but seamlessly transitioned back into the side in 2017 and was as good as ever.
The biggest compliment you can give to the 2015 Footballer of the Year is that he is endlessly exciting to watch, an absolute speed demon attacking and can pop up anywhere to inflict all sorts of damage to the opposition.
What a player.
4.Lee Keegan
Lee Keegan may be the only guy in the top five without an All-Ireland medal with his county but he is just that good.
Whatever you think about his antics with the GPS tracker you can’t help but be amazed when watching Keegan, the ultimate win at all costs player.
The Westport man can do everything Jack McCaffrey does except better, he single-handedly dragged Mayo out of a mess against Roscommon in the Quarter Finals, popped up out of nowhere after marking Ciaran Kilkenny out of the game in the All-Ireland Final to score a goal and is just the man-marker of all man-markers.
Fast, strong, powerful, a wonderful attacker and even better defender Keegan is as close to the complete player as you could want.
3.Michael Murphy
Speaking of complete players, Michael Murphy isn’t half bad at everything either.
Dublin’s Brian Fenton said he’d love to have Murphy on his team for everything he brings, his presence and his leadership.
Murphy can play anywhere from midfield to full forward and it all looks natural.
The Glenswilly man is a born leader and was captain when they won the All-Ireland back in 2012 and ever since has showcased he can do absolutely everything a good forward needs to do.
2.Bernard Brogan
We really wanted to put him top of the list, we really did.
There’s not a whole lot to Bernard Brogan as a footballer and we mean that as the highest compliment, you pass him the ball and he’ll win it and score.
So many times over the years would Dublin be in for a tough game only for Brogan to pop up out of nowhere with something, the 2013 All-Ireland Final proved just how good he is.
It was a very quiet day for Brogan, he didn’t seem to play his best but scored 2-3, 2-2 of which came from play, effectively winning Dublin the All-Ireland that year.
The St. Oliver Plunketts’ man has five All-Ireland medals along with four All-Stars and a Footballer of the Year Award to his name and may well go down as the greatest corner forward to ever play the game when the history books are written. A man that can do it on all occasions.
1.Stephen Cluxton
It had to be him, didn’t it? When Cluxton came onto the scene all them years ago there was something special about him. He was a fantastic shot stopper, brilliant at kick outs and just a safe pair of hands.
But since Dublin have gone on to win five All-Ireland titles since 2011 he has long been regarded as their most important player, everything starts with him.
It’s not very often you see Cluxton make mistakes, he seemed rattled by Mayo’s midfield in the 2017 All-Ireland Final in the first half, adapted and was flawless from then on.
The 2016 All-Ireland Semi-Final against Kerry was the same after a couple of errors, he regrouped and helped his side get to another final.
Dublin’s success has been built around Cluxton, we may have said that Bernard Brogan won Dublin the 2013 Final but Cluxton had an equal part to play as he dictated the game.
The Parnells’ man broke the Championship appearance this record this year as he captained Dublin to a third successive All-Ireland and if that isn’t good enough he has an aall-timegreat GAA moment in his locker after scoring the winning point in the 2011 Final.
The best player of all-time and the best player since 2010.
