The best in the business.
The life of a hurling goalkeeper, it’s a tough one, isn’t it? Any other outfield player can usually afford to drop or mis-control a ball and get away with it. Should a ‘keeper do that, and there’ll be a green flag raised and they’ll be public enemy number one.
“How the hell did he drop that one? sure there’s nobody marking him.”
It’s a game of fine margins. It’s a game that requires the closest possible thing to perfection.
That’s why goalkeepers are perfectionists, that’s why a lot of them are stone cracked on this pursuit of perfection.
It was a tough one to choose only five, because there are some great hurling goalkeepers in Ireland who didn’t make this list. Take Limerick’s Nickie Quaid, take Wexford’s Mark Fanning and take Laois net-minder Enda Rowland.
All top class stoppers, but we had to make a decision, and here’s how we rate them.
5. Colm Callanan (Galway)
The best part of Colm Callanan’s game is his reflexes. The Kinvara club man has made some extraordinary, game-saving saves for the Tribesmen over the last few years.
He’s an expert at getting down low to deny an attacker, with his agility allowing him to do so.
Has a monster puck-out, which suits the Galway game plan of bombarding their physical forwards with high balls.
This is Colm Callanan at his absolute best.
He may be slightly more error-prone than the lads ranked above him.
4. Anthony Nash (Cork)
Nash has the best puck-outs in the game. The Kanturk man sets up so many Rebel attacks with his zipped, drilled restarts.
He’s a solid shot-stopper too, and he copes well under the high ball.
The only reason he’s number four is because he’s up against some of the best goalkeepers hurling has seen.
3. James Dempsey (Offaly)
The scale of his loss for Offaly for the 2018 campaign is actually indescribable.
May not get the credit he’s deserved over the last few years because he plays for a weaker county, but the Kinnity club man is rubbing shoulders with the best of them.
Keeps on pulling the incredible saves out of the bag. Despite being under serious pressure in almost every game he plays – he’s made few if any unforced errors in the green, white and gold in his 66 appearances since 2010.
Shot-stopping isn’t his only forte, this man has everything you’d want from a goalkeeper in his arsenal – including fearlessness, capability under the high ball and speed.
2. Stephen O’Keeffe (Waterford)
Deservedly won the All-Star for 2017, because O’Keeffe was the best goalkeeper in the country in 2017.
So often we see the Ballygunner stopper save Déise blushes when faced with an attacker bearing down on goal.
Waterford supporters shouldn’t even be blushing because he routinely pulls these monster saves out of the bag, bravely throwing his body in front of anything that comes his way.
And he’s so brave, almost freakishly brave.
It’s never aimless, though, his reactions, his hand-eye-coordination and his ability to get that 35″ extension of his arm to block even the most ferociously struck missiles is just pure class.
O’Keeffe has good puck-outs, he regularly offers himself up for struggling defenders.
He has it all, really.
There are three reasons he’s not number one.
- He doesn’t have the speed breaking out as Murphy.
- Doesn’t have same assuredness as Eoin Murphy under a high ball.
- Though he barely ever loses concentration, he does make more unforced errors than the Kilkenny Cat.
1. Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny)
The complete goalkeeper. Eoin Murphy plays wing forward for his club Glenmore, and this has helped him to completely redefine the goalkeeping position.
Because the Kilkenny number one is like lightening in the goals. The spring in his step is like no goalkeeper that has gone before him. His ability to catch a ball from under, or sometimes over the cross bar is second to none.
And when he catches or controls it, he’s gone, sprinting out past the opposition full forward line and making the time for himself to pick out the perfect drilled pass to set up an attack for his side.
This is what sets him apart from the others, but his shot-stopping matches, if not betters the others.
When the opposition get through one-on-one, they’ll have to do something even more special to ripple the net.
With a flick of those wrists, and a spring of those sprightly heels he can propel his body and his hurl from one corner of his goals to the other just like that.
His eye is always in, his reflexes and his reactions are always smart, and that’s what allows him to make saves like this one.
Kilkenny supporters are well used to stops like that at this stage, and it must be so Black and Amber defenders to have a brick wall like that behind them.
He barely, if ever makes an error, and that’s what sets him apart.
JJ Delaney certainly loved having that sense of security behind him when he was there.
“What I like about Eoin Murphy is when the balls coming in, he’s so comfortable on the ball himself,” began Delaney.
“He played centre back there for W.I.T there a couple of years ago and he was absolutely brilliant, he plays centre forward for the club. He’s so intelligent, you never see him miss-hitting the ball, right or left.
“He’s very comfortable on the ball, you know by him coming out past forwards, he’s very good at taking the tackle, actually avoiding the tackle more than anything.
High praise. Deserved praise. That’s why he’s the best in the business.
