Stephen Cluxton is absolutely brilliant.
There is no doubting that, 17 seasons with Dublin and he has won 13 Leinster titles along with four All-Ireland titles and being the captain on three occasions when lifting the Sam Maguire.
On Saturday Cluxton is set to break a record, the number of championship appearances by a single player. He will surpass both Tomás and Marc Ó Sé when he lines out for Dublin against Monaghan at the weekend when he makes his 89th appearance.
It is a remarkable achievement and he is right at the top of the list for players being mentioned in the conversation for greatest of all time and universally there is nothing but praise for him.
On the latest episode of the GAA Hour, Cluxton’s achievement was a major talking point and he is held in high regards by former teammates Steven McDonnell and Colm Parkison.
“I went on to play along with Stephen in the international rules,” said former Armagh player Steven McDonnell.
“He was the captain. I played under him and he played under me in my captaincy as well and he was a fantastic teammate.
“He wasn’t the most vocal leader on the team but he led by example through his actions on the pitch and that’s exactly what you want.
“He is the best keeper we’ve ever seen in our game. I’m delighted that I got to play under a guy that has achieved so much and there’s no doubt, for me looking at him, he still has another two or three seasons ahead of him in the Dublin jersey,” concluded the three-time All-Star.
Parkinson played with Cluxton at Parnells and had words of high praise for his former fellow clubman.
“He’s actually just transformed goalkeeping, not even the kick outs but the physique, the dedication, I’m sure he does his own stuff that is really important too,” said the host of the GAA Hour.
“They’re converting outfield players into goalkeepers now all because of him and every goalkeeper without the ability of putting out these kick outs, ‘You ain’t coming on my team buddy because you’re complete hamstringing us if you’re not able to do it.’
“There’s no goalkeeper that has ever had the impact, I’d actually say there’s no player that has ever had the impact (Cluxton has).”
You can listen to the full show below from 21’00
