We were treated to goals aplenty this year.
Every year the GAA produces goal after goal of pure class, sometimes the vision or the strike on display is out of this world.
But which one was the best? Well, Colm Parkinson and the GAA Hour decided to debate the topic on the 7th annual Wooly awards.
Con O’Callaghan vs Mayo
The Green and Red sea parts and Con O'Callaghan fires an early Dublin goal. Watch #DUBvMayo highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm tonight pic.twitter.com/vLK7Qs8VSU
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) September 17, 2017
What more needs to be said about this. At 21-years-old you would be excused to have a few nerves in your first All-Ireland final but not for Con O’Callaghan. In the first minute of the biggest game of his life, Con O’Callaghan proceeded to skin the Mayo backline and finish exquisitely past David Clarke.
Conor Loftus vs Derry
Goal of the weekend? Look back at @MayoGAA's Conor Loftus superb strike last Saturday in the All-Ireland Football Round 2A Qualifier v Derry pic.twitter.com/n5y2cYMn1k
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 3, 2017
One point down against Derry, it seemed like disaster was going to strike.
It would have been game over for Mayo and probably game over for Stephen Rochford probably.
But cometh the hour and cometh the man as Conor Loftus scored an absolute cracker as Mayo eventually went on to be brought to extra time and then to win.
Cian Connolly vs Galway
WATCH:
HT: Galway 0-03 | Roscommon 1-07. Cian Connolly's goal the highlight of the opening half in Salthill. Roscommon lead by 7. #GAAClips pic.twitter.com/RBSxqc7ORA— eir Sport (@eirSport) July 9, 2017
Roscommon weren’t meant to stand a chance after everything that had gone on, they were relegated from Division One for God’s sake.
Then they played the Connacht Final and found themselves seven points up at halftime and thanks to a peach from Cian Connolly and a great crossfield ball by Diarmuid Murtagh.
Jamie Clarke vs Tipperary
We’re not sure if he even meant this but Armagh’s shining light was the last man onto a quick counterattack.
The Crossmaglen man dummied it around Ciaran Kenrick in a socceresque style and slotted it into the back of the net, divine.
Lee Keegan vs Dublin
GOAL! What a goal this was from @MayoGAA and @WestportGAA man Lee Keegan yesterday in the All-Ireland Football Final! #DUBvMAYO pic.twitter.com/DXUKq5ur5y
— The GAA (@officialgaa) September 18, 2017
Two points down and for some reason, it seemed like Mayo were just about out of this game.
Lee Keegan had been anonymous after marking Ciaran Kilkenny out of the game as he was dragged into full back.
It was meant to take him out of the game but he’s that good that out of nowhere Keegan arrived for a vital goal.
Ronan O’Neill vs Down
WATCH:
The 2 goals that clinched the @UlsterGAA Championship for @TyroneGAALive! #UlsterGAA #UlsterFinal #GAAclips pic.twitter.com/TPimt0hLyJ— eir Sport (@eirSport) July 16, 2017
Oh, the cheek of this goal.
Remember Andrea Pirlo did that little audacious dink of a penalty against England? Ronan O’Neill’s finish had shades of that in the Ulster Final.
But these awards are called the Wooly awards for a reason and Colm ‘Wooly’ Parkinson decided that it was Conor Loftus that deserved the gong:
“It came down to me between Con O’Callaghan and Conor Loftus,” Parkinson admitted
“Just for pure spectacular goal top corner I’m going to give the Wooly award to Conor Loftus and it was even the move leading up to it. It was Seamus O’Shea under the sideline. They were a point down after 68 minutes against Derry in the qualifiers and were going out. Seamus O’Shea plays a lovely diagonal ball into Andy Moran who ships it off to Loftus who just comes on a burst and just never breaks his stride. Just a bullet into the top corner.”
Congratulations Conor Loftus, you may not have one the All-Ireland that Mayo were so close to getting but a Wooly award can be some consolation.
