National Forum

Fastest Players In The GAA

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To gaelicgab:  "I heard a story about Jack McCaffrey and Monaghan's Karl O'Connell racing each other down O'Connell St one night and O'Connell won.

Sean Murphy of Carlow now there's a challenge for O'Connell..."
McCaffrey has good Monaghan genes......grandad Mickey was a Monaghan footballer of note...you have to be pretty quick up here around the border !

Shelbourne (Monaghan) - Posts: 567 - 16/07/2018 22:30:46    2122944

Link

Replying To perfect10:  "dee o keefe must be up there."
Will ya shhhhtop.. Reidy left him for dust on several ocassions Saturday

dakid (Australia) - Posts: 285 - 16/07/2018 23:53:28    2122965

Link

tiernan mc cann...covers ground at ease and with real pace

mayotyroneman (Tyrone) - Posts: 1821 - 17/07/2018 00:28:57    2122972

Link

Faster over what distance would be the question. Some are mentioning 100m, but acceleration and speed over 20m-40m is far more important in Gaelic football.
A player will never run 100m flat out in a match. He'll rarely sprint anything more than more half that distance in one go. The player with the fastest 40m (or thereabouts) time, should be considered the fastest player.
The AFL has a 20m sprint as part of their combine for new recruits. The record is 2.75 seconds. When Jack McCaffrey tested, he ran a 2.80 which was the fastest time that year and remains one of the fastest ever. He'd have to be up there.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 184 - 16/07/2018 19:28:44 Of course 100 flat out wont ever be ran by a player in a game but saying player with quickest 40m time should be considered the fastest isnt true. why 40? not not 50/60m?

DonaldDuck (Tipperary) - Posts: 544 - 17/07/2018 00:47:26    2122973

Link

Replying To DonaldDuck:  "Eamon Wallace has to be up there, Won national sprint titles underage including an under 19 100/200 double and has ran 200m in 22.xx seconds if not quicker."
We have had this topic before.
I think it's quite clear Eamon Wallace is the fastest, as he has won national titles at the distance.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 17/07/2018 07:38:08    2122982

Link

Ball in hand is slightly different to a straight sprint. You need serious technique. Remember the way Alan Brogan used to bounce the ball, where the ball would be raised up and pushed forward so slowly that he would have 6 steps taken before the bounce occurred? Dan Flynn does that all the time. Shane Walsh is brilliant at keeping the solo away from the defender and Kevin Mcmennamin is brilliant at taking 40 steps but not being pulled by the ref for overcarrying.

Daith (Kildare) - Posts: 1171 - 17/07/2018 08:22:04    2122991

Link

Keith Zippy Higgins even in his 30s

riverboys (Mayo) - Posts: 1389 - 17/07/2018 08:24:05    2122993

Link

Paul Kerrigan is seriously quick

blueblood (Monaghan) - Posts: 73 - 17/07/2018 08:47:40    2122997

Link

Nicky Devereux for Dublin is faster than McCaffrey so I believe
Now thats fast

keithlemon (Australia) - Posts: 920 - 17/07/2018 09:26:26    2123000

Link

Replying To royaldunne:  "We have had this topic before.
I think it's quite clear Eamon Wallace is the fastest, as he has won national titles at the distance."
emphasis on "has". The fact the others havent competed in athletics as well leaves your theory open to scrutiny!

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 17/07/2018 10:31:14    2123037

Link

A guy very fast over 20m may not be fast when receiving the ball 50m out as happens in todays game. Flynn is very fast over 30m and McCaffery while very fast is not as fast as he was before the injury. Wallace was very fast 4-5 years ago when winning titles but again has slowed somewhat when putting on some weight (as happens with all players). McCaffery a couple of years ago was one of the few players who could take the ball from 60m out and go past everyone. A Kildare player (forget his name) and McHugh could do something similar.

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 17/07/2018 11:20:03    2123066

Link

Replying To browncows:  "A guy very fast over 20m may not be fast when receiving the ball 50m out as happens in todays game. Flynn is very fast over 30m and McCaffery while very fast is not as fast as he was before the injury. Wallace was very fast 4-5 years ago when winning titles but again has slowed somewhat when putting on some weight (as happens with all players). McCaffery a couple of years ago was one of the few players who could take the ball from 60m out and go past everyone. A Kildare player (forget his name) and McHugh could do something similar."
McCaffrey actually looks faster post injury !

Seamy_Hendrix (Derry) - Posts: 47 - 17/07/2018 11:53:29    2123075

Link

Shane Walsh (Galway) has to be up there

The_DOC (Galway) - Posts: 709 - 17/07/2018 11:54:31    2123076

Link

Darren O'Sullivan in his day, also Martin Penrose.

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 17/07/2018 12:51:24    2123097

Link

I think the title should be fastest Inter County player not fastest GAA player. Plenty of speed merchants put there who probably have never made it beyond Club level and would leave a lot of the players already mentioned in their shadows.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 17/07/2018 13:28:29    2123119

Link

Replying To blueblood:  "Paul Kerrigan is seriously quick"
Sean Powter is faster

Rockies (Cork) - Posts: 947 - 17/07/2018 13:44:02    2123125

Link

I would say geaney number 1 followed by shane enright then karl o connell

aristocratickingdom (Kerry) - Posts: 6 - 17/07/2018 14:07:48    2123145

Link

Replying To DonaldDuck:  "Faster over what distance would be the question. Some are mentioning 100m, but acceleration and speed over 20m-40m is far more important in Gaelic football.
A player will never run 100m flat out in a match. He'll rarely sprint anything more than more half that distance in one go. The player with the fastest 40m (or thereabouts) time, should be considered the fastest player.
The AFL has a 20m sprint as part of their combine for new recruits. The record is 2.75 seconds. When Jack McCaffrey tested, he ran a 2.80 which was the fastest time that year and remains one of the fastest ever. He'd have to be up there.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 184 - 16/07/2018 19:28:44 Of course 100 flat out wont ever be ran by a player in a game but saying player with quickest 40m time should be considered the fastest isnt true. why 40? not not 50/60m?"
Because a 40m sprint is generally the longest any player will run flat out. Most sprints during a match are actually much shorter than that. It's therefore more indicative of applicable speed for the sport itself.
There's a reason the Aussies measure 20m speed as part of their combine, rather than anything longer.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2047 - 17/07/2018 18:52:26    2123261

Link

Replying To WanPintWin:  "
Replying To DonaldDuck:  "Faster over what distance would be the question. Some are mentioning 100m, but acceleration and speed over 20m-40m is far more important in Gaelic football.
A player will never run 100m flat out in a match. He'll rarely sprint anything more than more half that distance in one go. The player with the fastest 40m (or thereabouts) time, should be considered the fastest player.
The AFL has a 20m sprint as part of their combine for new recruits. The record is 2.75 seconds. When Jack McCaffrey tested, he ran a 2.80 which was the fastest time that year and remains one of the fastest ever. He'd have to be up there.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 184 - 16/07/2018 19:28:44 Of course 100 flat out wont ever be ran by a player in a game but saying player with quickest 40m time should be considered the fastest isnt true. why 40? not not 50/60m?"
Because a 40m sprint is generally the longest any player will run flat out. Most sprints during a match are actually much shorter than that. It's therefore more indicative of applicable speed for the sport itself.
There's a reason the Aussies measure 20m speed as part of their combine, rather than anything longer."
A 40m Sprint isn't fair either as you won't be at your top speed in the Sprint and isn't really more applicable to the sport

DonaldDuck (Tipperary) - Posts: 544 - 17/07/2018 19:18:12    2123266

Link

Replying To WanPintWin:  "
Replying To DonaldDuck:  "Faster over what distance would be the question. Some are mentioning 100m, but acceleration and speed over 20m-40m is far more important in Gaelic football.
A player will never run 100m flat out in a match. He'll rarely sprint anything more than more half that distance in one go. The player with the fastest 40m (or thereabouts) time, should be considered the fastest player.
The AFL has a 20m sprint as part of their combine for new recruits. The record is 2.75 seconds. When Jack McCaffrey tested, he ran a 2.80 which was the fastest time that year and remains one of the fastest ever. He'd have to be up there.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 184 - 16/07/2018 19:28:44 Of course 100 flat out wont ever be ran by a player in a game but saying player with quickest 40m time should be considered the fastest isnt true. why 40? not not 50/60m?"
Because a 40m sprint is generally the longest any player will run flat out. Most sprints during a match are actually much shorter than that. It's therefore more indicative of applicable speed for the sport itself.
There's a reason the Aussies measure 20m speed as part of their combine, rather than anything longer."
Don't waste your time , it's like trying to reason with a watermelon .
Not going to happen.

Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 17/07/2018 19:39:58    2123273

Link