Meath Forum

Best Club Players Not To Play For Meath

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Padraig Geoghegan Ballivor has been an excellent club player for 20 years but I'm sure he played hurling for Meath.

winatallcost (Meath) - Posts: 594 - 16/01/2021 11:06:06    2327686

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you have to say the likes Brain clarke and then one out of the blue david magiure from walterstown very good defender

MCSwagg (Meath) - Posts: 18 - 17/01/2021 18:04:37    2327832

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Peter Sullivan was probably the best player I have ever seen at minor level

Meath10 (Meath) - Posts: 190 - 18/01/2021 14:15:56    2327931

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Replying To Meath10:  "Peter Sullivan was probably the best player I have ever seen at minor level"
Think there's plenty of lads like Peter who never built on their underage potential

From my own vintage Glen Loughran Cortown and Hugh Gribben Walterstown were outstanding players at underage, minor and U21 and never really went on to be the players they could've been as senior footballers. Glen is probably one of the better club footballers in the county not to have got a run out at senior level.

Barry Lynch is another who never got a chance post Eamonn Barry. He'd a decent campaign but didn't seem to fit into what Coyler wanted.

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1973 - 18/01/2021 14:26:33    2327938

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Peter o'Sullivan was a good underage footballer but very selfish and when u get past minor and u21 grade the defenders become very wise to this which explains why some lads never progress at senior level.

I remember going to underage trials in Meath years ago and you had some job trying to get a pass from lads who were particularly from the bigger clubs. The bigger clubs would be asked to send in 4 or 5 u16 or minors and you might get 1 lad from a smaller club. There were games organised with a ref and just let them off. No coaching, no taking a lad to the side to advise what he did wrong or right. It was so backward. 1 trial and you were gone.

Foley91 (Meath) - Posts: 418 - 19/01/2021 09:28:16    2328025

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Replying To Foley91:  "Peter o'Sullivan was a good underage footballer but very selfish and when u get past minor and u21 grade the defenders become very wise to this which explains why some lads never progress at senior level.

I remember going to underage trials in Meath years ago and you had some job trying to get a pass from lads who were particularly from the bigger clubs. The bigger clubs would be asked to send in 4 or 5 u16 or minors and you might get 1 lad from a smaller club. There were games organised with a ref and just let them off. No coaching, no taking a lad to the side to advise what he did wrong or right. It was so backward. 1 trial and you were gone."
Those days are gone

Analyst (Meath) - Posts: 1494 - 19/01/2021 12:20:28    2328050

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Replying To braxton_hicks:  "We would nearly have to break it up into
-who was good but others during that era were unbelievable
- Who was Good but wouldn't of had the best application
- Who was good but didnt make it due to politics / Face didnt fit

I would put forward Cathal O'Dwyer and Trevor Dowd from Dunshaughlin - Politics
Trevor was one of the most under rated footballers in the county, superfluous skill and I assure you he was one of the main protagonists on that Great Dunshaughlin Team of the 00s

Cathal was an amazing footballer and dragged that team into an Inch of a county title v Summerhill , would of easily fitted into the Team of the Early 00s and how he didnt get a run with the county even to this day astounds and baffles me

Ciaran Macken of Senchalstown - application
a Classy footballer who could mix it and was a leading figure in that good Senchalstown Team - Would walk into the current Team , maybe didnt push himself hard enough or didnt want the commitment associated with the Meath Seniors
Id say the Same about Paddy Smyth for NOM

Joey Farrelly - Politics
The Blacks Hercules , Ive seen him hold off Senior Inter county men with one hand like they were a
Only rivalled by the Great John Mc for pure natural physical strength
Mightnt of been the most skillful but more than made up for it
Definitely better than Crawford , maybe if he lived in Dunboyne he could have a couple of All Irelands

Alan Fox - Era
A super little footballer , could run all day and lightning fast ,but had a lot more in his locker , very intelligent player and knew when to kick when to run , where to run and would put the ball in your chest . His size was the reason that he didnt get a run for the County but When you see the likes of some of the small lads playing for Meath today , he could definitely do a job"
couldn't agree more on Cathal o Dwyer...could argue that he also kept Dunshaughlin up Senior for years during the barren times on his own...cant help but think that differences between the Manger & time & county manager went again him.id throw in your full back at the time too...mctigue and marty reilly too...serious operators

Littleslugger (Meath) - Posts: 10 - 20/01/2021 11:24:10    2328180

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Replying To Analyst:  "Those days are gone"
Those days arent gone could name any anunt of lads who didnt get a chance cause they were playing at a small club

MCSwagg (Meath) - Posts: 18 - 20/01/2021 14:11:31    2328211

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Replying To MCSwagg:  "Those days arent gone could name any anunt of lads who didnt get a chance cause they were playing at a small club"
John Mc Cathys minors had lads from all over county in there last 2 years, and this years U17's and 16's the same. I have heard of trial matches being done on the blind, where players identities were not known to coaches until afterwards. You aren't one of these who wants teams picked on geographical grounds rather thsn ability i hope

Analyst (Meath) - Posts: 1494 - 20/01/2021 17:44:22    2328249

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Replying To MCSwagg:  "Those days arent gone could name any anunt of lads who didnt get a chance cause they were playing at a small club"
Nonsense

Blackspot09 (Meath) - Posts: 1012 - 20/01/2021 19:37:05    2328253

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ok so can you explain why its said that if you play senior you have a better chance to play county should it not be if your good enuf your good enuf rural club players are left behind

MCSwagg (Meath) - Posts: 18 - 20/01/2021 19:54:01    2328256

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Replying To MCSwagg:  "ok so can you explain why its said that if you play senior you have a better chance to play county should it not be if your good enuf your good enuf rural club players are left behind"
"Its said" by who??? Who exactly says this? Hurlers on the ditch? Lads down the pub?

Blackspot09 (Meath) - Posts: 1012 - 20/01/2021 20:41:36    2328259

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Replying To MCSwagg:  "Those days arent gone could name any anunt of lads who didnt get a chance cause they were playing at a small club"
Who ??

grahamc9897 (Meath) - Posts: 1176 - 21/01/2021 09:47:44    2328273

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Replying To grahamc9897:  "Who ??"
It's a nonsense comment..one of those cliches people throw out with no actual evidence to back it up. Like when i was growing up i would hear from people in my own club a south meath club "ah the underage set up in meath is all political. If you are not from around navan or from the far side of navan you won't get a look in. Probably bought into it as a kid but eventually realised that it was nonsense. I do not believe for one second that any meath manager would jeopardise his or hers chances of success by overlooking a player who they know is good enough just because they are from a "small club" or from a certain part of the county. In my opinion these kind of statements are used as an excuse and a crutch by either players who just simply weren't good enough to make it on to a particular panel or their parents or just people from clubs who haven't got players good enough to make these panels.

Blackspot09 (Meath) - Posts: 1012 - 21/01/2021 10:18:01    2328277

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Replying To Blackspot09:  "It's a nonsense comment..one of those cliches people throw out with no actual evidence to back it up. Like when i was growing up i would hear from people in my own club a south meath club "ah the underage set up in meath is all political. If you are not from around navan or from the far side of navan you won't get a look in. Probably bought into it as a kid but eventually realised that it was nonsense. I do not believe for one second that any meath manager would jeopardise his or hers chances of success by overlooking a player who they know is good enough just because they are from a "small club" or from a certain part of the county. In my opinion these kind of statements are used as an excuse and a crutch by either players who just simply weren't good enough to make it on to a particular panel or their parents or just people from clubs who haven't got players good enough to make these panels."
I'm not disagreeing with you but its common practice that clubs are asked to send their best 2/3 players for trials and matches are played as regional teams with a manager for each region. The manager hasn't a clue who most of the players are so they generally select players from the bigger clubs to start these trail games. Unless you're an exceptional player from a smaller/ junior club you don't get a chance to impress as you're not getting multiple chances in front of the underage/ minor manager. If you look at the minor team this year, its made up of mainly 5 teams (Dunshaughlin, Summerhill, St Colmcilles, Ratoath, Kilbride) with a sprinkling of other clubs. Now i accept that those are probably the strongest clubs in the county at the grade but are their honestly no players from junior clubs in Meath who are worthy of being involved?

brian (Meath) - Posts: 1973 - 21/01/2021 11:48:31    2328293

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Replying To brian:  "I'm not disagreeing with you but its common practice that clubs are asked to send their best 2/3 players for trials and matches are played as regional teams with a manager for each region. The manager hasn't a clue who most of the players are so they generally select players from the bigger clubs to start these trail games. Unless you're an exceptional player from a smaller/ junior club you don't get a chance to impress as you're not getting multiple chances in front of the underage/ minor manager. If you look at the minor team this year, its made up of mainly 5 teams (Dunshaughlin, Summerhill, St Colmcilles, Ratoath, Kilbride) with a sprinkling of other clubs. Now i accept that those are probably the strongest clubs in the county at the grade but are their honestly no players from junior clubs in Meath who are worthy of being involved?"
Well Kilbride are basically a junior b club for starters. No junior b now but never actually won it . If you look back over the meath underage team's for the last decade you will see plenty of lads from smaller junior clubs featuring. Is it not fairly logical that the majority of the squad would be from the best clubs in that age group? Not the bigger clubs but the strongest clubs at that age group regardless of how big or small the club is. You mentioned Kilbride and they are a perfect example. Not a big club and not even in division 1 at minor last year and yet have i think 4 on the panel. By your logic if players from small clubs are being overlooked because they are from small clubs how have a club like Kilbride who didn't even make the division 2 minor final last have so many players on the panel. I know lads from my own club who went for trials over the years and got 1 trial game sometimes not even a full game and heard nothing back. Some of them were really really good players but just didn't make the grade. So because they are from a so called big club would you say they just weren't good enough? But if the same happens to a young lad from a small junior club its not because he wasn't good enough its because he's from a small junior club?

Blackspot09 (Meath) - Posts: 1012 - 21/01/2021 12:18:51    2328298

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Replying To brian:  "I'm not disagreeing with you but its common practice that clubs are asked to send their best 2/3 players for trials and matches are played as regional teams with a manager for each region. The manager hasn't a clue who most of the players are so they generally select players from the bigger clubs to start these trail games. Unless you're an exceptional player from a smaller/ junior club you don't get a chance to impress as you're not getting multiple chances in front of the underage/ minor manager. If you look at the minor team this year, its made up of mainly 5 teams (Dunshaughlin, Summerhill, St Colmcilles, Ratoath, Kilbride) with a sprinkling of other clubs. Now i accept that those are probably the strongest clubs in the county at the grade but are their honestly no players from junior clubs in Meath who are worthy of being involved?"
Also I'm pretty sure the management teams from these underage meath teams are out watching games all over the county week in week out (during normal times obviously) so its not just a case of them running trial games .

Blackspot09 (Meath) - Posts: 1012 - 21/01/2021 12:21:34    2328299

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Replying To Blackspot09:  "Well Kilbride are basically a junior b club for starters. No junior b now but never actually won it . If you look back over the meath underage team's for the last decade you will see plenty of lads from smaller junior clubs featuring. Is it not fairly logical that the majority of the squad would be from the best clubs in that age group? Not the bigger clubs but the strongest clubs at that age group regardless of how big or small the club is. You mentioned Kilbride and they are a perfect example. Not a big club and not even in division 1 at minor last year and yet have i think 4 on the panel. By your logic if players from small clubs are being overlooked because they are from small clubs how have a club like Kilbride who didn't even make the division 2 minor final last have so many players on the panel. I know lads from my own club who went for trials over the years and got 1 trial game sometimes not even a full game and heard nothing back. Some of them were really really good players but just didn't make the grade. So because they are from a so called big club would you say they just weren't good enough? But if the same happens to a young lad from a small junior club its not because he wasn't good enough its because he's from a small junior club?"
Your opinon is formed by the situation your in and what you have seen but talk to people from other clubs and i bet there not the same . Your view ia yours but its doesnt mean its right . Lads from smaller clubs dont get as much of a chance as bigger clubs that is a fact

MCSwagg (Meath) - Posts: 18 - 21/01/2021 14:07:48    2328320

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Replying To MCSwagg:  "Your opinon is formed by the situation your in and what you have seen but talk to people from other clubs and i bet there not the same . Your view ia yours but its doesnt mean its right . Lads from smaller clubs dont get as much of a chance as bigger clubs that is a fact"
Fact!! So because you say fact it definitely true? Have you proof that players from smaller clubs are being overlooked just because they are from a smaller club . Because the representation of smaller clubs on underage panels over the last few years would suggest otherwise. I never said my opinion was right. It's just my opinion. I think all these excuses like "I'm from a smaller club" "i live on the wrong side of navan" "ah the manager doesn't like me" are in fact just that... excuses . I know plenty of people from small clubs and the majority would be of the same opinion as me. I mentioned Kilbride. A small Junior B club with 4 on the minor panel and over the last few years have had lads on minor panels. Ballinabrackey meath hill carnaross St Utlans drumbaragh. All have had lads on minor and 20s panels in recent years . Only 1 or 2 at a time but how many realistically do you think a division 3 or 4 team should have on a minor panel?? I would argue that if these smaller clubs and 5 or 6 players good enough to be on the meath minors they wouldn't be playing division 3 or 4.

Blackspot09 (Meath) - Posts: 1012 - 21/01/2021 14:47:42    2328332

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Have to say the minor management went around all clubs this year training teams.thought it was a great thing to do.showed ambition and looking at what players out there.

Borderroyal (Meath) - Posts: 496 - 21/01/2021 18:45:11    2328370

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