Alternative 15 who were NOT available this year
October 13, 2014
Best Alternate 15...
Ballincollig haven't lacked for talent over the past few seasons. Here Éamonn Murphy, Evening Echo deputy sports editor and central committee PRO, picks a best 15 of players since 2006 who aren't in the current panel. What do you think? Comment on Facebook.
FOR the week that’s in it – and given the amount of top-class footballers that have left the club, through injury, retirement or emigration, in recent years – we’ve decided to compile an alternative best Ballincollig 15.
It mightn’t be good enough to beat the current crop, but – at their peak – these 15 footballers would certainly give them a fair rattle!
The criteria was as follows. The starting point was the 2006 season, the only year aside from 1999 and this one when Ballincollig won three or more senior championship football matches. The players had to have featured at the height of summer, but aren’t involved in the extended senior squad this year.
From there we shortlisted 20 footballers, with 15 in the line-up and five on the bench, and any combination of those would have been pretty decent.
John Noonan, who, by the way, saved a penalty from Carbery Rangers’ John Hayes in the 2009 second round replay defeat, slots into goal. Then four couldn’t go into three in the full-back line, with Brendan Fitzgerald missing out to Noel Barry, Eoin Hegarty, and Conor Barrett.
The half-back line saw JP O’Leary, Ed Bourke and Colm Cronin edge out Ronan O’Driscoll and Paul McCarthy. Three of those five players represented Cork at underage, JP was good enough in his pomp to keep Pearse O’Neill out of UCC’s Sigerson Cup team, and O’Driscoll was outstanding at U21 back in 2009.
In midfield there were a few options, though Liam O’Toole was an automatic. We went for Brian Cotter alongside him, at the expense of Peter Corcoran and Colm O’Connor.
Cotter and Corcoran could also have been selected in the half-forward line, but we selected John O’Brien at centre-forward (he was outstanding there in 2007), flanked by Mickey Greene – who had a great run before heading to Westmeath at the end of ’06 – and Kealan Hickey to snap up the breaks.
The inside line? Fergal Keohane, Colin Weste and Podsie O’Mahony… say no more.
What do you think? Let us know on Facebook.
1. John Noonan
​
2. Noel Barry
3. Eoin Hegarty (Pictured above marking Seamus Hayes in 2009)
4. Conor Barrett
5. JP O’Leary
6. Ronan O’Driscoll
7. Eddie Bourke
8. Liam O’Toole
9. Brian Cotter
10. Kealan Hickey
11. John O’Brien
12. Mickey Greene
13. Fergal Keohane
14. Colin Weste
15. Podsie O’Mahony
Subs: Brendan Fitzgerald, Colm Cronin, Paul McCarthy, Colm O’Connor, Peter Corcoran, Ciaran O'Sullivan
-- Edit --
Debate around the clubhouse requires some additions to this panel but the first 15 discussions are still hot and heavy.
Howver the inclusion of Ciaran O'Sullivan was agreed as a must so he has been been added...
Ballincollig haven't lacked for talent over the past few seasons. Here Éamonn Murphy, Evening Echo deputy sports editor and central committee PRO, picks a best 15 of players since 2006 who aren't in the current panel. What do you think? Comment on Facebook.
FOR the week that’s in it – and given the amount of top-class footballers that have left the club, through injury, retirement or emigration, in recent years – we’ve decided to compile an alternative best Ballincollig 15.
It mightn’t be good enough to beat the current crop, but – at their peak – these 15 footballers would certainly give them a fair rattle!
The criteria was as follows. The starting point was the 2006 season, the only year aside from 1999 and this one when Ballincollig won three or more senior championship football matches. The players had to have featured at the height of summer, but aren’t involved in the extended senior squad this year.
From there we shortlisted 20 footballers, with 15 in the line-up and five on the bench, and any combination of those would have been pretty decent.
John Noonan, who, by the way, saved a penalty from Carbery Rangers’ John Hayes in the 2009 second round replay defeat, slots into goal. Then four couldn’t go into three in the full-back line, with Brendan Fitzgerald missing out to Noel Barry, Eoin Hegarty, and Conor Barrett.
The half-back line saw JP O’Leary, Ed Bourke and Colm Cronin edge out Ronan O’Driscoll and Paul McCarthy. Three of those five players represented Cork at underage, JP was good enough in his pomp to keep Pearse O’Neill out of UCC’s Sigerson Cup team, and O’Driscoll was outstanding at U21 back in 2009.
In midfield there were a few options, though Liam O’Toole was an automatic. We went for Brian Cotter alongside him, at the expense of Peter Corcoran and Colm O’Connor.
Cotter and Corcoran could also have been selected in the half-forward line, but we selected John O’Brien at centre-forward (he was outstanding there in 2007), flanked by Mickey Greene – who had a great run before heading to Westmeath at the end of ’06 – and Kealan Hickey to snap up the breaks.
The inside line? Fergal Keohane, Colin Weste and Podsie O’Mahony… say no more.
What do you think? Let us know on Facebook.
1. John Noonan
​
2. Noel Barry
3. Eoin Hegarty (Pictured above marking Seamus Hayes in 2009)
4. Conor Barrett
5. JP O’Leary
6. Ronan O’Driscoll
7. Eddie Bourke
8. Liam O’Toole
9. Brian Cotter
10. Kealan Hickey
11. John O’Brien
12. Mickey Greene
13. Fergal Keohane
14. Colin Weste
15. Podsie O’Mahony
Subs: Brendan Fitzgerald, Colm Cronin, Paul McCarthy, Colm O’Connor, Peter Corcoran, Ciaran O'Sullivan
-- Edit --
Debate around the clubhouse requires some additions to this panel but the first 15 discussions are still hot and heavy.
Howver the inclusion of Ciaran O'Sullivan was agreed as a must so he has been been added...