The legs might not be as willing as they used to, but these lads would still take some beating.
Rarely has there been a GAA off-season where so many legends of the game decided to hang up their boots, but the beauty of our native games is that the players who starred on a national stage will continue to tog out for their clubs long after they’ve exited stage left.
This week, we sought to pay tribute to some of those legends in both codes and after delivering our hugely controversial Gaelic Football XV earlier this week, it’s time to turn our attention to the small ball game.
Considering that a lot of players won’t actually call it a day until their legs are hanging off them, there were an awful lot of contenders for this prestigious XV and after a call-out for help from our Twitter followers, this is the team we’ve come up with.
Granted, some of them might have only togged out at junior level in the last year or so, but we’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Could you imagine this team playing together in their pomp?
1. Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford and Duffry Rovers)
2. Ollie Canning (Galway and Portumna)
3. JJ Delaney (Kilkenny and Fenians)
4. Stephen Hiney (Dublin and Ballyboden St. Enda’s)
5. John Gardiner (Cork and Na Piarsaigh)
6. Seanie McMahon (Clare and St. Joseph’s Doora Barefield)
7. Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny and Tullaroan)
8. James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick (Kilkenny and Ballyhale Shamrocks)
9. Tony Browne (Waterford and Mount Sion)
10. Ollie Moran (Limerick and Ahane)
11. Martin Comerford (Kilkenny and O’Loughlin Gaels)
12. Eoin Kelly (Tipperary and Mullinahone)
13. Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny and Graigue-Ballycallan)
14. John Mullane (Waterford and De La Salle)
15. Joe Deane (Cork and Killeagh)
