We look back at some of Gooch’s best moments with Kerry…
Martin McHugh came in for a barrage of criticism over the last few days after calling Kerry’s Colm Cooper a “two-trick pony” on The Sunday Game and the All-Ireland winner with Donegal has since admitted he made a mistake with those comments.
Gooch is without a doubt one of the most talented gaelic footballers we’ve ever seen and some people, even outside the Kingdom, argue that he’s the greatest player to ever play the game so McHugh’s comments were clearly way off the mark.
To prove that point, we’ve put together a collection of Cooper’s best moments which highlights exactly how many tricks the Dr Crokes man possesses.
Goal scoring prowess
Goals win games. Colm Cooper wins games. He is just deadly in front of goal, he’s always keeps his composure and usually places it with the inside of his foot rather than just blasting it in the general direction of the target. Here are some examples of his expert finishing.
Points off his left
When preparing to take on any opponent in gaelic games you’ll do a bit of research to figure out potential weaknesses. For example, what is a player’s weaker foot, but in the case of Colm Cooper, he doesn’t have one. He can score off left and right and this fan-footage shows him pinging one over off his left while under pressure, no bother to him.
Points off his right
The beauty of this clip is that not only does it show his expert kicking off his right foot but it shows how easily he can lose a defender with a subtle drop of the shoulder. A players with the ability to kick off both feet is a nightmare to defend against and 70 minutes up against the Kerry man must be absolute torture.
Inventive pick ups
It mightn’t seem like the most amazing piece of skill in the world but it highlights Gooch’s improvisation and his ability to adapt to a given situation. Most players would have just laid on the ball and hoped to win a free but Cooper’s quick thinking gave him the advantage and he was able to create a scoring opportunity.
His vision and passing ability
Cooper is a master marksman when it comes to putting the ball over the bar or into the back of the next but his creativity in making scores for others is up there with anyone. This was highlighted last year when he was moved out to centre forward as he was spraying passes around for fun. This through ball against Dublin in the All-Ireland semi final was one of his best…
Free taking in high pressure situations
When the heat is on, Cooper is the man Kerry have turned to in countless occasions down through the years. You’d bet your house on him slotting over important points at any stage in a game. He’s clutch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mVR_9aJf68
Winning
Cooper has won four All-Ireland titles, seven Munster titles, eight All Stars, four National League titles and a whole host of honours with his club Dr Crokes. He’s got a hunger for winning ingrained in him and you don’t find that sort of mentality in a lot of players.
We hope that’s enough proof that Gooch is undoubtedly one of the best in the business but if were missing any of Cooper’s other tricks, stop horsing around and be sure to comment below or let us know on Twitter @JOEdotie.
