1984-Skryne football – My Best Ever Fifteen

by Paddy Cromwell

Skryne Football – My Best Ever Fifteen To select fifteen players from teams over a period of almost fifty years would be difficult, I understood quite well. When I suggested to a few people that they should attempt this task I found it would be difficult to get anyone to ‘stick their neck out’ so to speak. Because of this and because the idea was mine to start with I decided to have a go myself. I would surely create controversy but I felt it was something that sould be done and would promote interest ing debate among Gaels young and not so young. After much soul-searching this is what I came up with: Christy Browne, Michael O’Brien, Matt O’Toole, Dinny Donnelly, Kevin Johnson, Tony Donnelly, Jack Connor, Tom O’Brien, Paddy O’Brien, Dom O’Brien, Brian Smyth, David Carty, Paddy Mulvany, CoIm O’Rourke, Packie Mooney. The reader might well ask what right has someone, who has not even seen some of the players concerned play, to select such a team and I must admit that there are five men named whom I cannot recall having seen play. I may have seen Christy Browne play at the very end of his days but his record in the forties speaks for itself and I certainly have not seen anything to rival it since.

The other four whom I had not the privalege of seeing play were Packie Mooney Kevin Johnson, Matt 0 bole and Tony Donnelly and just imagine leaving one of these out! Legendary footballers not only in Skryne but throughout and long beyond the borders of Meath. There are many great players over the decades for whom I would love to have found a place in my team but I feel that each man I have chosen had a compelling claim. Some will claim that many players are out of position and perhaps they are right. Some great judges reckon Tony Donnelly was the great- est ever 40 yards man but he was so versatile that I fitted him in at centre back to accommodate Brian Smyth on the forty. Some young readers will wonder why Paddy O’Brien is placed at midfield when he is known as a legendary full back but Paddy in fact played almost all his football for Skryne at midfield. Micael O’Brien, Kevin Johnson and Packie Mooney could have fitted in, in any one of a half dozen places I am sure and I could go on and on but I prefer to leave it to you the reader. My final comment is that if you consider the defensive and midfield power in this selection and the scoring potential in the forward line. I wonder would any other club in this county care to come up with a team to match mine. Paddy Cromwell