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Is Gooch the GOAT? Players and fans have their say

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9 months ago

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Maurice Fitzgerald, Colm Cooper and David Clifford. Photos: Sportsfile.

Legendary Killarney footballer Colm Cooper is the greatest Kerry player of all time, according to former teammates Seán O’Sullivan and Barry John Keane.

Speaking to Killarney Advertiser sports editor Adam Moynihan on The Kerry Football Podcast, O’Sullivan and Keane both selected the Dr Crokes man as the county’s best-ever talent, with the great Maurice Fitzgerald and modern-day superstar David Clifford also name-checked in the conversation.

In an Instagram poll hosted by Adam that had over 500 respondents, Kerry supporters also chose Gooch as the Kingdom’s GOAT. The five-time All-Ireland winner attracted 44% of the vote, with Clifford (26%) and Fitzgerald (24%) in second and third.

A fourth option of ‘someone else’ was selected by 6% of fans with Jack O’Shea, Séamus Moynihan, Declan O’Sullivan, James O’Donoghue and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh all mentioned.

“From the first night at training (in 2002), Gooch just changed our set-up,” O’Sullivan recalled. “He lit the place up and didn’t stop for the bones of 14 years. I think that really says it all. I wouldn’t do him justice if I tried to describe the things he did at training.

“The biggest compliment I could give Colm Cooper is he brought the best out of the rest of us. No matter where you were, whether it was the Stadium, Stack Park, Páirc Uí Chaoimh or Croke Park, once you saw Colm running out alongside you, you knew you had a chance. Clifford is in that vein and so is Maurice Fitz, but the Gooch was just incredible.”

Keane agreed. “It’s so hard but Gooch has always been my GOAT,” the Kerins O’Rahillys forward said. “Clifford is 100% my number two but even if he goes on to do better things, I probably won’t change my mind. There’s just something about the Gooch. He was a cheat code.”

Putting forward an argument for Clifford, Adam said he believes the two-time Footballer of the Year is capable of doing things no one else could. “I loved watching Gooch. Some days he was just untouchable. He was a warrior and an unbelievable player.

“The things you single Gooch out for – his skill levels, his scoring, his creativity and his passing – I think Clifford can do most, if not all, of what Gooch could do. I think he’s that good. And there are certain things, because of his size, that Clifford can do that Gooch and Maurice Fitz couldn’t.

“Of course, legacy comes into it too and if you’re talking about legacy the Gooch has more All-Irelands, so he goes ahead. But, for me, just judging the player out on the field, I’m going to go for David Clifford. I just think he’s the best footballer I’ve ever seen.”

There were honourable mentions also for Pat Spillane, Mikey Sheehy, Mick O’Connell and Dick Fitzgerald, though the lads agreed that it was difficult to fairly assess players from past generations. 

The question was also put to former Kerry captain Dara Ó Cinnéide on last week’s episode of The Kerry Football Podcast. He opted for Fitzgerald.

“I always say to people that Maurice had as many bad games for Kerry as he had good games. He wasn’t as consistent as someone like Séamus Moynihan or these lads. But when he was good…

“When Maurice hit the high notes, there was nobody to compare with him.”

What do you think? Who is Kerry’s greatest ever player? Email sport@killarneyadvertiser.ie to join the debate.

You can listen to The Kerry Football Podcast on Patreon. Become a member and get exclusive access to all episodes, including big game previews, post-match analysis and interviews with Kerry stars past and present.

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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1 month ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

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1 month ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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