FOR THOSE OF you who still love the rough and tumble of World Wrestling Entertainment, Sunday night is your All-Ireland final day.
The WWE’s showpiece event, Wrestlemania, takes place this weekend and on the card is a special battle royal to commemorate the legendary Andre The Giant. The French colossus was famously impossible to eliminate from the ring due to him being 7 ’4 and 240kg – the sort of lad you might stick on the edge of the square.
To mark the big match, we thought it would be fun to debate who would win if GAA players took part in a battle royal representing their county – but with a twist.
Each county can select two players and they can be from any era.
Basically, who are the two toughest GAA players from every country? And who would come out on top?
Rather than 64 players ourselves, we decided to just give a few suggestions of people who DEFINITELY need to represent their team when it comes to an over-the-top-rope battle royal and let you guys put forward your choices in the comments section..
Dublin
Denis Bastick and Eoghan O’Gara are two of the strongest players on the Dublin team and have never shied away from a physical battle. On the contrary, they get sent off reasonably regularly. And Bastick’s Rey Mysterio-esque flip onto his feet is sure to rally the Dubs during the battle royal.
O’Gara is currently out of action with a knee injury so maybe legendary bruiser Vinnie Murphy could fill in.
Kildare
Here is Niall Buckley flattening Colm Parkinson for your consideration.
Meath
If you polled GAA fans around the country Mick Lyons would probably be one of the consensus tough guys. Lyons played fullback on two All-Ireland winning teams in 1987 and 1988 and was one of the most feared men in football.
And you could do worse than pairing him with Darren Fay, another tough Meath fullback, who won All-Ireland titles in 1996 and 1999.
Armagh
The background to the above photo merely buttresses Francie Bellew’s credentials as a hardman. In the 2005 league final he clattered into Wexford’s John Hegarty and was nowhere near the ball.
An Armagh fan beside me correctly interpreted my open-mouthed expression for shock and dismissed my qualms about the tackle with a brisk, ‘that is just good, hard, traditional Ulster football’.
Vote Bellew.
Tyrone
Take any two-man combo from Mickey Harte’s 2003 All-Ireland winning team and you will be competitive in this battle royal.
Personally, I think Kevin Hughes and Philip Jordan would work well together.
Galway
Ja Fallon was known more for his footballing skills than for physical prowess during his playing career but he could more than handle himself. And just take a look at this photo of a post-retirement Ja. Those guns would definitely come in handy in the squared circle.
Cork
Finally we have a hurler on the list. Diarmuid ‘The Rock’ O’Sullivan wasn’t born, he was formed over thousands of years. There are two great examples of O’Sullivan’s strength that highlight the skills required to thrive in a battle royal environment.
Somehow being able to intimidate the referee into awarding HIM a free for this barrelling run is the first.
Unleashing a small earthquake against Limerick in 2001 is the second.
Kerry
Unfortunately he has passed away now, but if Paidi O Sé was still with us, he would have to be strongly considered for the Kerry team after this haymaker.
They could at least play Paidi’s rousing words before going into battle.
Kilkenny
The above photo is of JJ Delaney in the All-Ireland final replay in 2012. Kilkenny won that. In this year’s All-Ireland final replay, Delaney dislocated his finger. Kilkenny won that too.
So yes, JJ would be a good man to take a chair shot or put somebody through a table.
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So that is The42′s suggestions for a few teams but we need more to fill out our 64-man roster.
Who have we forgotten?
And who would you add from the counties we didn’t cover?
And most importantly, which duo would be left standing at the very end?
