COLM COOPER REVEALED the toughest defenders he has faced in his career when appearing on The Sunday Game last night.
Cooper, who is currently out for the season with a torn cruciate ligament, was a guest pundit on the RTÉ show and chose Cork’s Anthony Lynch, Mayo’s Keith Higgins and Kerry teammate Marc Ó Sé – based on training matches – as the most difficult opponents he has come up against.
Anthony Lynch
“One of the guys I faced for ten years was Anthony Lynch from Cork. He was a great defender, very committed and tenacious and a great servant to Cork. I remember going to Páirc Uí Chaoimh and having many tough days against him.
“In one Munster final, he was named man-of-the-match. Anybody he faced Anthony would know that they were in a game. He was a shining light for ten or twelve years on the Cork team along with Graham Canty. The fact that he played, corner-back, full-back and centre-back showed how versatile he was.”
Keith Higgins
The second player is Keith Higgins from Mayo. I’ve been on him in All-Ireland finals and a number of League games.
“I don’t think I’ve ever come across a player with so much speed. He showed his versatility by going into the forwards and he lined out at centre-forward in last year’s All-Ireland final. He’s a player who is highly rated, not only in Mayo, but all over the country.”
“He has a number of All Stars and I just found it difficult to find space off him. I’ve had a good few battles with him and who knows we may do again.”
Marc Ó Sé
“My third choice is a player that I’ve faced a number of times in training and that’s Marc Ó Sé. He’s been one of Kerry’s most consistent backs since I started playing.
“He’s a great reader of the game and he such a good player that he could play in any position. Indeed, he played centre-forward for his club. In a few club matches, we’ve even had a few blows.”