GAA Top 20: Forde, Fitzhenry or Carty - who is the greatest Wexford footballer of the last 50 years?

FROM the day he made his Leinster championship debut as a sub against Longford in May 1999, it was clear there was something different about Matty Forde.

Poised and elegant in the way he went about his business, his ability to create space and shoot with a high degree of accuracy marked him as a forward of huge potential. His development was quick and exciting as he set about building possibly the greatest career in Wexford football history.

Unfortunately for him, he won neither provincial nor All-Ireland titles, but he still succeeded in leaving an indelible imprint on the game. Even allowing for the difficulty less successful counties have in winning All Star awards, it was always likely that Forde would become the first Wexford man to succeed in football.

It came to pass in 2004 when he won an award, despite Wexford being eliminated from the Leinster championship at the semi-final stage and exiting the All-Ireland qualifiers in Round 3.

However, his strike rate in League and Championship (he scored a total of 12-54) was enough to nudge him ahead of a high-quality field into the left full-forward slot.

His remarkable scoring skills remained a key part of Wexford’s efforts right up to his retirement seven years later, by which time he had taken his career total to 34-500.

Our No 2 choice is from an earlier era, specifically the 1970s-early 1980s, a period when Mick Carty was such a powerful figure, mainly in the half-back line but also at midfield and half-forward. He captained UCD to All-Ireland club glory in 1975 and featured regularly for Leinster.

Dual star, Séamus Fitzhenry comes in at No 3, thanks to his prolific strike-rate and exciting runs while John O’Gorman defensive reliability over a long period earns him fourth place.

WEXFORD

1. Matty Forde

2. Mick Carty

3. Séamus Fitzhenry

4. John O’Gorman

5. Ciarán Lyng

6. Louis Rafter

7. Redmond Barry

8. John Harrington

9. Colm Morris

10. Martin Hanrick

11. Graeme Molloy

12. Philip Wallace

13. Dáithí Waters

14. Ben Brosnan

15. John Cooper

16. Leigh O’Brien

17. David Murphy

18. Brian Malone

19. Scott Doran

20. PJ Banville

See Tuesday's Irish Independent and Independent.ie to find out who has made the grade for each team in Munster and have your say on each county's poll below