GAA Top 20: Connacht Football - The Special One, Pádraic Joyce at summit in western race

Mayo (11), Galway (8) and Roscommon (1) have played in 20 All-Ireland SFC finals between them since 1970, winning two, drawing three and losing 15. The only wins were in 1998, when Galway beat Kildare and three years later when they overpowered Meath.

Still, the collective failures by so many Connacht teams in finals shouldn’t be mistaken for a shortage of individual talent, as shown by the quality of footballers in our top 20 and, indeed, those who missed out.

Pádraic Joyce takes top spot after a 15-season career (1997-2012), which took in Galway’s best spell since the three-in-a-row era in the 1960s. The Killererin man was a central figure in their two All-Ireland final wins, scoring a crucial goal against Kildare and kicking 0-10 (five from play) against Meath in 2001. He was later chosen as Footballer of the Year.

His leadership skills were invaluable for Galway right through a career which left him with genuine claims to be regarded as the county’s best-ever forward.

Unlike Joyce, Dermot Earley never won an All-Ireland medal, while Lee Keegan’s pursuit of the big prize has, so far at least, proved incredibly frustrating. Earley was one of the most popular players of all time, not just in Roscommon, but all over the country.

Athletic and skilful, he was also the complete sportsman, playing the game as it should be played while, at the same time, bringing a fiercely competitive edge to his approach.

Keegan is one of a rare band who won the Footballer of the Year award without being part of an All-Ireland winning side, a tribute to the respect in which he is held by his fellow players. The complete wing-back package, combining flinty defensive skills with adventurous forward play, Keegan’s talents really do deserve All-Ireland gold.

Like Joyce, Ja Fallon contributed enormously to Galway’s two All-Ireland wins, having earlier been a consistently impressive figure in less successful times for the county. Mickey Kearins completes the top five, having been one of the highest scoring forwards in the game in the 1960s and much of the 1970s.

CONNACHT TOP 20

1. Pádraic Joyce (Galway), 2. Dermot Earley (Roscommon), 3. Lee Keegan (Mayo), 4. Ja Fallon (Galway), 5. Mickey Kearins (Sligo), 6. Michael Donnellan (Galway), 7. Tony McManus (Roscommon), 8. Harry Keegan (Roscommon), 9. Liam McHale (Mayo), 10. Keith Higgins (Mayo), 11. Kevin Walsh (Galway), 12. James Nallen (Mayo), 13. Seán Óg dePaor (Galway), 14. Andy Moran (Mayo), 15. Ciarán McDonald (Mayo), 16. Eamonn O’Hara (Sligo), 17. Michael Meehan (Galway), 18. Mickey Quinn (Leitrim), 19. Pat Lindsay (Roscommon), 20. Johnny Hughes (Galway)

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Galway hurling, Galway football, Leitrim football, Mayo football, Roscommon football, Sligo football