Was Shane Walsh’s superb performance against Kerry the greatest by a player on the losing team in an All-Ireland final?
The Galway forward finished with a tally of 0-9. His four points from play were all right out of the top drawer, while he was fouled for one of the four frees that he converted (he also landed a 45) and he set up another point too.
He kicked two wides also but that was more than forgivable given the all round quality of his performance, which almost single-handedly inspired Galway’s first All-Ireland since 2001.
In All-Ireland final history, displays of that calibre are rare - and rarer still on the losing side.
We’ve come up with four that are comparable.
Bernard Flynn (Meath), 1991
From the first ball that went Flynn’s way in the opening minute of the 1991 All-Ireland final Down couldn’t handle him, with the late Éamonn Burns conceding a free from which Brian Stafford opened the scoring.
Flynn then slotted his first point of the day but was powerless to prevent a rampant Down side streaking 11 points clear.
He gave Brendan McKernan and Paul Higgins a torrid afternoon, however, as he took his tally to 0-6 from play. It could have been better too as Flynn drew a fine save from Neil Collins, while his sixth point flew just over Collins’s crossbar as Meath sought a goal to reel Down right in before losing by two points.
Peter Canavan (Tyrone), 1995
Canavan began to command a profile beyond Tyrone and Ulster when winning his first All Star in 1994 and then he inspired their run to just their second ever All-Ireland final in 1995.
In a largely forgettable game against Dublin, he accounted for all bar one of Tyrone’s 0-12, albeit 10 of his 11 points came from placed balls.
He was at the centre of the game-defining moment when he was controversially adjudged by referee Paddy Russell to have fouled the ball on the ground when playing it to Sean McLaughlin to kick what appeared to be the equalising point with time almost up.
It denied Tyrone a replay but Canavan’s brilliance was still recognised as he won the Footballer of the Year award.
David Clifford (Kerry), 2019
Clifford’s performance against Galway may have been held up as proof of his producing the goods on the biggest stage but, the truth is, he had already ticked that box three years ago.
Granted, he was somewhat off colour in the first half of the drawn final with Dublin with some uncharacteristic misses but he still forced the sending off of Jonny Cooper after drawing two fouls and kicked 0-2 from play.
He stepped it up in the replay, however, when he hit 0-5 (0-4 from play) in a performance that was overshadowed by Dublin’s achievement in completing the five-in-a-row.
Lee Keegan (Mayo), 2021
There are a few that could be referenced on Keegan’s behalf, though his effort in last year’s final against Tyrone is the standout.
Although it ultimately proved to be in vain, he drove them forward relentlessly, particularly when the game was going away from them during the second half, in which he kicked an inspirational point from distance. It was a display that married his warrior spirit with all of the class that he exudes as a footballer.
His performance in the 2017 final defeat to Dublin, when he nullified Ciaran Kilkenny and scored what looked to be a game-breaking goal, also warrants mention.
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