The Great GAA Search for the Marquee Forward

Every county wants one - a fulcrum to build their attack around - but the attacking unit needs to flourish to get the best out of your starboy.

Scoring forwards are the most sought after, and treasured commodity in the game of Gaelic Football. No matter how many tweaks or trends and blankets or sweepers are added to the mix, make no mistake about it - the players who can put the ball between the posts are valued above all. 

The ‘marquee’ forward, is the next rung up the ladder from the scoring forward, a mythical moniker that gets bestowed upon the very best - think Clifford, Rock, Cillian, Walsh, Peter Canavan - the type of forward who can literally kick their team over the line, which they’d often do, too.

Not too dissimilar from Dublin’s innate, god-given (gaa-given) advantages, Rule 6.4a from the Official GAA Rulebook states that: ‘The Kingdom of Kerry must always possess at least one, other-worldly corner-forward, capable of the utterly sublime.’

We may need an emergency congress to change that rule, if they keep stocking up.

But despite natural selection favouring Kerry, marquee forwards can still pop up in random pockets across the country - in recent years, Wexford had Mattie Forde. Clare’s David Tubridy became the top points-scorer in the league, of all time. Even the Tipp Footballers have had a golden period in that regard, from Browne to Quinlivan to Sweeney. Ulster’s stockpiled the marquee forwards throughout the 2000s; McDonnell, Bradley, O’Neill, to mention a few.

They’re becoming a rare breed though, and even more valuable as you drop down the divisions. It feels like Fermanagh have always had Sean Quigley to call on (perhaps, he’s in the mercurial bracket), Sligo can turn to Niall Murphy and Leitrim have Keith Beirne: the perfect target at full-forward, who can score any way you want, illustrated by his tally of 3-38 in four appearances this year.

And as imperative as it is to find that diamond who can lead your attack; we’re learning more and more about the importance of that collective front six as the league rolls on.

At the beginning of the year - we asked ourselves could the chasing pack add that extra element to their attack, to get them over the line - Derry, Dublin, Galway, Armagh, Tyrone, Mayo - we’re looking at you!

I was in Castlebar on Saturday night, and the difference between the two forward units couldn’t have been more stark. Mayo attacked as if they had a four-pronged plan:

1. Run it (when it’s on)

2. Kick it to Aidan (when it’s on)

3. Shoot from distance (when it’s on)

4. Go for goal (as much as you can).

25 February 2023; Aidan O'Shea celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during their NFL Division 1 match win against Tyrone. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Tyrone, by contrast - were toothless. Their attack had no spark. They rotated the ‘big man’ at full-forward but refused to kick it. Canavan (Darragh) started like a man on a mission, but they couldn’t get him into the game, and likewise Ruairi (Canavan) was getting into lovely little pockets, but they failed to find him.

I wonder do they need to completely cut the chord on the style that served them so well in 2021 and add a kicking and scoring threat to the half-forward line. Surely, Brian Dooher, of anyone - knows how to get that line right.

I got such enjoyment out of watching Mayo under lights, they really put on a show. Believe the hype around how they’re using Aidan O’Shea at full-forward, he’s been so smart with the ball. Ryan O’Donoghue is in savage form. James Carr is beginning to elevate his talents above the ‘mercurial tag’. Jack Carney was the star of the half-forward this week, running the show! And it’s some craic when you can bring the likes of Jason Doherty, Cillian O’Connor and the returning Tommy Conroy off the bench too. Options and variety - not to mention the unrelenting service Mayo’s attacking defenders provide. Enda Hession, take a bow.

James O’Donoghue wrote a piece on his blog (which you should read) espousing the importance of adding a scoring threat to your half-forward line, and we dug a bit deeper into it on Ep. 7 of The Football Pod, which you can listen to here.

Paddy Andrews starred in the midst of one of the most lethal attacking units to ever grace the game of Gaelic Football: 10. Flynn, 11. Connolly, 12. Kilkenny, 13. Andrews, 14. Rock, 15. Brogan - did a nice bit of damage in their time. This week on The Football Pod, he focused on what Armagh need to get to the next level - he wants ‘more structure in their attack’, with Rian O’Neill and Conor Turbitt refusing to leave the ‘21, it’s well worth listening back too!

Ep. 7 of The Football Pod 🎧

Louth rocked into Navan on Sunday and emerged with a priceless pair of points - I had a piece in the match programme focusing on the importance of their marquee forward,, Sam Mulroy, and Meath’s long wait for their own star to step up to the mantle.

Mulroy was the top-scorer in intercounty football last year, kicking 3-59 as Louth won Division 3, and another 2-14 in his three Championship games as they fell short in the qualifiers against Cork - in total he kicked 56% of his counties tally across all competitions. 

He was the difference against Limerick in Rd. 3, as Louth got their first win of the campaign, top-scoring with six points - yet against Meath, Louth shared the scoring burden, Daire McConnon and Ciaran Downey matched Mulroy’s 0-03, and Ciaran Lennon top-scored with 1-01.

As lethal as Mulroy is, I’m sure Mickey Harte realised that his attack needed more than one threat in 2023 - especially when the oppositions best defender would already be tied up.

26 February 2023; Mickey Harte speaks to his Louth players after the NFL Division 2 win against Meath in Navan. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile

After their last two defeats, it would be fair for some Meath fans to want their defence to be shored up, as a first port of call.

True to form though, Colm O’Rourke’s mindset has been attack-attack-attack - and while his side have plenty of potential in that department - Meath are still waiting for their next marquee forward to fully blossom. 

Over the past decade, Meath have really only had one marquee forward - and that was Mickey Newman. Despite injuries hampering much of his career, the Kilmainham star always delivered for the county from the moment he made his debut in 2013. Newman scored in 69 out of his 72 appearances - racking up a monstrous total of 25-272 - with 35% of that coming from play. An incredible record by all accounts, yet it didn’t yield the rewards it deserved.

Jordan Morris has threatened, and has the potential to become that player for Meath - he exploded onto the scene in the autumn of 2020, scoring 4-21 in five games and earning an All-Star nomination, but he needs to cement that now.

Shane Walsh reminded Meath down in Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Round 1 of his potential, his 1-07 went a long way to securing a vital win for Meath. We first got a glimpse into what he could become during the Super 8s campaign in 2019 - when he top-scored against Mayo and Kerry as an 18 year-old.

O’Rourke has set his stall out by starting six attacking forwards. As mentioned above, the modern game requires that threat from your half-forward line - it’s no longer good enough for them to filter back as an extra body in defence and clock up the miles on the GPS - Campion, Scully and O’Sullivan can provide them the perfect platform this season.

While the debate around Meath’s ‘new’ kicking game and the search for that marquee forward unfolds, O’Rourke will want his front six to flourish as a unit. Operating with a rookie full-back line - Meath will be relying on their forwards to shoot them to Division 2 safety in their remaining three games.