THE brief was to pick the best side from those she had played alongside or against in a Monaghan jersey that spanned 14 years from the early 90s to the middle of the noughties.
Jenny Greenan was one of the best ladies footballers ever to grace a field and she was an integral part of the Farney county’s rise in the 1990s. She was just 14 when she first lined out for the first ever Monaghan ladies team and she left an everlasting mark that yielded seven All Stars, two All-Ireland senior and one All-Ireland junior championship winning medal, five National Leagues as well as county and Ulster club honours with Aghabog.
A knee injury in 2005 brought her inter county career to a halt just as Cork was emerging as a powerhouse and so her best 15 is an interesting read from times perhaps almost forgotten.
1. Annalisa Crotty (Waterford)
Annalisa played in a number of positions and won all stars as a goalkeeper and outfield. A great all-round player and while in goals was very hard to beat.
2. Helena Lohan (Mayo)
A strong, no messing defender. She never gave the forward an easy ball and had great speed to win a ball out front.
3. Siobhan Ryan (Waterford)
A tower of strength at full back and always had a safe pair of hands. Not too many got around her and if they did, they knew about it. Was chatting to her recently and she’s still togging out for Ballymacarbry’s junior team.
4. Maura Kelly (Tyrone)
A tight defender who gave forwards very little space. She was strong under the high ball and equally as comfortable going forward. A very skilful defender.
5. Niamh Kindlon (Monaghan)
Niamh could have slotted into a few different positions. She was always determined with a never say die attitude. She had a mighty engine and always involved in the play. Suffered major injuries and always fought back.
6. Brenda McAnespie (Monaghan)
You could play Brenda in any position on the pitch, even goals. She was always committed and never gave up. A great reader of the game and gave everything to ladies' football.
7. Julie Ann Torpey (Waterford)
A great defender who went about her job in a very quiet way. Attacked down the wing on many occasions and set up many attacks for the Waterford forwards.
8. Chris Heffernan (Mayo)
Spent years marking Chris but was lucky to play alongside her for Sligo IT. She was a very dedicated player and a loyal teammate. She trained hard and was always full of energy.
9. Mary O’Donnell (Waterford)
Always looked effortless and was very skilful on the ball. She almost looked as if she wasn’t moving when eating up the ground. Could run all day and was a great link between defence and attack.
10. Maggie Kierans (Monaghan)
Every team needs a Maggie. Played both club and county with her. She was passionate, determined, skilful and full of boldness! When Maggie spoke, you listened.
11. Sue Ramsbottom (Laois)
One of the greats of ladies football. She was powerful and seriously strong on the ball. Protected the ball really well and very difficult to dispossess.
12. Edel Byrne (Monaghan)
Edel was probably the most naturally skilful player I’ve played with. She had speed, skill and a lethal and accurate shot at the end. Once she started one of her surging runs, she was very hard to stop.
13. Eilish Gormley (Tyrone)
Caused us serious problems for many years at Ulster level. She was skilful and a lethal finisher. Extremely difficult to mark and nearly 100% of Tyrone scores went through Eilish.
14. Cora Staunton (Mayo)
Probably the most decorated and best-known ladies footballer of all time. She is powerful, skilful and very accurate. A great athlete who is still competing at a high level.
15. Geraldine O’Shea (Kerry)
Another natural on the ball. Could kick with both feet and a great eye for scores. Great speed on the ball and difficult to mark. Blink and she had the ball over the bar.
Subs
Lynette Hughes (Tyrone) - A player who worked tirelessly for her team. She was skilful on the ball and able to take her own scores.
Claire Egan (Mayo) - One of the strongest and most competitive players I ever marked. I had many tussles with her over the years and on 50/50 balls you rarely came off the best.
Annette Clarke (Galway) - A player with a great set of hands and work ethic. Played with her at Sligo IT and we were just in awe of some of her scores. You could find her in defence helping out or at the other end of the field kicking a score.
Geraldine Ryan (Waterford) - One of the famous Waterford players. She was strong on the ball and if you gave her an inch she made room to get the ball over the bar.
Angela Larkin & Dianne Dempsey (Monaghan) - Couldn’t choose between these two so sneaking them both in. Both skilful players who knew exactly where the goals were. Scored many vital scores for Monaghan over the years.
Overview:
“I think I’ll stop now as I’ve changed this about 50 times! I didn’t include any Cork players on this team as their rise came at end of my playing days. Obviously players like Juliet Murphy, Briege Corkery, Angela Walsh etc are household names but I stuck with the older generation!”
