All Stars 2012 8-17 All Stars 2011 8-7: Last night's All Star exhibition match in Gaelic Park, New York, went decisively to form, as this year's team, managed by Donegal's Jim McGuinness, ran out 10-points winners over the 2011 selection.
The beaten side was the last to be sent out for a while by Pat Gilroy, who recently stepped down as Dublin manager.
The usual barrage of goals in these fixtures also materialised and for quite a while, kept last year’s team right in the hunt. But once Mayo’s Cillian O’Connor had struck for his side’s third goal and a one-point lead, 3-12 to 5-5, towards the end of the third quarter, the 2012 team were never caught.
Played 13-a-side with the travelling teams short a number of players because of injury, a couple of local footballers were given the opportunity to play and CJ Molloy, a nephew of Donegal’s 1992 All-Ireland winning captain Anthony Molloy, chipped in with the 2012 team’s eighth goal at the very end.
There was some unusual positioning besides the 13-man configuration. Rory O’Carroll, Dublin’s full-back, played up front and got the 2011 team’s second goal.
The 2012 team deserved their win and had pressed forward more convincingly throughout the match with half-backs Karl Lacey and Lee Keegan helping to drive them forward.
Winner of the man of the match – or MVP – award for the evening was Dublin centrefielder Michael Darragh Macauley, playing for 2011s, who finished the match with a hat-trick of goals in a total of 3-1.
A crowd of around 1,000 was in attendance and the teams attended a dinner organised by the New York GAA afterwards.
ALL STARS 2012:P Durcan (Donegal); K Higgins (Mayo), E Cadogan (Cork); A Thompson (Donegal), K Lacey (Donegal, 0-2), L Keegan (Mayo, 1-1); A Walsh (Cork, 0-1), N Gallagher (Donegal, 1-2); K McLoughlin (Mayo, 0-1, 45), D O'Connor (Cork, 2-2), P Kerrigan (Cork, 1-1); M Murphy (Donegal, 0-1), C O'Neill (Cork, 1-2).
Inter-change players:CJ Molloy (New York, 1-0), D Lehane (New York), C O'Connor (Mayo, 1-4), N McGee (Donegal).
ALL STARS 2011:B Kealy (Kerry); M O Se (Kerry), J McMahon (Tyrone); T O Se (Kerry), K Nolan (Dublin), K Cassidy (Donegal); MD Macauley (Dublin, 3-1), M Foley (Kildare, 0-1); B Brosnan (Wexford, 0-2), B Brogan (Dublin, 2-1), K McManamon (Dublin, 1-2); D O'Dwyer (New York), R O'Carroll (Dublin, 1-0).
Inter-change players:C Horgan (New York), A Dillon (Mayo, 1-0).
REFEREE: M Deegan (Laois)
