GAELIC GAMES:DONEGAL'S STATUS as All-Ireland football champions is evident from their domination of this year's GAA GPA Football All Stars, sponsored by Opel. Jim McGuinness's team have racked up eight awards, gaining representation on every line in the field, and equalling the highest total for an Ulster county – set by Tyrone seven years ago.
The haul also moves Donegal, with 27, into joint-second place with Derry amongst Ulster’s all-time county totals – 13 behind Tyrone.
Defeated All-Ireland finalists Mayo receive half of the champions’ total, with four, whereas this year’s beaten semi-finalists, league winners Cork and 2011 champions Dublin, make up the remaining places with two and one respectively.
It is a very inexperienced selection, with 10 newcomers and just three of last year’s team – Donegal pair Neil McGee and Karl Lacey and Dublin’s Paul Flynn – again making the cut. Cork centrefielder Aidan Walsh and Mayo’s Alan Dillon complete the former award winners honoured this year.
The new winners in this year’s selection are Donegal’s Paul Durcan, Frank McGlynn, Neil Gallagher, Mark McHugh, Michael Murphy, Colm McFadden, Mayo’s Ger Cafferkey, Keith Higgins and Lee Keegan, and Colm O’Neill from Cork.
The 10 newcomers do not, however, constitute a record and just two years ago, 11 new All Stars were awarded. The all-time highest tally for first-time awards is 14 and came – strangely – in 1974, 11 years after the prototype, Gaelic Weekly scheme and four years into the new one, then sponsored by Carroll’s.
Only Donegal’s Karl Lacey had won more than one previous award and this year is his fourth.
Donegal’s McHugh, named at left wing forward, joins his father, Martin, and uncle, James as family award winners. Although the father-son combination isn’t unprecedented – Liam (Galway)/Kevin (Mayo) O’Neill, Pat/Paddy Reynolds (Meath), Dermot (Roscommon)/Dermot (Kildare) Earley, Frank/Brian McGuigan (Tyrone), Bernard and Alan/Bernard Brogan (Dublin) and Tim/Tadhg Kennelly (Kerry) – this looks like the first time an All Star is following in the steps of a father and uncle, although former Kerry All-Ireland winning player and manager Páidí Ó Sé won four awards and his nephews Darragh, Tomás and Marc won 12 between them.
The selection is the narrowest based for seven years, with just four counties, the provincial champions, represented. Only three – Tyrone, Kerry and Armagh – were included in 2005.
There’s unlikely to be major controversy over the selection. Donegal were clearly the dominant team and aren’t overrepresented; in fact there may be arguments in favour of wing back Anthony Thompson and centrefielder Rory Kavanagh enhancing their representation.
Mayo will be disappointed not to have secured one of the centrefield positions for Barry Moran and, in possibly the most contentious omission, Kevin McLoughlin doesn’t make the cut after a conspicuously hard-working summer, which he ended as Mayo’s second top scorer from play.
The awards will be presented tomorrow night and proceedings will be broadcast live on RTÉ along with the announcement of the All Star hurling team and the Players and Young Players of the year for both football and hurling, which have been voted on by inter-county players.
Footballer of the Year nominees
Karl Lacey (Donegal)
Colm McFadden (Donegal)
Frank McGlynn ( Donegal)
Young Footballer of the Year
Donal Keogan (Meath)
Paddy McBrearty (Donegal)
Cillian O’Connor (Mayo)
Hurler of the Year
Joe Canning (Galway)
Paul Murphy (Kilkenny)
Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny)
Young Hurler of the Year
Niall Burke (Galway)
Johnny Coen (Galway)
Danny Sutcliffe (Dublin)
