An All-Star studded history for Mayo GAA

This year’s All-Stars will celebrate its 55th anniversary when the awards will be presented. The journey for Mayo from last year's nominations - a single in Jack Coyne - to eleven this season reflects the epic journey the county took.

I vividly recall the first ever All-Star team announcement, and it was exciting. It elevated the profile of players not on the radar unless in the provincial Railway Cup competitions. It also led to great debate.

The 1971 All-Star selection comprised nine counties, Offaly (4), Galway (4), and one each from Mayo, Kerry, Cork, Meath, Sligo, Down and Antrim. Johnny Carey from Mayo and Mícheál Kearns from Sligo were inaugural winners. Both were also ex-St Muredach’s pupils. If we take the next 54 years from 1971 to 2025 and decipher the statistics and look at the top ten counties awarded those statuettes, we will see a correlation between All-Ireland winning teams and All-Stars.

Kerry heads the poll up to this year’s awards, awaiting with 167 All-Stars and 17 All-Ireland titles. Next up are Dublin with 146 recipients and 14 titles, third are Cork with 64 awards and four titles, Tyrone are fifth with 58 awards and also four titles. We are currently ranked fifth with 54 awards and until this July, no All-Ireland. Meath rank sixth with a 49/4 break, Galway next with 48/2, Donegal with a 40/2 ratio, Armagh with 31/2 breakdown of titles to awards. I almost forgot Offaly with a healthy 30/3.

That we feature just outside the top four and with projected numbers forecast inside the next month or two that will lift us to fourth, it’s a testament to our quality to produce top class players that over the last fifty-five years are nationally recognised.

Looking at Cork’s fall, we see their last award was Aiden Walsh back in 2012. Since 1994 Down has gathered a single award in 2010. Meath has garnered two since 2007, Offaly a single since 1997, Roscommon two since 2001. In essence we are at the forefront of the GAA big Oscar night, averaging roughly a gong a year. Nothing wrong with that.

Tactically the game has changed and the old days of the number two being essentially a right corner back who grazed between the end line flag and his left-handed post, where occasionally he took the kick outs, has long gone. Today he has to be as adept and fast as his attacking opponent, remembering not to break the three back rule if he decides to sally forth and ensure cover has gone back. A bit of maths mixed with football, spacial awareness being the important factor. The goalie from the days of Patrick Kavanagh when he stood between Inishkeen’s post and sauntering off to buy an ice cream such was the dominance of his team, are but a poetic meme. Today’s goal tender is the most scrutinised player on the pitch.

Looking back at some of the controversies, many were self-inflicted by the GAA itself, when it trebled as a sporting organisation along with double jobbing as a political outpost and Catholic Church sentinel. Kissing the bishops ring, him throwing the ball in to start many the All-Ireland, the clerical bar, Maynooth blocking the nations men in black from playing, the GAA did its own moral handwringing too. No All-Star if you were sent off during the season. In 1985 Eamon McEneaney from Monaghan was a shoo in for an All-Star only it to be scuppered because he got sent off in the Kilmacud Crokes seven-a-side tournament. Offaly’s Pat Fluery was barred from attending the big night bash because he was sent of in an Oireachtas Cup hurling match.

That was then and this is now. The GAA no longer bothers with moral side issues as witnessed with its tone-deaf response to the Allianz controversy. The GAA political connections will be like the poor, always with us. It’s what makes us Irish. Brian Whelahan of Offaly holds the dubious honour of winning the 1994 GAA hurler of the year award but failing to make the All-Star team that he should have been captain off. That one went down to secret voting and Whelahan being selected in different positions but splitting his overall vote. Such foibles wouldn’t be the GAA unless they broke forth like an itch on occasions.

Let’s not underestimate the sheer power and recognition that an All-Star award bestowed on the recipient. His football prowess nationally acknowledged, his family, his team but also, the follower gets to celebrate something from a season and competitions where essentially only one team wins the big cup.

How much worse would have we felt had we not picked up five awards after that awful loss in 1996 to Meath, the four in our losses in 2013 and 2016 respectively to the Dubs with six awards coming in 2017 plus successive Player of the Year awards v the same opponent? All-Stars matter. Often, they are the only recognition that you actually climbed that effing mountain often only earning pain and heartache.

Our 58 awards cover every position. From the fixed and clearly defined early days of John Carey to the roving Lee Keegan, Chris Barrett or Keith Higgins, positions nowadays are movable feasts.

And players have to be flexible. Our All-Stars have consisted of three goalkeepers, seven number twos, a single full-back, six left corner backs, seven right half backs, two centre backs, four at seven, midfield accounts for seven All-Stars, one number ten, two centre forwards, five left half-forwards, one number 13, two at full-forward and four at 15.

Breaking those down further, we see David Clarke twice and Gabriel Irwin back in our breakout year of 1989 sharing the goalkeepers spot. Carey, Jimmy Brown, Kenny Mort twice, Harry, Chris and Oisín Mullin were the number twos. Full-backs, we are short of, but Ger Cafferkey bails us out there. Number four is dominated by Flanagan twice and Higgins with an incredible four awards. Number five has seven awards, Lee Keegan owning a monstrous five of them, the other two between Pat Holmes and Paddy Durcan. Centre-back is like full-back, one man but two awards in this case, step forward James Nallen. Left half back, one man again but an incredible four awards. Take a bow Boyler.

The seven middle of the park spots are claimed by Willie Joe, TJ Kilgallon, Matthew Ruane and Aido twice. Kevin O’Neill is a singular ten; Willie Joe pops up at 11 with Ciaran McDonald for company. For left half-forward, five awards are Ballintubber twinned with James Horan and Alan Dillon. Ballaghaderreen’s underrated Noel Durkin fills the other spot. The Mort stands at 13 with Kevin McStay for company, Andy Moran leads the line at 14 twice, with support from Ryan O’Donoghue. Left corner-forward has Cillian with two and Joe McGrath of the 1979 class completing our All-Star cast.

Going over the last 54 years and positions we have more than punched our weight, but it is evident that we are thin on the ground in certain positions. Three goalkeepers in that time, a single full-back, twice through Jimmy Nallen at six, seven from two midfield spots, Willie Joe and Ciaran Mc as centre-forwards, and Andy and Ryan our two number 14s tells us something.

The spine of the team seems underrepresented. And yet like as stated we rank in the top five, hopefully in a few weeks in the top four. Conservatively we should pick up six All-Stars at least this time round, I’d go for eight but am allowing for the tendency that some of the voters like to reward breakthrough lesser known on the big stage counties.

The All-so Star-red 

No list is complete with out the unlucky, should have, could have been picked. Bearing in mind, we are judging a lad on what he did on a particular season, and some of those boys did over many seasons, they can feel unlucky to have been overlooked.

Kevin McLoughlin gave us a decade of top-class consistent football, always at least a 7/10 lad, occasionally going above when needed. Remember his goal v Cork 2011 that lit the fuse that burned until 2021?

Peter Burke couldn’t have done more than he did. Always utterly consistent. His 1997 final display v Kerry saved at least three certain goals. At a time when goalkeepers kickouts weren’t under today’s microscope, Burke was a navigator in accuracy. He merited an All-Star between 1997 and 2004.

Donal Vaughan burst in to the scene, for me at least, with a barn storming display v Kerry (0-3) at centre-back in 2011 semi-final. His level of consistency underpinned the 2011/17 teams. Never got the nod. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Tom Cunniffe merited a call up in 2011 and 2013. Trevor Mortimer suffered because perhaps he wasn’t Ken or Conor? Who knows, but he played at the highest returns when required. Seamus O'Shea and Tom Parsons were overlooked for lads from other counties that hadn’t their work rate or ability. Or maybe they lacked the stardust the media saw in other Mayo lads at that time. 

Noel Connelly captained and led us twice to All-Ireland finals, leading by example. A scoring wing back and instrumental in our first national title win in 2001 since 1970, with Connelly on the pitch you knew you had a leader. Those that vote didn’t see that. Thankfully, Mayo followers did.

Anyway, best of luck to the next batch of Mayo All-Stars. This time, they can add the nomenclature of All-Ireland champions to the award as well.