Safeness cost Mayo's All-Ireland winners more All-Stars

Not since the 1997 All-Star selection was a more politically correct GAA All-Stars team named. Back then, Kildare, beaten Leinster semi-finalists earned three All-Stars whilst Mayo, appearing on their second successive All-Ireland final obtained a miserly two. This year Mayo earned six, they certainly merited at least one if not two more.

So what happened?

Two things to bear in mind in picking this year’s All-Stars. The new rules has had a return to forwards getting the space to be forwards and not auxiliary blockers in boring defensive set ups, as practiced by Donegal in particular and copied by others to wear them down. Conversely defenders now became defenders once more with many one-on-one battles thanks to the three back three-up rule. In essence we saw the return of the corner back, the full back and his partner, the left corner back. Specific operators with clearly defined roles.

In picking the nominations for the All-Stars a glaring mistake was made with the omission of Eoin McGreal for the number four spot. Solid all season and probably the closest to nullifying Paudie Clifford in this year’s All-Ireland final. More to come on that one later. Having decided to spread the net wide to include a few players from the lesser light counties and to achieve that the selectors had to pull a rabbit from the hat.

I pointed out that corner backs are now back to doing corner back duty, i.e marking their direct opponent. Step forward Jack Coyne, captain of the Mayo team who won the All-Ireland after a seventy-five-year famine. But that alone doesn’t merit an All Star. No. Going into the last match his direct opponent Kerry’s Dylan Geaney was in Footballer of the Year territory going into that final, nineteen shots at the posts, eighteen scores plus the one that dropped short was finished to the Dublin net in the semi final. Coyne would have his hands full was the feeling. It was Geaney whose collar was felt, no shots, no scores and taken off after fifty minutes.

Coyne, QED and All Star? No.

The rabbits from the hat? Easy said the selectors. Pick the two attacking Mayo wing-backs Callinan and Hession and put them in the two and four defensive slots. That gives Mayo two defensive spots and frees up three more in the half-back line. Louth, Westmeath and Armagh the beneficiaries there. Callinan and Hession at five and seven were the picks there but needs must. That’s wrong. If you are rewarding Westmeath for a Leinster title and Armagh for an Ulster, might as well throw one to the Rossies as well.

No problem with the midfield. Jack Carney’s tour de force spoke for itself. My respect for Niall Scully is immense. A Trojan worker, creator and underrated but ahead of Con O’Callaghan, even Kilkenny or our own Jordan Flynn this season is questionable. The biggest loser of course is Paudie Clifford. Himself and his brother dragged Kerry this season to the final. He singlehandedly tormented Dublin when they threatened to break away and in the final, but back to the McGreal conundrum.

Whilst held by Eoin, Paudie was always a menace and threat. Having omitted McGreal and underplayed his role, Paudie Clifford also became collateral damage. Scully and O’Hanlon can feel lucky. Clifford the elder deserved his spot ahead of either.

The other glaring omission in the half back line is David McBrien. Solid all season, in my opinion his All-Ireland final performance and influence ranked just behind Carney and ROD. He scored our opening point when we were adrift. He marked Seanie O’Shea out of the game. He intercepted a pass from Kerry, started the train procession for the goal, continued his run, flicked the ball into the prairie he created for Darragh’s goal.

And he’s not an All-Star. Wow, what else could he have done?

The county that couldn’t - or so we were told - produce “marquee” forwards found three. Step forward Darragh Beirne, Kobe and Ryan O’Donoghue. They took that final by the scruff of the neck and shook Kerry to the core. In fact, such was their influence is that next season will see an advance on what I’d call dynamic forward pressing. Defence will begin on the opponents twenty metre line.

So we got six All-Stars. We merited eight. But the campaign for a Westmeath, Louth and another lesser county to be included succeeded. The question were the recipients better than Coyne and McBrien in particular. The answer is no.

We now stand at sixty All-Stars since its inception. Kerry are brand leaders with 170, Dublin next with 147, Cork with 64 and us. The numbers reflect our prominent position in GAA circles since 1989. Long may we prosper. Well done to our recipients. Hard luck to the lads who deserved one but political correctness costing them. They will be back.