O'Sé brothers create history at All-Stars

All-Ireland football champions Kerry have matched their hurling counterparts Kilkenny by having six players included in the 2007 Vodafone GAA All-Stars team, with all three O Sé brothers making the line-up.

Fri, 19 Oct, 2007 - 23:22

The 2007 All-Stars football side was revealed tonight at the annual banquet in the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, and Kerry's Marc, Tomas and Darragh O Sé created history as it was the first time three members of the same family were recipients of All-Star awards.

It was undeniably Kerry's night as Marc O Sé was also named as the Footballer of the Year and his defensive colleague Killian Young picked up the Young Footballer of the Year gong.

The All-Stars team selection includes six Kerry players, four from Dublin, two from Derry and one each from Cork, Meath and Monaghan. The Kingdom managed to match their tally of last year when six of their players also collected All-Stars.

Tonight's awards went to Marc O Sé at right corner back, his brother Tomas at right half-back and Aidan O'Mahony at centre back, Darragh O Sé was a winner in midfield, while All-Ireland winning captain Declan O'Sullivan and Colm Cooper, who top-scored with 1-5 in last month's final win over Cork, were selected at centre forward and right corner forward respectively.

Surprisingly, given that he has already won three All-Irelands, this was O'Sullivan's first All-Star. At the other end of the scale, both Darragh O'Sé and Cooper were winning their fourth All-Stars and confirming himself as one of the most consistent footballers in the country, Tomas O Se received his third All-Star in four years.

In goal, Dublin's Stephen Cluxton retained the award he won twelve months ago with Footballer of the Year O Sé being joined by Derry's Kevin McCloy and Cork favourite Graham Canty in the full-back line.

The latter two are first time recipients, with McCloy being Derry's first All-Star winner since Enda Muldoon in 2004 and Canty following in the footsteps of fellow Rebels Ger Spillane and Nicholas Murphy, who were both winners in 2006.

The only non-Kerry player in the half-back line is Dublin's Barry Cahill, another first time winner, while his Leinster championship-winning colleague Ciaran Whelan, who won his only previous All-Star back in 1999, ended his long wait for a second by being included at centre-field.

There were two more first-timers in the half-forwards in Meath's Stephen Bray and Kerry skipper O'Sullivan, with Dublin's Alan Brogan winning successive All-Stars - twelve months ago he was selected at centre forward, but this time he was a winner on the left wing.

Joining four-time winner Cooper in the full-forward line were Derry's Paddy Bradley, a deserved winner after some near misses, and Monaghan attacker Thomas Freeman, who becomes his county's first All-Star since Paddy Linden and Eugene Hughes were both honoured in 1988.

Competing the list of winners on the night and in addition to the Hurling All-Stars team which was announced on Wednesday, Waterford goal hero Dan Shanahan beat off competition from his team-mate Ken McGrath and Kilkenny's Tommy Walsh to be named Hurler of the Year for 2007.

Limerick, who lost out to Kilkenny in last month's All-Ireland decider, gained some consolation too when their excellent corner back Seamus Hickey received the Young Hurler of the Year honour. Limerick's Mike Fitzgerald and Galway man John Lee were also nominated for the award.

2007 GAA VODAFONE ALL-STARS FOOTBALL TEAM:

Goalkeeper: Stephen Cluxton (Dublin)

Right Corner Back: Marc O Sé (Kerry)

Full-Back: Kevin McCloy (Derry)

Left Corner Back: Graham Canty (Cork)

Right Half-Back: Tomás O Sé (Kerry)

Centre Back: Aidan O'Mahony (Kerry)

Left Half-Back: Barry Cahill (Dublin)

Midfielders: Ciaran Whelan (Dublin), Darragh O Se (Kerry)

Right Half-Forward: Stephen Bray (Meath)

Centre Forward: Declan O'Sullivan (Kerry)

Left Half-Forward: Alan Brogan (Dublin)