Seamus McEnaney baffled as Paul O’Shea misses out on team of year

Thu, 13 Sep, 2018 - 05:52

Eoghan Cormican

All-Ireland-winning Kerry minor captain Paul O’Shea is the surprise omission from the Electric Ireland minor football team of the year.

All-Ireland champions Kerry have four players — full-back Owen Fitzgerald, half-back Colm Moriarty, midfielder Darragh Rahilly, and top-scorer Paul Walsh — on the team, but there is no place for O’Shea who was outstanding at midfield on the afternoon of their All-Ireland semi-final and final wins.

Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney was the manager of the Monaghan team which Kerry overcame in the semi-final and he took to Twitter yesterday to express his bewilderment at how the Kilcummin teenager was left out of the team.

“Delighted for my two men Ronan [Grimes] and Aaron [Mulligan] making this team of the year. But how Paul O’Shea didn’t make the team of the year is unbelievable. He was player of the year, never mind making the team of the year. Very unfair on this young man,” McEnaney tweeted.

There is also surprise at Galway’s half-back Cathal Sweeney not making the cut, the Salthill/Knocknacarra youngster was instrumental to Galway’s provincial success and subsequent run to the decider. The beaten finalists have three players selected: they are centre-back Tony Gill, midfielder Conor Raftery, and corner-forward Matthew Cooley.

The breakdown is: Kerry (4), Galway (3), Monaghan, Meath (2 each), Kildare, Derry, Dublin, Wicklow (1 each). The 2018 football team of the year was selected by Electric Ireland panellists, including All-Star-winning former Cork footballer, Daniel Goulding, and three-time All-Ireland-winning Tyrone footballer Sean Cavanagh.