Breakthrough gong for David Clifford as Dublin dominate All-Stars
All-Ireland SFC champions Dublin matched their best PwC All Stars haul this decade with seven awards as Colm Cavanagh and Brian Howard were picked for honours in areas other than where they were nominated.
As part of a selection change introduced this year, nominated outfield players can be chosen in a different section providing they have played in that role during the Championship. Cavanagh, nominated in midfield, is acknowledged for his work in defence and young footballer of the year nominee and forward nominee Howard slots into the middle alongside his team-mate Brian Fenton.
In all, there are just four players claiming back-to-back All-Stars — Cavanagh, Jack McCaffrey, James McCarthy, and Paul Mannion. That means of the Dublin team that began the September 2 final win over Tyrone, 10 have won awards over the last two seasons, the other three being Cian O’Sullivan, Con O’Callaghan, and Dean Rock.
Dublin’s seven is the same as their 2015 collection.
Overall, there are six first-timers — Rory Beggan and Karl O’Connell of Monaghan, Howard (Dublin), Pádraig Hampsey (Tyrone), Kerry’s David Clifford, and Ian Burke of Galway.
Johnny Cooper, Cavanagh, Paul Mannion and Ryan McHugh add their second All-Stars while James McCarthy, McCaffrey, Fenton, Ciarán Kilkenny, and Conor McManus claim their third awards.
Donegal’s McHugh becomes only the seventh player to win All-Stars in both defence and attack as he was chosen in the forward line. He joins the select group of Ger Power (Kerry), Nudie Hughes (Monaghan), Paddy Moriarty (Armagh), Seán Lowry (Offaly), Graham Geraghty (Meath), and Anthony McGurk (Derry).
McHugh now matches his father Martin’s two All-Stars attained in 1983 and ‘92. Ryan’s Donegal team-mate Eoghan Bán Gallagher was also strongly considered for selection but missed out.
For the second year in a row, Kerry take one award as Clifford picked up his first All-Star after Paul Geaney represented the county in 2017. Kerry lead the all-time All-Stars list with 141 but Dublin have now cut the difference to 18 having moved to 123.
Tyrone’s return of two is the worst for All-Ireland runners-up since Cork’s one in 2007 (Graham Canty) when they lost the decider to Kerry.
Monaghan’s three is their best ever representation, eclipsing their doubles in 1985, ‘88, and 2013 and for Beggan it’s fourth time lucky after three nominations in 2013, ’14, and ‘15. The Wylie brothers, Drew and Ryan, were also in the shake-up but in the end the selection committee believed Beggan and O’Connell were the two most deserving Farney men in the back seven.
Remarkably, Burke is Galway’s first All-Star since manager Kevin Walsh was successful in 2003, although the likes of captain Damien Comer, who has been nominated these past two seasons, and Shane Walsh, came close.
One of the Dublin trio of Fenton, Kilkenny, and McCaffrey will be chosen for the Footballer of the Year award with McCaffrey looking to claim it for a second time after his selection in 2015. The presence of all three means it will be the first time a Dubliner has won the award since McCaffrey.
Howard is shortlisted for Young Footballer of the Year along with Clifford and Tyrone’s Michael McKernan. Shortlisted by journalists on the All-Stars committee, the winners will be decided by the inter-county football playing body on a proportional representation basis.
Along with the hurling 15, the Hurler and Young Hurlers of the Year, the individual football victors will be revealed at the televised gala in Dublin’s National Convention Centre tomorrow at 7pm.
This year’s All-Stars trip is to Philadelphia at the end of the month and involves the 2017 and 2018 football sides.
