If the All Stars were picked now
August 07, 2013
All Stars ©INPHO/James Crombie
1. Stephen Cluxton (Dublin)
The Dublin captain already has a fifth All Star in the bag thanks to his heroics at both ends of pitch. Gaelic football has never seen a goalkeeper quite like him in that he dictates the play from his kick-outs and is one of the best free-takers in the business.
Monaghan's Rory Beggan - who is no mean free-taker himself - had the distinction of not conceding a goal in the championship, and Niall Morgan looked to be Tyrone's answer to Cluxton before injury cut short his season. But the only question that remains to be answered is whether or not the Parnell's clubman will be the first goalkeeper since Offaly's Martin Furlong in 1982 to be honoured with the Footballer of the Year award.
2. Keith Higgins (Mayo)
The Ballyhaunis clubman is well on his way to collecting his second successive All Star gong. Higgins' versatility means he can play in virtually any position as we saw last Sunday when he lined out in the half forward line.
Cork's Eoin Cadogan and Meath's Donal Keoghan will have their supporters, but it's Higgins for us.
3. Conor Gormley (Tyrone)
The full back position looks to be a straight shootout between Gormley and incumbent Ger Cafferkey. The Mayo man hasn't put a foot wrong, but the wily Gormley has excelled in both the sweeper and full back roles for Tyrone this season. His marking job on Monaghan's Kieran Hughes last Saturday was highly impressive.
Other number threes worthy of a mention are Cork's Michael Shields, Galway's Finian Hanley, Tyrone's Ciaran Clarke and Rory Dunne of Cavan.
4. Marc O Se (Kerry)
No All Star selection would be complete with O Se, who remains one of the best man-markers in the game. He does his job quietly and effectively, and will have a key role to play for the Kingdom in their forthcoming All-Ireland semi-final against the Dubs.
Chris Barrett has had a great season for Mayo and along with Monaghan's Drew Wylie looks to be O Se's main rival for the last slot in the full back line.
5. Colm Boyle (Mayo)
Ask any Mayo supporter who the team's most consistent performer has been this year and they will tell you Colm Boyle. The Davitts man has played out of his skin in the Connacht men's march to another All-Ireland semi-final.
James McCarthy has had an excellent season for Dublin too, Gary Sice was superb for Galway in the qualifiers, but Boyle is in pole position for the All Star at this stage.
6. Donal Vaughan (Mayo)
Dublin's Ger Brennan looked a nailed on certainty for the centre back position earlier in the season, but it would appear he has been overtaken by Vaughan who produced a magnificent display against Donegal. Vaughan isn't just a great defender; he's also a major attacking threat to the opposition as we saw last Sunday when he scored a 13th minute goal and teed up Cillian O'Connor for another.
Tyrone's Peter Harte has been very impressive also, Mark Lynch was Derry's best player, but Vaughan is the man for us as things stand.
7. Jack McCaffrey (Dublin)
No contest this one. The 20-year-old from Clontarf has been a revelation in his first season on the Dublin senior team and is already a shoo-in for the Young Player of the Year award. Like Vaughan, McCaffrey is a huge threat going forward and scored one of the goals of the season against Cork last weekend. But it's his explosive pace which makes him such a special talent.
Lee Keegan is having another fine season for Mayo, Monaghan's Dessie Mone had a terrific Ulster final, Peter O'Leary has done well for Kerry also, but McCaffrey has been simply outstanding.
8. Aidan O'Shea (Mayo)
Most would agree that the Breaffy man is the top midfielder in the country bar none. Such was his magnificence against Donegal last Sunday that he received a standing ovation after he was sent off on a second yellow card in injury-time.
Michael Darragh Macauley (Dublin), Anthony Maher (Kerry), Aidan Walsh (Cork), Tomas Flynn (Galway), David Givney (Cavan), John O'Loughlin (Laois) and Mark Gottsche (London) have also caught the eye, but none of them are in the same league as O'Shea, who is the best centre fielder in the traditional mould we've seen since Darragh O Se.
9. Sean Cavanagh (Tyrone)
Another automatic choice. While it's unlikely he will be getting any Christmas cards from Joe Brolly following his controversial rugby tackle on Conor McManus last Saturday, what is certain is that he will be in CityWest picking up his fifth All Star award in about 10 weeks from now.
Cavanagh's athleticism, work-rate and ability to kick points on the run has been a feature of the Red Hands' march to the last four. Not even Monaghan's Darren Hughes, who was an All-Star contender himself going into last weekend's game, could stay with him.
10. Cian Mackey (Cavan)
Cavan have had a fairytale season and the heartbeat of their team has been Mackey, who impressed in all seven of their championship outings. The Castlerahan man is a manager's dream in that he is a real team player who never stops working. His goals against Armagh and Derry will help his cause as he bids to become the Breffni County's first All Star since Dermot McCabe in 1997.
Mackey's main rival would appear to be last year's All Star number 10, Paul Flynn, who continues to show a huge appetite for work. If Dublin go on to win Sam, don't be surprised to see the Fingallians man in the All Star team again. Mayo's Kevin McLoughlin is another who could be in the shake-up.
11. Colm Cooper (Kerry)
The 'Gooch' is revelling in his new role on the '40'. In RTE's first televised championship match of the season, he treated viewers to an exhibition of centre forward play against Tipperary. Kerry are now where they want to be and if Cooper can produce the goods against Dublin, another All Star will almost certainly be his.
If not, Alan Dillon (Mayo) and Ciaran Kilkenny (Dublin) will be waiting to pounce.
12. Ciaran Kilkenny (Dublin)
Assuming that Cooper is going to be picked at number 11, it's likely that Kilkenny will be accommodated in one of the wing forward positions. The Castleknock playmaker has been simply too good to leave out of the 2013 selection. His decision to return from Aussie Rules has given Dublin a huge boost, with his Leinster final performance against Meath being one of the top individual displays of the year.
Ironically, Meath's Graham Reilly had been the best number 12 in the country going into that game, but disappointing showings against the Dubs and Tyrone scuppered his All Star hopes. And after his display against Cavan, Kerry's Donnchadh Walsh could be coming with a late charge.
13. Cillian O'Connor (Mayo)
Impossible to look past the gifted Ballintubber clubman who has been scoring for fun since returning from a shoulder injury. Followed up his 3-3 against London in the Connacht final with an even bigger haul - 3-4 - against the All-Ireland champions. Who said Mayo haven't got scoring forwards?
Johnny Doyle was as reliable as ever for Kildare, Darren McCurry has shone for Tyrone, while Mickey Newman was a real find for Meath. And while it was a disappointing season for Donegal, Paddy McBrearty's man of the match display against Tyrone shouldn't be forgotten.
14. Kieran Hughes (Monaghan)
Monaghan's best hope of winning an All Star perhaps rests with the young Scotstown clubman who was their scoring star in their famous Ulster final victory over Donegal. It's unfortunate that his season ended with a sending off against Tyrone because he was having a great one.
Daniel Goulding was Cork's go-to-man in their run to the All-Ireland quarter-final, while Mayo's Alan Freeman still has at least one more chance to prove he's All Star material. And Eoin Bradley had some very good performances for Derry.
15. Paul Mannion (Dublin)
The Kilmacud Crokes clubman has enjoyed a dream debut season at corner forward for the Dubs. Croke Park is the perfect setting for the nifty 19-year-old to display his repertoire of skills. A lethal finisher, he has even managed to outshine Bernard Brogan this year.
Another pair of young guns, Eamonn Wallace from Meath and Cork's Brian Hurley, Monaghan free-taker Conor McManus, Galway's fit-again talisman Michael Meehan and Cavan's Martin Dunne - who is the championship's top scorer to date - also deserve a mention.
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