Sunday Game football team of the Year

[bcarrier]

Mike McCarthy and Tommy Walsh will surely get Allstars instead of the two Donegal lads...Donegal had no meaningful impact in the championship ?

Mike McCarthy was hugely influential in gertting Kerry through qualifers and in dealing yesterday with the man who had destroyed Kerry in Cork.

Tommy Walsh played better earlier in season than he was given credit for IMO....and since coming on against Meath has had a huge impact.

Scanlon had more than one good game. Carried Kerry midfield when Darragh wsa getting up to speed.

If the two Kerry lads gave better performances than the Donegal lads, then of course they should be selected ahead of them, but ruling out Donegal or any other players, regardless of the standards they individually reached, merely because their team didn't progress is idiotic. If these awards are there to recognize individual performances, then that is what they should do, regardless of how the teams did. Lacey did a fantastic job on Bradley, Meehan and Goulding (in that game under huge pressure while most of the rest of the team was an absolute rabble) - it wasn't his fault that the other players flopped against Cork or left their shooting boots at home against Antrim.
I hate to keep making this point, but if someone has an argument as to why outstanding performers on lesser teams do not merit recognition in an awards system that is supposed to recognize the top individual performers, then please present it.

IMO the two Kerry lads gave better and more important performances that changed the ultimate destination of Sam....playing well at the business end of the championship should get a higher weighting.

and less of the idiotic .   

[Bogball XV]

Ye, bit of a strange pick. Surely Tommy Walsh would be on it seen as he was hugely influencial in the final and when he came on in the semi, scoring some crucial and also brilliant scores.

The two Donegal lads? Very random altogether. Bear in mind that Donegal got beaten by Cork by more or less the same as Dublin did to Kerry and yet no Dublin players are on it, even though the likes of Bernard Brogan would have shone in a similar fashion to the donegal lads in their previous games. I dont think any Dublin players deserve a spot but I certainly dont think any Donegal players do either. Tommy Walsh for Murphy and Marc O Se for Lacey.

And yes the All Star team will be different but not entirely in a good way. Dara O Se will be on it because hes Dara O Se. Hes a great player and all but lets be honest he didnt really do much this yr. Scanlon was the man. He or Dermot Early(best midfielder of the yr) or Nicholas Murphy are sadly gonna loose out because Dara will have to get an all-star

I'd agree that Brogan deserved a place before Murphy, i think the fact that players from non all ireland finalists makes it a more realistic team than the all star team, so i'd be in favour of that. 
Earley and Scanlon should walk midfield too.

[J70]

Mike McCarthy and Tommy Walsh will surely get Allstars instead of the two Donegal lads...Donegal had no meaningful impact in the championship ?

Mike McCarthy was hugely influential in gertting Kerry through qualifers and in dealing yesterday with the man who had destroyed Kerry in Cork.

Tommy Walsh played better earlier in season than he was given credit for IMO....and since coming on against Meath has had a huge impact.

Scanlon had more than one good game. Carried Kerry midfield when Darragh wsa getting up to speed.

If the two Kerry lads gave better performances than the Donegal lads, then of course they should be selected ahead of them, but ruling out Donegal or any other players, regardless of the standards they individually reached, merely because their team didn't progress is idiotic. If these awards are there to recognize individual performances, then that is what they should do, regardless of how the teams did. Lacey did a fantastic job on Bradley, Meehan and Goulding (in that game under huge pressure while most of the rest of the team was an absolute rabble) - it wasn't his fault that the other players flopped against Cork or left their shooting boots at home against Antrim.
I hate to keep making this point, but if someone has an argument as to why outstanding performers on lesser teams do not merit recognition in an awards system that is supposed to recognize the top individual performers, then please present it.

IMO the two Kerry lads gave better and more important performances that changed the ultimate destination of Sam....playing well at the business end of the championship should get a higher weighting.

and less of the idiotic .

The idiotic was more a general point than aimed specifically at you or any other person - there seems to be some prejudice against recognizing players from lesser counties that I don't understand when it comes to these types of awards. If you think that extra weighting should be given to the final and semi-finals, that is a valid point worth arguing. The stage of the competition is irrelevant to someone like Lacey nullifying several of the top full-forwards around, IMO. Unless you're suggesting he would not have been capable of doing so later in the competition? As it is, it takes an extraordinary performer like Declan Browne to reach All Star status from a lesser county, which just isn't right. The only Donegal player ever to get multiple All Stars was Martin McHugh. Had he played for Kerry or Dublin or Meath, he would probably have won several more under the latter stages logic. Does that mean he would have been a better or more deserving player or that someone like Pat Spillane, with eight or whatever it is awards, was a far, far superior player? Is a player who helped pull a weak team all the way through to the quarter finals or final stage of the qualifiers not as deserving as someone from a strong team who finds his form in the semi-final and has a good game in the final?

[INDIANA]

Ye, bit of a strange pick. Surely Tommy Walsh would be on it seen as he was hugely influencial in the final and when he came on in the semi, scoring some crucial and also brilliant scores.

The two Donegal lads? Very random altogether. Bear in mind that Donegal got beaten by Cork by more or less the same as Dublin did to Kerry and yet no Dublin players are on it, even though the likes of Bernard Brogan would have shone in a similar fashion to the donegal lads in their previous games. I dont think any Dublin players deserve a spot but I certainly dont think any Donegal players do either. Tommy Walsh for Murphy and Marc O Se for Lacey.

And yes the All Star team will be different but not entirely in a good way. Dara O Se will be on it because hes Dara O Se. Hes a great player and all but lets be honest he didnt really do much this yr. Scanlon was the man. He or Dermot Early(best midfielder of the yr) or Nicholas Murphy are sadly gonna loose out because Dara will have to get an all-star

I'd agree that Brogan deserved a place before Murphy, i think the fact that players from non all ireland finalists makes it a more realistic team than the all star team, so i'd be in favour of that. 
Earley and Scanlon should walk midfield too.

No chance I'd have Murphy behind Brogan. Bernard didn't do it against Kerry. Murphy carried Donegal on his back.

[Bogball XV]

Ye, bit of a strange pick. Surely Tommy Walsh would be on it seen as he was hugely influencial in the final and when he came on in the semi, scoring some crucial and also brilliant scores.

The two Donegal lads? Very random altogether. Bear in mind that Donegal got beaten by Cork by more or less the same as Dublin did to Kerry and yet no Dublin players are on it, even though the likes of Bernard Brogan would have shone in a similar fashion to the donegal lads in their previous games. I dont think any Dublin players deserve a spot but I certainly dont think any Donegal players do either. Tommy Walsh for Murphy and Marc O Se for Lacey.

And yes the All Star team will be different but not entirely in a good way. Dara O Se will be on it because hes Dara O Se. Hes a great player and all but lets be honest he didnt really do much this yr. Scanlon was the man. He or Dermot Early(best midfielder of the yr) or Nicholas Murphy are sadly gonna loose out because Dara will have to get an all-star

I'd agree that Brogan deserved a place before Murphy, i think the fact that players from non all ireland finalists makes it a more realistic team than the all star team, so i'd be in favour of that. 
Earley and Scanlon should walk midfield too.

No chance I'd have Murphy behind Brogan. Bernard didn't do it against Kerry. Murphy carried Donegal on his back.

aye, but against who?  Clare, Carlow, Antrim?  In their good victories, they beat Derry and Galway, are they any better than Kildare and Meath? 

[nrico2006]

aye, but against who?  Clare, Carlow, Antrim?  In their good victories, they beat Derry and Galway, are they any better than Kildare and Meath? 

He did it in every game and also against Cork.

[INDIANA]

Ye, bit of a strange pick. Surely Tommy Walsh would be on it seen as he was hugely influencial in the final and when he came on in the semi, scoring some crucial and also brilliant scores.

The two Donegal lads? Very random altogether. Bear in mind that Donegal got beaten by Cork by more or less the same as Dublin did to Kerry and yet no Dublin players are on it, even though the likes of Bernard Brogan would have shone in a similar fashion to the donegal lads in their previous games. I dont think any Dublin players deserve a spot but I certainly dont think any Donegal players do either. Tommy Walsh for Murphy and Marc O Se for Lacey.

And yes the All Star team will be different but not entirely in a good way. Dara O Se will be on it because hes Dara O Se. Hes a great player and all but lets be honest he didnt really do much this yr. Scanlon was the man. He or Dermot Early(best midfielder of the yr) or Nicholas Murphy are sadly gonna loose out because Dara will have to get an all-star

I'd agree that Brogan deserved a place before Murphy, i think the fact that players from non all ireland finalists makes it a more realistic team than the all star team, so i'd be in favour of that. 
Earley and Scanlon should walk midfield too.

No chance I'd have Murphy behind Brogan. Bernard didn't do it against Kerry. Murphy carried Donegal on his back.

aye, but against who?  Clare, Carlow, Antrim?  In their good victories, they beat Derry and Galway, are they any better than Kildare and Meath?

Bernard didn't play very well against Meath- was very good against Westmeath and Kildare and disappointing against Kerry. Murphy had a consistent season and was excellent against Cork playing on a team that had imploded. The fact that he's only 19 makes it even better. Thats why I think Murphy deserves his spot.

[ross matt]

Dara O'Se has'nt a notion of getting an allstar lads. Doesnt deserve to be even nominated. Went out playing well for 60 out of 70 minutes winning his 6th All Ireland medal but that does'nt entitle him to another allstar.

[guevara]

D Murphy - Deserves it in my opinion made good stops at vital stages against Cork in the final

K Lacey- Probably the tightest man marker in the game. Was outstanding in a poor Donegal team.

M Shiels- Dubious one for me as anytime he was put under pressure he struggled

T O'Sullivan- Outstanding in the AIF, plenty of pace & always out in front

T O'Se - What a player. Surely one of the greatest defenders of his generation? Can kick points better than most half backs & tough as teak

G Canty- Corks talisman. Brilliant going forward. Starts all their attacks

J Miskella- A bit like Scullion for Anrim. Bombs forward when he can. Superb attacking half back

D Earley- This years outstanding midfielder. Proved you can rejuventae yourself under a new manager.

S Scanlon- Totally underrated in my opinion. Does all Kerrys donkey work & provides the platform for them to base their attacks.

P Galvin- Kerrys best player this year. Cut out al the niggly crap & done what he does best.

P O'Neill- Great year for Cork. Fine footballer for such a big man

P Kelly- Again dubious in my opinion. I think other fellas might agree.

S O'Neill- Proved this year what he brings to Tyrone. Super footballer & with right ball would roast anyone

D O'Sullivan- Is probably Kerrys most important player at the minute. If he plays well they generally do to. Plays all over the forward line & very few defenders this year got near him.

M Murphy - Deserves his place. Wasnt his fault that his team were so poor. On a better team he would be a superstar. What a talent for 19

[Blue Island]

The two Donegal lads? Very random altogether. Bear in mind that Donegal got beaten by Cork by more or less the same as Dublin did to Kerry and yet no Dublin players are on it, even though the likes of Bernard Brogan would have shone in a similar fashion to the donegal lads in their previous games. I dont think any Dublin players deserve a spot but I certainly dont think any Donegal players do either. Tommy Walsh for Murphy and Marc O Se for Lacey.

Have to agree with J70 on this one. How well a player's team does should only matter in the context of giving them game time to allow the pundits enough time to evaluate their abilities. Outside of that, it should not really matter how well a players team did. Following your logic, the likes of Declan Browne or Matty Forde would probably never have got an all-star despite being two of the best forwads of their generation.

I think Murphy is not quite the finished article yet and we are going to see a whole lot more from him in the future, but in IMHO Lacey was the best man marker this year.

[SLIGONIAN]

Hope David Kelly gets an allstar nomination maybe Charlie aswell but I might be pushing it.

I think people might be overating the 2 Donegal lads, itd be a joke if they allstars IMO. The argument of the team can swing both ways, how did lacey and murphy do in every game, also take into the account the score and did goulding need take on lacey for cork to win. No. Did cork take there foot off the pedal to let donegal score 2-10, were galway and derry at the races in there games v Donegal, 6 days after losing connacht final in last minute...i doubt it for galway, antrim beat them, how did lacey and murphy do that day? and against clare and carlow where they struggled, did the 2 lad carry Donegal in these games.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Hope David Kelly gets an allstar nomination maybe Charlie aswell but I might be pushing it.

I think people might be overating the 2 Donegal lads, itd be a joke if they allstars IMO. The argument of the team can swing both ways, how did lacey and murphy do in every game, also take into the account the score and did goulding need take on lacey for cork to win. No. Did cork take there foot off the pedal to let donegal score 2-10, were galway and derry at the races in there games v Donegal, 6 days after losing connacht final in last minute...i doubt it for galway, antrim beat them, how did lacey and murphy do that day? and against clare and carlow where they struggled, did the 2 lad carry Donegal in these games.

Kelly should get a nomination but the penalty miss won't help at all. Murphy and Lacey have been superb anytime I've seen them. Against Cork the game might have been over but the way Murphy set up the goal for the wing-forward - Griffin? - was out of this world at nothing to do with Cork being lax. Lacey was amazing on Bradley, Mike Meehan and Daniel Goulding. Donegal may not deserve two All Stars but that's not how it works. These two boys deserve All Stars and I hope they get them.
From that team the Sunday Game lads picked I'd agree with all but Shiels and Paddy Kelly. I reckon Kennelly will outrank Kelly and full-back, there's no real stand out , but I think the man for that position is Tommy Griffin based on the fact he adopted so well to the position.
I wouldn't stay Seamus Scanlon is nailed on. I rate him highly but Nigel Crawford had a great year too. What do the Meath lads think? Darragh O Se won't get an All Star. No way in hell. It's great oul fun arguing the toss about all stars though!

[J70]

Hope David Kelly gets an allstar nomination maybe Charlie aswell but I might be pushing it.

I think people might be overating the 2 Donegal lads, itd be a joke if they allstars IMO. The argument of the team can swing both ways, how did lacey and murphy do in every game, also take into the account the score and did goulding need take on lacey for cork to win. No. Did cork take there foot off the pedal to let donegal score 2-10, were galway and derry at the races in there games v Donegal, 6 days after losing connacht final in last minute...i doubt it for galway, antrim beat them, how did lacey and murphy do that day? and against clare and carlow where they struggled, did the 2 lad carry Donegal in these games.

Lacey was quiet enough against Antrim I think, but he was only back in the country two weeks after spending the winter and spring in Oz. He was superb in all the other matches. Murphy played well all the way through, but I agree with someone earlier who said he still has room for improvement and he will probably be pipped when it comes to the All Star places (although he will be nominated). He will be an absolutely awesome player for us in the coming years though if we can keep hold of him.

[SomebodyFixDublinGAA]

The two Donegal lads? Very random altogether. Bear in mind that Donegal got beaten by Cork by more or less the same as Dublin did to Kerry and yet no Dublin players are on it, even though the likes of Bernard Brogan would have shone in a similar fashion to the donegal lads in their previous games. I dont think any Dublin players deserve a spot but I certainly dont think any Donegal players do either. Tommy Walsh for Murphy and Marc O Se for Lacey.

Have to agree with J70 on this one. How well a player's team does should only matter in the context of giving them game time to allow the pundits enough time to evaluate their abilities. Outside of that, it should not really matter how well a players team did. Following your logic, the likes of Declan Browne or Matty Forde would probably never have got an all-star despite being two of the best forwads of their generation.

I think Murphy is not quite the finished article yet and we are going to see a whole lot more from him in the future, but in IMHO Lacey was the best man marker this year.

Ok, I think some of ye have mistaken me. I understand how good Murphy and Lacey are but I just think there were players that deserved a place ahead of them. I dont think Brogan deserves a spot either. I just think Tommy Walsh was influencial for Kerry in getting that all-Ireland. When Meath and Cork got close, he got some brilliant scores that ultimately won them the matches and got Kerry the All-Ireland. Any player that does that in my view deserves a place and should prob get it ahead of Murphy, no disrespect to him. I also thought

Anthony Lynch was fantastic and maybe deserves Lacey's spot. He made a show of Gooch in Munster and the only points he got off him in the final were from frees and Gooch is the player I probably rate the highest. The only player he kind of struggled against was Stephen O' Neill who I thought was excellent in the games he played and probably just about deserves the spot for such a brilliant return to the game.

I do think Shields and Pierce O'Neill are strange choices.

aye, but against who?  Clare, Carlow, Antrim?  In their good victories, they beat Derry and Galway, are they any better than Kildare and Meath? 

He did it in every game and also against Cork.

Derry maybe but Galway no. Sure Kildare were very good this yr and nearly beat Tyrone. Meath got to an All-Ireland semi final, and only for a bad penalty decsion might have beaten Kerry?

[INDIANA]

Hope David Kelly gets an allstar nomination maybe Charlie aswell but I might be pushing it.

I think people might be overating the 2 Donegal lads, itd be a joke if they allstars IMO. The argument of the team can swing both ways, how did lacey and murphy do in every game, also take into the account the score and did goulding need take on lacey for cork to win. No. Did cork take there foot off the pedal to let donegal score 2-10, were galway and derry at the races in there games v Donegal, 6 days after losing connacht final in last minute...i doubt it for galway, antrim beat them, how did lacey and murphy do that day? and against clare and carlow where they struggled, did the 2 lad carry Donegal in these games.

Crawford was cleaned out against Dublin

Kelly should get a nomination but the penalty miss won't help at all. Murphy and Lacey have been superb anytime I've seen them. Against Cork the game might have been over but the way Murphy set up the goal for the wing-forward - Griffin? - was out of this world at nothing to do with Cork being lax. Lacey was amazing on Bradley, Mike Meehan and Daniel Goulding. Donegal may not deserve two All Stars but that's not how it works. These two boys deserve All Stars and I hope they get them.
From that team the Sunday Game lads picked I'd agree with all but Shiels and Paddy Kelly. I reckon Kennelly will outrank Kelly and full-back, there's no real stand out , but I think the man for that position is Tommy Griffin based on the fact he adopted so well to the position.
I wouldn't stay Seamus Scanlon is nailed on. I rate him highly but Nigel Crawford had a great year too. What do the Meath lads think? Darragh O Se won't get an All Star. No way in hell. It's great oul fun arguing the toss about all stars though!