The Dubs favourite Kildare Journalist's Team of the year

[Dinny Breen]

and other sundries
Ewan MacKenna

A look at our All Star XV, our Player of the Year, Score of the Year and other awards...

All Stars
1. Stephen Cluxton (Dublin)
That free at the end sealed the deal and made sure the number one jersey wasn't going the way of Paul Durcan, Shane Connolly or Damien Sheridan. In terms of shot-stopping there was nothing as memorable as past seasons and Eamonn Callaghan's goal in the Leinster semi-final got the better of him from quite a distance. But that aside, was solid in terms of his primary function, was good under the high ball and crucially his kickouts were key for a side that won an All Ireland but don't get a midfielder on this team.

2. Michael Foley (Kildare) 3. Neil McGee (Donegal) 4. Marc Ó Sé (Kerry)
It says something about the defensive year that was 2011 that this was the most competitive line on the field. In other seasons Rory O'Carroll and Hugh McGrillen would have made it and Keith Higgins might have made it but all of those just miss out. Instead we accommodate three full-backs. Neil McGee takes the actual number three jersey on the basis he was just about the best of the lot. It of course helped that he was surrounded by his entire team most of the time, but only four points were scored off him in Ulster and he took apart the high-flying Tomás O'Connor in the last eight with one of the individual performances of the season.
Foley was a shoo-in too. It wasn't just his championship that stood out but as far back as the league he was monumental in solving Kildare's age-old full-back dilemma. On top of that he was their player of the season. Which leaves Marc Ó Sé who sneaked in, a call which reaffirms the notion that it was a year for the defender given fellow All Stars Bernard Brogan and Andy Moran kicked just 0-4 from play between them while facing him, Seamus O'Carroll and Donnacha O'Connor hit just 0-2 from play against him in the two games before that while Seamus Grogan failed to score in the season opener.

5. Kevin Nolan (Dublin) 6. Karl Lacey (Donegal) 7. Kevin Cassidy (Donegal)
Outside of Nolan it is certainly a triumph for substance over style across the half-backs but Lacey and Cassidy were at the forefront of a defence that conceded an average of just nine points a game and gave up only one goal in 440 minutes of championship football. But it's not just their position in the front line of that immovable object that gets them spots on this team, it's their leadership qualities. Cassidy's was obvious to see with the winning score against Kildare, an effort that earns him our Score of the Year below, while Lacey's summer and to a lesser extent spring and winter means he takes third in our Player of the Season category.
Indeed were he not forced off by a cynical hit against Dublin (we condemn it but given Donegal's tactics some might call it karma) he may have been higher on that list and Donegal may have been higher in our end of season rankings. Also making it into the line is Kevin Nolan at five. His point late on in the All Ireland final demonstrated his maturity and composure but also a more stereotypical wing-back style as he got forward when he could and helped with breaking ball. So impressive was he that he keeps Donal Vaughan, Emmet Bolton, Morgan O'Flaherty and Tomás Ó Sé out of the line up.

8. John Doyle (Kildare) 9. Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone)
Dick Clerkin said on The Sunday Game that times were changing around the middle with a more mobile player now suited to the role. But we think it's by accident, not design. Across the last few seasons we've watched as the greatest midfield era drew to a close as one by one, the likes of Darragh Ó Sé, Paul McGrane and Ciarán Whelan exited the stage. That, coupled with the injuries to Dermot Earley and John Galvin this time around, and the fact both All Ireland finalists struggled at the times in the middle, leaves us with a less traditional eight and nine on this team.
Missing out just are Alan O'Connor, Michael Friel, Bryan Sheehan and Michael Darragh Macauley. Instead Doyle gets the nod for leadership, heart and some rare moments of high fielding in 2011. He managed that despite suffering the sort of late hitting against Dublin, Meath, Derry and Donegal that was a throwback to the late '80s and he still finished the year as the fourth highest scorer, accounting for 2-21. Beside him is Cavanagh who hit just five points less but returned to the sort of swashbuckling form we haven't seen from him in three years. He was pacy, energetic, and opened up defences and finished like we haven't see from him in all too long. On top of that he did it while surrounded by the poorest Tyrone team we've seen in an age.

10. Paul Flynn (Dublin) 11. Ben Brosnan (Wexford) 12. Darran O'Sullivan (Kerry)
It says a lot about the weird season we've just watched that Kerry were seven minutes and a tad more composure away from an All Ireland and we struggled to give them two All Stars. But if the green and gold jersey in the full-back line was a close-run affair, here Kerry have the first man into the half-forward line. Darran O'Sullivan was the revelation of 2011 and came mighty close to both Player of the Year and Score of the Year in our other awards. It wasn't just his pace that was so lethal but the lines he took to cut open defences and the standard of his finishing. All of that made him the most dangerous forward in the game these past few months.
On the other wing we have Paul Flynn who was close to our Player of the Year list and for a while earlier in the summer actually headed it. Which left one position on the 40 with Ben Brosnan getting it ahead of Declan O'Sullivan, who's mistakes for the All Ireland-turning goal while concussed cost him his spot. For those who haven't seen the Wexford man, he's well worth a look. He only scored a point less than Colm Cooper this year but no player averaged more. His long-range free-taking is sublime while his vision, link play and passing is reminiscent of the Kerry man he beats to the 11 jersey and he is now in a league with the likes of O'Sullivan and Marty Clarke.

13. Alan Brogan (Dublin) 14. Andy Moran (Mayo) 15. Bernard Brogan (Dublin)
In other years we've moved players from here out to the 40 to accommodate the most deadly men close to goal. This year we do the opposite as Alan Brogan moves to corner-forward while picking up our Player of the Year accolade as well. With his brother having a sub-standard season and Diarmuid Connolly having just one really standout championship game to remember, he was left as the keystone in the Dublin forward wall. Along with Pat Girloy's tactics, he was architect of their All Ireland win and by extension the best player in the country. Beside him is Mayo's sole All Star after a year where James Horan moved the team forward far faster than we envisaged. Cillian O'Connor may have been the more obvious choice after his scoring feats against Roscommon and Cork – and indeed he wins out in the Young Player of the Year category for that – but Moran was the man winning those frees and tormenting defences.
He saved the county against London and in the All Ireland series was one of the stand-out attackers in open play. Which leaves the final place on the team and Bernard Brogan slips in at 15. Some of that is down to the fact Jamie Clarke didn't do enough, Eoin Bradley wasn't fit enough, Donnacha O'Connor didn't win enough while Colm McFadden didn't have enough support. On top of that the Kerry tactics in the final meant Colm Cooper never saw enough of the ball and his semi-final alone wasn't enough. Bernard had his standout game in the semi-final as well but was lively in the final too although he can still consider himself the luckiest of the 15 on this team.

Dublin 5; Donegal 3; Kerry, Kildare, 2; Mayo, Tyrone, Wexford, 1

***
Player of the Year
1. Alan Brogan (Dublin)
2. Darran O'Sullivan (Kerry)
3. Karl Lacey (Donegal)

***
Young Player of the Year
1. Cillian O'Connor (Mayo)
2. Rory O'Carroll (Dublin)
3. Patrick McBrearty (Donegal)

***
Manager of the Year
1. Pat Gilroy (Dublin)
2. Jimmy McGuinness (Donegal)
3. Paul Coggins (London)

***
Games of the Year (for entertainment as well as quality)
1. Donegal 1-12 Kildare 0-14 – All Ireland quarter-final
2. Mayo 1-13 Cork 2-6 – All Ireland quarter-final
3. Dublin 1-12 Kerry 1-11 – All Ireland final
4. Dublin 1-12 Kildare 1-11 – Leinster semi-final
5. Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-12 – Munster final

***
Upsets of the Year
1. Carlow 0-14 Louth 0-13 – Leinster quarter-final
2. Offaly 1-18 Monaghan 1-10 – Qualifiers round one
3. Leitrim 1-10 Sligo 0-10 – Connacht quarter-final

***
Scores of the Year
1. Kevin Cassidy winning point – Donegal v Kildare
2. Darran O'Sullivan goal – Kerry v Limerick (All Ireland quarter-final)
3. Kieran Donaghy equalising point – Kerry v Dublin

***
Controversies of the Year
1. Bernard Brogan's last-minute free against Kildare
2. Twitter and the Antony Masterson's forced apology
3. Joe McQuillan's lopsided All Ireland performance

***
Disappointments of the Year
1. The standard of refereeing and umpiring and the avoidance of that problem by those in power
2. Donegal's mind-numbing defensive tactics
3. The lack of a novel and surprise provincial winner

[ross4life]

Seán Cavanagh is a strange one he scored 2-3 of his 2-16 v us & most agreed he was well below his level in the other games & not many would have picked Donegal to win Ulster at the start of the year so they were a surprise provincial winner

[ExcellentDriver]

My Choice for Player of the Year would be Lacey. Kept some excellent Forwards/Playmakers quiet all game long.

No Doubt OwrrrrrrrrrTE will select one of the Brogans.

[Denn Forever]

The Kildare man I would have in the full back line would be Hugh McGrillen.  Good at defending and going forward.

[Donnellys Hollow]

The Kildare man I would have in the full back line would be Hugh McGrillen.  Good at defending and going forward.

Hughie had a good year but Mick Foley was exceptional in every match in both league and championship. I don't see how Rory O'Carroll can be left out of any team of the year though. He should be a shoo-in for young player of the year too as far as I'm concerned.

[Orangemac]

Disappointments of the Year
1. The standard of refereeing and umpiring and the avoidance of that problem by those in power
2. Donegal's mind-numbing defensive tactics
3. The lack of a novel and surprise provincial winner

Surely Donegal winning Ulster was novel, maybe not a surprise but no one outside of Armagh/Tyrone had won it since 1998.

Mickey Harte and RTE row and Fermanagh losing half their team were other controversies of note.

Armagh v Wicklow game (draw) was one of the most entertaining games of the year.

[Sam2011]

Jimmy McGuinness for manger of the year?? Yes he has brought Donegal on leaps and bounds but his style of playing is very extreme.
Think James Horan should get a shout for what he has done with Mayo since Longford and London.

[IolarCoisCuain]

If Disappointment of the Year #2 is "Donegal's mind-numbing defensive tactics," how come Jim McGuinness is #2 for Manager of the Year?

Lads. This buck can't be well.

[Jinxy]

He seems a bit angry that Dublin won.

[Dinny Breen]

Are you not 

[johnpower]

What club is this chap from ?

[muppet]

Donegal + Kildare = 5 all stars or 1/3 of the team.

Kerry + Mayo = 3 All Stars or 1/5 of the team.

Nonsense.

[Jinxy]

Are you not 

Ah god love them.

[Zulu]

Donegal + Kildare = 5 all stars or 1/3 of the team.

Kerry + Mayo = 3 All Stars or 1/5 of the team.

Nonsense.

Why is it nonsense? You may disagree with some of the selections but all stars are about individual performances so it certainly isn't nonsense to give a good few all stars to teams that have played a lot
of games. Both Kildare and Donegal played a lot of high profile games which allowed their players to showcase themselves and many did so effectively therefore it is reasonable to award them a few a stars. Cork correctly got very few all stars after winning the all Ireland because very few of their players played consistently well, the fact Kerry and Mayo got to the semi final shouldn't automatically entitle them  to more all stars that Kildare.

[cadence]

Donegal + Kildare = 5 all stars or 1/3 of the team.

Kerry + Mayo = 3 All Stars or 1/5 of the team.

Nonsense.

should have been more donegal and kildare players on there alright. the man's a bollox.