2013 All-Stars

[Ohtoohtobe]

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. McCaffery
8.
9. Cavanagh
10. Munnelly
11. Gooch
12.
13.
14.
15. Mannion

You are the gift that keeps giving. Best WUM on the site.

In fairness Munnelly has been exceptional this year and I always think it's a great sign of a player when he excels even when his team is being destroyed, eg Munnelly against Louth.

Obviously not a chance he'll get an All Star. To others pointing out that the team I picked earlier won't be the All Stars, I know, that's why I said 'obviously will change completely'. It was a team picked on performances to date. I take the point on Givney, I've only seen Cavan play twice so Cavan supporters would know better than me on that. Just thought he was very good against Monaghan and kicked a few points against London as well.

As for Cluxton, by a mile the best goalkeeper I've ever seen, better even than John O'Leary. But I don't see why he'd be the favourite this year, kickout strategy not working as well as usual, I thought even we (Kildare) did well on his kick outs, one of the very few things that went right that day.

But he could yet play himself to another award. Rightly or wrongly, the seven matches left, not the hundreds already played, will decide who gets an All Star.

[mb80b60]

I'll have a stab based on performances to date:
1 Niall Morgan (on NFL performances)
2 Killian Clarke
3 Ger Cafferky (not that bowled over by him but can't think of an outstanding candidate)
4 Colin Walshe (Should get one regardless of what happens from here)
5 James McCarthy (Ditto)
6 Dessie Mone
7 Jack McCaffrey
8 Aidan O'Shea (or David Givney)
9 Sean Cavanagh
10 Cian Mackey (or Mark Donnelly)
11 Ciaran Kilkenny
12 Paul Flynn
13 Colm Cooper (out of position, I know)
14 Kieran Hughes (or Alan Freeman)
15 Paul Mannion

Obviously will change completely

Picking a team on performances to date is pointless. You'll get a lot closer by predicting your semi finalists and finalists then working out something like 1 for one semi finalist, 2 for the more emotional semi finalist, 5 for the runners up and 7 for the winners.

The exception to this rule is when Dublin are gallantly dumped out at the semis. This is worthy 3 spots for being Dublin, including Clucko's birthright.

Cluxton
Walshe, Cafferkey, Higgins
Keegan, Mone, McCaffrey
A O'Shea, McAuley
McLoughlin, Kilkenny, Flynn
Cooper, O'Connor, Moran

How do you mean?  Cluxton has won one all star in the last 5 years.  It was the year they won it and he fully deserved it.  If anything, he should probably have been awarded more all stars.

He's probably the best keeper I've seen, but 4 All Stars divided by 1 All Ireland has got to make him the player most awarded for individual pursuits in the history of the GAA.

I'd imagine his predecessor O'Leary held the mantle before him too, sometimes rightly, sometime wrongly. Great goalkeeper as he was, Neil Collins couldn't really have done an awful lot more in 1994 to get recognition above him.

1 all ireland perhaps, but he also has 8 leinster medals.  As you say, he is the greatest keeper you have ever seen, 4 all stars is hardly unbelievable. 

Anyway, I digress - your original point was that it was 'Clucko's Birthright'.  I think one all star in the past 5 years dispells that myth.  I don't see who else could possibly win it this year.

Are you seriously saying that Cluxton is the only one who could win it this year?  Why?  In all seriousness, what has he done that any other keeper hasn't?  I'm sure there are keepers in this years championship who have been more impressive, as Cluxtons defence has been pretty watertight so far and he hasn't had much to do.

What I'm saying is that based purely on performances to date he should win an all-star.  Obviously anything can happen from here on in, but currently I think he deserves it.

He has kicked 7 points including some vital points against Meath in the Leinster final.  He has conceded one goal in 3 games, and he captained Dublin to the national league title keeping a clean sheet in the process.

To suggest he is not the outstanding candidate at the moment is in my opinion wrong.

[BennyCake]

Cluxton is probably the most over-rated player this last 20 years.

[Syferus]

Cluxton is probably the most over-rated player this last 20 years.

Not a chance. Star is.

[To whom it may concern]

Cluxton

Walshe
Cafferkey
Higgins

McCarthy
Darren Hughes
McCaffrey

Aidan O'Shea
Cavanagh

Mackey
Kilkenny
Graham Reilly

Mannion
Stephen O'Neill
Conor McManus

[tyroneboi]

Martin Dunne anyone? Top scorer in the championship so far and top scorer from play as well!

[Syferus]

O'Niell isn't even in the ball-park of the discussion right now.

[FarneyMan]

Martin Dunne anyone? Top scorer in the championship so far and top scorer from play as well!

3 of his games were against a poor fermanagh side (twice) and london, is he really that good.......

[Itchy]

Farneyman - well if u put it that way he is poor alright but then i could say no Monaghan player deserves a nomination as the beat an atrocious antrim team, fluked a win against Cavan thanks to Marty Duffy not knowing the 4 step rule and then we're lucky enough to play Donegal on their worst performance in 3 years. They also get to play all their semis and finals in Ulster at home. No I think Monaghan would need to beat Tyrone to be considered for all stars

[Schkite]

Farneyman - well if u put it that way he is poor alright but then i could say no Monaghan player deserves a nomination as the beat an atrocious antrim team, fluked a win against Cavan thanks to Marty Duffy not knowing the 4 step rule and then we're lucky enough to play Donegal on their worst performance in 3 years. They also get to play all their semis and finals in Ulster at home. No I think Monaghan would need to beat Tyrone to be considered for all stars

Yes, the Ulster champions don't deserve any nominations! 

[GrandMasterFlash]

Farneyman - well if u put it that way he is poor alright but then i could say no Monaghan player deserves a nomination as the beat an atrocious antrim team, fluked a win against Cavan thanks to Marty Duffy not knowing the 4 step rule and then we're lucky enough to play Donegal on their worst performance in 3 years. They also get to play all their semis and finals in Ulster at home. No I think Monaghan would need to beat Tyrone to be considered for all stars

1. Or, Marty Duffy not knowing when the ball is a) over the line or b) handled on the ground within the small rectangle that it's a penalty

2. Donegal weren't let play and were beaten by a better and hungrier Monaghan team on the day, end of story.

Weren't you the one who recently congratulated Monaghan on their Ulster Final win? Sounds to me that you're not really over it yet..

Dry your eyes mate.. 

[Aristo 60]

I think you are all overlooking Conor Laverty.

[Itchy]

Monaghan men. Read my post again and note the word "could" then note the post I was responding to. Then it will all make sense.

[Maguire01]

Farneyman - well if u put it that way he is poor alright but then i could say no Monaghan player deserves a nomination as the beat an atrocious antrim team

We could discount that game, if you want - an atrocious team that had a single win in the league. Against Cavan. But if we work on that basis, we'll have to discount a lot of games.

fluked a win against Cavan thanks to Marty Duffy not knowing the 4 step rule

If Marty Duffy had given Cavan the free and given Monaghan the goal/penalty, the difference would probably have been 3 points instead of 1.

then we're lucky enough to play Donegal on their worst performance in 3 years.

And you don't think the opposition had anything to do with Donegal's performance? Did Martin Dunne's not have his worst return in this year's championship against the same opposition? Coincidence?

They also get to play all their semis and finals in Ulster at home.

We played this year's semi-final at home - we'd already had our quarter final away from home and Cavan and Fermanagh had already had a home game when the venue was chosen.
Let's look at our other semis over the last 10 years: 2012, v Down in Armagh, 2010 v Fermanagh in Breffni, 2007 v Derry in Casement...

No I think Monaghan would need to beat Tyrone to be considered for all stars

Hopefully we can do that and guarantee a few All Stars, although barring a complete collapse on Saturday, i'd be surprised if performances to date didn't deliver a few nominations.

[Maguire01]

Monaghan men. Read my post again and note the word "could" then note the post I was responding to. Then it will all make sense.

Isn't that like the managers, in the post match interview, who say they "could" talk about the standard of refereeing...