2011 All-Stars

B happy with that,foley,bolts any maybe JD

I think bolton may pip nolan but its very very close. I think foley and mcgrillan were outstanding. I think it has been a very poor year for midfielders. Foley to get one with bolton close. Nobody stood out. (maybe due to the way the games were full of short kickouts)

For those interested, All Stars and other awards for 2011...


http://bit.ly/pCznoU

See Eugene McGee picks for All Stars in the Irish Independent today.

1. Stephen Cluxton
2. Marc O'Se
3. Rory O'Carroll
4. Karl Lacey
5. Mick Foley
6. Donal Vaughan
7. Emmet Bolton
8. Brendan Murphy
9. Kieran Donaghy
10. Paul Flynn
11. Ben Brosnan
12. Alan Brogan
13. Colm Cooper
14. Johnny Doyle
15. Bernard Brogan

Mick Foley
Outstanding all year. It appears defenders have now become the new glamour boys of the game. But Foley is no glamour boy, rather a perceptive defender who reads the play very well and still behaves like a great traditional member of a fullback line.

Emmet Bolton
Typical of the present-day Kildare footballer: flying fit, full of self belief and adventurous from his half- back position, as he showed in that great qualifier game in Navan against Meath. He went forward to score a goal and two points in sucession and stitch Meath our of sight near the finish.

Johnny Doyle
Could be more productive within the scoring area than in the role he was forced to play at midfield this year. The wonderful ball skills he has plus his very high conversion rate would bring him more often into scoring reach and provide part of a dimension that was lacking somewhat with Kildare in 2011.

Think McGee has finally lost it -

Foley at 5 when he played 3 all year.
Lacey at 4 when he played 6.
Donaghy at 9 when he played 14.
Doyle at 14 when he played 9.

Not saying these lads dont deserve all-stars but none of them will get them in the line that he has them in.

Just heard on RTE radio Kildare have 5 nominations for this years all stars.
Doyle has one the other 4 were not named.

Just got the full nominations -

2011 OPEL GAA-GPA FOOTBALL ALL-STARS NOMINATIONS:

Goalkeepers: Brendan Kealy (Kerry), Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Paul Durcan (Donegal)

Full-Back Line: Michael Foley (Kildare), Neil McGee (Donegal), Frank McGlynn (Donegal), Marc Ó Sé (Kerry), Rory O'Carroll (Dublin), Tom O'Sullivan (Kerry), Joe McMahon (Tyrone), Hugh McGrillen (Kildare), Cian O'Sullivan (Dublin)

Half-Back Line: Karl Lacey (Donegal), Donal Vaughan (Mayo), Trevor Mortimer (Mayo), Kevin Nolan (Dublin), Kevin Cassidy (Donegal), Emmet Bolton (Kildare), Tomás Ó Sé (Kerry), Killian Young (Kerry), Ger Brennan (Dublin)

Midfielders: Bryan Sheehan (Kerry), Michael Darragh Macauley (Dublin), Alan O'Connor (Cork), Sean Cavanagh (Tyrone), John Doyle (Kildare), Denis Bastick (Dublin)

Half-Forward Line: Ben Brosnan (Wexford), Alan Brogan (Dublin), Darran O'Sullivan (Kerry), Declan O'Sullivan (Kerry), Paul Flynn (Dublin), Alan Dillon (Mayo), Kevin McManamon (Dublin), Paddy Kelly (Cork), Eamonn Callaghan (Kildare)

Full-Forward Line: Donnacha O'Connor (Cork), Michael Murphy (Donegal), Bernard Brogan (Dublin), Colm Cooper (Kerry), Andy Moran (Mayo), Colm McFadden (Donegal), Eoin Bradley (Derry), Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin), Cillian O'Connor (Mayo)

Well done to the 5 lads, fingers crossed for them all.

Can someone explain to me how Kevin McManamon got an All Star nomination and Bryan Cullen the Captain of the winning team did not receive one?

Will someone tell me why Michael Murphy played midfield for Donegal this year ? I watched the Donegal final on the box last sunday and if there is a better footballer in the country , I would like to meet him.Murphy is absolute class.

Kevin McManamon deserves his nomination in my opinion. When he got the goal in the final it changed the match as Kerry were dominating at that stage.

Well done to the 5 Kildare players. Hopefully some of them will win them.

McManamon may get nominated but if he gets one I will eat my hat.

And whats more Donegal getting all these defenders as nominations. I would look good if there was a blanket defence in front of me. Its a total joke.

Same could be said for leper gettin one...I'd say he's surprised enough... He had a lot of niggly injuries this year

Tom cruise... You could replace the words micheal murphy with Johnny Doyle there very easily...
Seen tg4 last nite...murphy was class.. Only 22 still which is scary

Michael Murphy is pure class - if Donegal make the step forward they want to next year, it will involved him being back on the edge of the square and young Paddy McBrearty playing regularly as an orthodox corner-forward.

This might be of interest to those interested in some All-Star musings

http://www.daraghoconchuir.ie/blog.php?id=1396

Ogie wrote:

Michael Murphy is pure class - if Donegal make the step forward they want to next year, it will involved him being back on the edge of the square and young Paddy McBrearty playing regularly as an orthodox corner-forward.

This might be of interest to those interested in some All-Star musings

http://www.daraghoconchuir.ie/blog.php?id=1396

Connolly didnt deserve his nomination but McManamon does, despite warming the bench for long periods of the season.

I agree. No way Connelly. A lot of the dubs were very inconsistant. Their panal saved them on numerous ocasions

Jimmy White

You know what I think of John Doyle. A true legend !!

I expect he will be shouting for Carbury this weekend

Pleased for all 5. It's easy to forget Leper's form in the early part of the Championship and in particular against Meath and Dubs at Croke Pk. The only one who can feel a bit hard done by would be Shane Connolly while Hugh Lynch for me would have been in the running if he'd avoided his injury. Morgan Flats also had a sound year but does a lot if his good work under the radar. We need forwards producing big years next year to progress, that much is clear..

Best of luck to the 5 lads but realistically , only JD is in with a shout of getting one.I see the team as follows :

Cluxton
M O'Se
McGee ( Foley unlucky )
O'Carroll
Cassidy
Lacey
Nolan
Sheehan
God
A Brogan
O'Sullivan Darren
Flynn ( Brosnan unlucky )
Cooper
Moran
B Brogan

I would be a little concerned that one of the Dub mediocre midfielders might pip God to the gong but I am sure that Joe McQuillan is not on the judging panel

Surely Bolton is in there,and also Foley

To be fair, I think we will get two out of the 5. I think JD will get one in the middle (hard to believe its not so long ago we thought he was destined not to get one, now it could be two in two years and at midfield!!!)

I think we will get either Bolton or Mick. Probably Bolton.

It is fantastic to see a full back from Kildare nominated. So often our achilles. Well done Mick and also to Hugh McGrillen. Next year could see an all star full back line of Kelly, Mick and McGrillen. What progress!!!

I'd go with Foley and Bolton. Don't think JD will get it although I hope I'm wrong. If he does, it will probably be to the detriment of one of the other two because they're never gonna give Kildare three... Would reckon Hank would've had a great chance if Kildare already didn't have two backs getting very close. Leper was probably a little lucky to be nominated.

Can't see them giving us more than one in the backs.
I think Bolton will get one and maybe Doyle.

I think Tom Cruise is spot on with his team there lads. Unfortunately I don't think Foley and Bolton have as much chance as ye wish purely cos of the strength of them two lines. McGrillen has very little chance, and Leper no chance.

Unfortuantely, the only possible change which might be made to TC's team is Macauley in for JD, hopefully not.

I know we are Kildare men and naturally biased but lads (carburyman, bricktamland, ogie) if ye look at it objectively, who would ye honestly replace in them two lines for Bolton and Foley?

Cassidy imo the only one who could possibly be ousted, hopefully for Bolton.