Cork Dream Teams

After Cork recently bagged All-Stars in both codes for the first time in four years, a discussion began on Twitter (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CorkDreamTeam&src=hash) to pick respective All-Star teams of all time from the Rebel hurlers and footballers who have collected awards since their inception in 1970. Here are my selections:

FOOTBALL

1. Billy Morgan - just shades it from John Kerins
2. Niall Cahalane - the toughest and most committed defender of his era
3. Michael Shields - with honourable mentions to Colman Corrigan and Kevin Kehily
4. Anthony Lynch - fantastically reliable during a relatively lean period before 2010
5. Ciarán O'Sullivan - arguably the best Cork defender to never win an All-Ireland medal
6. Stephen O'Brien - gets the nod ahead of Conor Counihan
7. Graham Canty - his contemporary John Miskella is unlucky to miss out
8. Shea Fahy - keeps his usual partner, Teddy McCarthy, out
9. Aidan Walsh - two All-Stars by the age of 22 is just enough to have him ahead of Nicholas Murphy
10. Joe Kavanagh - twice a goalscorer in All-Ireland finals but never finished on the winning side
11. Larry Tompkins - probably the first name down on this team
12. Paul McGrath - squeezes out a Cork sporting legend in Dave Barry
13. Jimmy Barry-Murphy - arguably Cork GAA's most iconic personality
14. Ray Cummins - still the only player to be honoured on both hurling and football All-Star teams in the same year
15. Colin Corkery - like Kavanagh, never got to enjoy the ultimate reward his talent deserved

HURLING

1. Donal Óg Cusack - tough call but just got the nod ahead of Ger Cunningham
2. Wayne Sherlock - difficult to accept that he never again started a championship game after collecting his award
3. Diarmuid O'Sullivan - shades the full-back spot ahead of Martin O'Doherty
4. John Horgan - gets in before both Brian Murphys
5. Seán Óg hÁilpín - chosen ahead of his contemporaries Ronan Curran and John Gardiner
6. Brian Corcoran - picked in the position that he best demonstrated his leadership and dominance
7. Denis Coughlan - edges out both the Cashman brothers
8. John Fenton - an automatic choice with five All-Star awards
9. Gerald McCarthy - his haul of five All-Ireland medals edges out Jerry O'Connor
10. Ben O'Connor - squeezes out Tomás Mulcahy
11. Jimmy Barry-Murphy - seven All-Star awards, five of them as a hurler, says it all
12. Tony O'Sullivan - another five-time All-Star
13. Charlie McCarthy - a five-time All-Ireland medallist like his namesake
14. Ray Cummins - revolutionised full-forward play and was rewarded with a place on the Team of the Millennium
15. Joe Deane - arguably Cork's most reliable and consistent marksman

My 2012 All-Stars

It's that time of the year again - no sooner are the destinations of Liam McCarthy and Sam Maguire decided than thoughts turn to the All Stars. The Sunday Game panellists got the ball rolling on the nights of the respective All-Ireland finals, while journalists and analysts in the press and other media have followed suit. So before the awards proper are announced later this month, here are my hurling and football teams of 2012:

HURLING

1. Anthony Nash (Cork) - admirably stepped up into Donal Óg Cusack's shoes and also contributed on the scoreboard
2. Paul Murphy (Kilkenny) - has very quickly established himself as the best corner-back in the country
3. J.J. Delaney (Kilkenny) - his absence in the Leinster final demonstrated that his movement into the full-back line is now in the team's best interest
4. Fergal Moore (Galway) - as captain he led by example and will be forever remembered as the first Galway man to lift the Bob O'Keeffe Cup
5. David Collins (Galway) - the former Young Hurler of the Year finally got the opportunity to deliver on his promise this year
6. Brian Hogan (Kilkenny) - another dominant season for the lynchpin of the Cats' defence
7. Johnny Coen (Galway) - stormed onto the scene in the Leinster final and has a huge future
8. Iarla Tannion (Galway) - reinvented as a midfielder and enjoyed a new lease of life
9. Kevin Moran (Waterford) - collected the man of the match award despite being on the losing side in the Munster final and had his best season to date
10. David Burke (Galway) - his successful conversion into a forward was a masterstoke by Anthony Cunningham
11. Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny) - just how great is the man who almost single-handedly dragged a great team onto further greatness
12. Pa Bourke (Tipperary) - has successfully stepped up to assume responsibility as his side's marksman-in-chief
13. TJ Reid (Kilkenny) - came of age this season while others around him struggled for consistency
14. Joe Canning (Galway) - the prince that would be king almost led his county to the promised land
15. John Mullane (Waterford) - again soldiered bravely and selflessly for love of county

FOOTBALL

1. Paul Durcan (Donegal) - didn't put a foot wrong all year
2. Ger Cafferkey (Mayo) - a natural full-back who's as comfortable under the high ball as facing it
3. Neil McGee (Donegal) - carried on from where he left off last year dominating most opponents that he faced
4. Keith Higgins (Mayo) - arguably there's no Mayo man more deserving of that elusive All-Ireland medal than their wonderfully reliable and consistent defender
5. Frank McGlynn (Donegal) - got on the scoresheet on no fewer than five occasions and was defensively oustanding
6. Karl Lacey (Donegal) - the driving force behind this Donegal team and a worthy 'Player of the Year'
7. Mark McHugh (Donegal) - the critical cog in the system who seemed to pop up all over the field
8. Neil Gallagher (Donegal) - bossed the midfield in the games that really mattered
9. Aidan Walsh (Cork) - has added a greater composure to his game which has seen him contribute on the scoreboard
10. Kevin McLoughlin (Mayo) - has emerged as a real consistent and dependable performer
11. Alan Dillon (Mayo) - kept quiet in the final but was Mayo's outstanding forward again this year
12. Paul Flynn (Dublin) - one player whose performance levels did not drop in 2012
13. Colm O'Neill (Cork) - has returned from a second cruciate knee ligament injury better and stronger
14. Michael Murphy (Donegal) - sacrificed his own game for the greater good before his MOTM display in the final
15. Colm McFadden (Donegal) - a model of consistency who delivered in each and every game