Marc Ó Sé offers his highs and lows of an epic football year

From Andy’s autumn gold to revising restarts and everything in between, how 2017 shaped up in football

Ais for ANDY MORAN: He left the rest of us 30-somethings green-eyed by proving he could still thrive in what has long been ordained a young man’s game. Most impressively, when the pressure was cranked up, he got even better, not least in the All-Ireland final when he walked off to a spinetingling ovation after excelling once more.

Bis for BRYAN SHEEHAN: My old Kerry teammate, one of those who called time on his career in the autumn. Anyone that has ever played a bit of golf knows what it is like when you hear the ping of a perfect drive, well I heard that imaginary sound thousands of times watching that man kick leather.

Cis for CON O’CALLAGHAN: I don’t think there is a better sporting role model out there. It wasn’t just all that he won (he is a triple All-Ireland winner, All-Star and Young Player of the Year) but he did it in style. He covered himself in class right up to last weekend, when, among many others, he took to the streets for an organised sleepout to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Dis for DAVID CLIFFORD: I don’t honestly believe I have ever seen anyone so good, so young. The sense of relief that washed over Kerry when it was confirmed he was staying at home said it all. He will get some gametime in the Allianz League but it will be 2019 before we will really see what he can do. The wait will be worth it.

Eis for ÉAMONN FITZMAURICE: Some of the heat he attracted in the fall-out from Kerry’s defeat to Mayo was off the wall, but the important thing is that the county board held its nerve. His two-year extension provides the platform for the rebuild that is needed.

Fis for FOUR-IN-A-ROW: Few out there are brave or bold enough to bet against Dublin doing it. We should park our prejudices for a moment and give thanks to the fact that we are witnessing one of the greatest teams to ever play the game. Their failure to be voted as RTÉ’s team of the year defied credibility

Gis for GRASSROOTS: It was an eye-opening experience to live and play outside the intercounty bubble and the sense of chaos and disaffection among club players is for real. It can’t be allowed to continue and unless Croke Park brings order to the chaos, those roots will wilt.

His for the HOGAN STAND: It also qualifies as Stephen Cluxton’s summer residence. This year, the greatest goalkeeper to put on a pair of gloves also became the most successful captain in our game’s history. A four-time All-Ireland-winning captain… and he is not finished by half yet.

Iis for ITCHY FEET: Twelve counties will head into the new year under new management, which is probably par for the course but that doesn’t make it right. Some managers walked, others were pushed but surely most counties, particularly those at a lower level, would benefit from stable government than constantly seeking a quick fix.

Jis for JIM GAVIN: He is our Pep because he is not bothered about talking the talk, but his team walks the walk. And just like Manchester City, Dublin don’t just win but they do so by playing fantasy football. And that’s not easy to write as a Kerry man of the Manchester United faith.

Kis for KILDARE: They may have lost the Leinster final by nine points but the swagger with which the likes of Kevin Feely, Niall Kelly, Paddy Brophy and Daniel Flynn played, suggests that someday very soon, Dublin will no longer be able to sleepwalk through Leinster. However, I am not sure if that will be necessarily a good thing for the rest of us.

Lis for LEE KEEGAN: The fastpaced bowler that England are crying out for right now. I am an admirer of the unorthodox when it comes to defending, but his throwing of his GPS unit is proof that desperation is truly the mother of invention. But let’s not forget that in the All-Ireland final he reminded us why he is the best half-back of this decade.

Mis for MAYO: Could just as easily be filed under S as in saviours of our Championship. Hands up, I wrote them off early in the summer but they provided the drama, and ultimately, the competition that the race for Sam Maguire badly needed. Yes, they left empty-handed but as football folk we owe them a debt for their part in a never-to-be-forgotten final.

Nis for NONSENSE: Which was spouted both in TV studios and, more seriously, in GAA disciplinary rooms when Diarmuid Connolly was hit with a 12-week ban for pretty much breathing on a linesman in mid-summer.

Okay, he was wrong, but the time he served was not only out of proportion with the offence, but also with common sense.

Ois for OPTIMISM: It is that wonderful feeling that kicks in when the final whistle sounds on the All-Ireland final. It won’t be felt everywhere, but in Kerry they will hope their rebuild can be fasttracked, in Cork, that Ronan McCarty can show them the way, in Tyrone that Mickey Harte can find a new Sean Cavanagh and in Mayo, that what didn’t kill them will make them stronger. If that proves to be the case, the Connacht men will take some knocking.

Pis for PARK THE BUS: If Jim and Pep are tactical soul-mates, so too are Mickey Harte and Jose Mourinho. However, not only is their game-plan ugly, it is also not working. Dublin did our game a great service this August in putting a Tyrone team devoid of ambition and ingenuity to the sword. The bus isn’t parked…. it has broken down.

Qis for QUEENS of the GAA: You might have heard that we like counting Celtic Crosses down my neck of the woods but we don’t have pockets that run as deep as the women folk in the Rebel County. Briege Corkery has 17 AllIreland medals, while Rena Buckley took her tally to 18 this year. I’m glad it was Cork’s men we played.

Ris for REVENUE: Money talks and right now it is screaming at the top of its lungs in the capital. I don’t begrudge Dublin and their vision in employing Mossy Quinn has been rewarded with increased commercial revenues but when it comes to the GAA’s central funds, a way has to be found to ensure smaller counties can compete.

Sis for SUPER EIGHT: A bold bid to inject some life into the All-Ireland series was given the green light at Congress back in February and I can’t wait to see it in action. I accept that there are issues, not least because it is perceived as being elitist but it could, in time, provide a badly-needed pathway to ensure wholesale reform of the Football Championship.

Tis for TELEVISION: The Championship format is not the only thing that looks tired as much of RTÉ’s coverage appears jaded too. The national broadcaster should go down the same road as BBC, who have a former player in Gary Lineker anchoring Match of the

Day, and it works brilliantly. I will be accused of bias here, but I really believe that the presentation and analysis of our games would improve with an accomplished broadcaster like my clubmate Dara Ó Cinnéide in the hot seat.

Uis for USA: The number of players flooding out of the country to play ball and make some handy dollars on the side is a real issue. I don’t blame players for going – the experience and the chance for students to bolster their bank accounts is understandable, but it leaves clubs depleted and vulnerable. But how can we blame our players for going away when there is not a clearly defined fixture schedule to keep them at home?

Vis for VICTORY: However, winning is out of reach for most counties. The lower tiers of the League offer some relief in that sense, but winning a Division 4 final in front of a couple of thousand people does not provide that winning Croke Park feeling. A tiered All-Ireland series, which would facilitate counties playing teams at their own level, might just do that trick, but those that would benefit most need to buy into the concept.

Wis for WASTE OF TIME: Which is what the International Rules series constitutes. It can be hyped for all its worth but it was evident once more that the series has little or no traction with the GAA public. And at a time when the GAA claims that it is seeking to prioritise the club, proceeding with this nonsense at a time of the year when the club game is at an advance stage is simply wrong.

Xis for X-FACTOR: Jim Gavin’s ability to tweak his team of champions to ensure they remain a fresh and vibrant force was in evidence once more. He has always been able to find a trick to freshen it up and this year was no different with the redeployment of James McCarthy at midfield ensuring they were a more athletic and dynamic force around the middle of the pitch.

Yis for YAWN: There is no kind way to put it, but the first two months of the Championship are too boring and predictable for its own good. This year, with the exception of Galway’s win over Mayo and Down’s unexpected run to the Ulster final, things rolled just as everyone expected and that is why a condensed provincial series will be a relief next year.

Zis for ZONAL: The rule change at special congress that demands all restarts have to travel beyond the 20-metre line is to be welcomed

It may only have a modest effect but it should, in theory, make it easier for teams to do a zonal press and ensure that the retention of possession from restarts is not simply a given. And if that doesn’t work then that exclusion zone for restarts has to be enlarged.