The best of the East are honoured

Paul Brennan reports from the eighth East Kerry GAA All Star awards where the best performances in the O’Donoghue Cup were honoured

THE O’Donoghue Cup champions Rathmore, understandably, dominate the 2017 East Kerry GAA All Star team with six players named on the team at a gala dinner in the Gleneagle Hotel last Friday evening before a large crowd. For the first time since the 2011 All Star team six clubs were represented on the final fifteen, with eight footballers collecting their first East Kerry All Star.

It was also a night of firsts. Shane Ryan became the first player to be named Senior and Young (U-21) Footballer of the Championship, while the young Rathmore man is also the first to win back-to-back Young Footballer of the Championship awards, having collected that honour last year.

There was also successive awards for Paudie Clifford, whose brilliance and consistency in the Fr Galvin Cup earned him the Intermediate Championship Footballer of the Year award for two years running.

Aidan O’Mahony made more history by becoming the first player to win a sixth All Star award, as well as winning four awards in a row, the same feat achieved by his Rathmore club mate Cathal Murphy. Dr Crokes pair of Eoin Brosnan and Colm Cooper, along with Cathal Murphy, each hold four All Stars, two behind O’Mahony.

The six Rathmore men honoured on the All Star XV, which is testament to their four-in-a-row winning achievement in the East Kerry Championship, are O’Mahony and Murphy in the full back line, Donal O’Sullivan and Mark Ryan who were a formidable midfield partnership for their team, and Brian Friel and Shane Ryan in the forward unit. Semi-finalists Gneeveguilla have three players on the team with DJ Murphy winning his first All Star at right corner back, DJ O’Connor winning his first award at the opposite corner of the field at left corner back, and anotehr Kerry minor from last year, Patrick Warren named at wing back on the final selection. Beaten finalists Legion were rewarded with two awards, 2017 All-Ireland minor winner Cian Gammell at wing back, and James O’Donoghue at centre-forward, who was the Man of the Match winner in the O’Donoghue Cup final in December.

There are also two Spa men on the XV, with Dan O’Donoghue winning his second award, at centre back, having been named at full back on the 2016 team. His team mate, Evan Cronin is another first time All Star, named at no.12 in the side.

Two other clubs picked up one award each. Former Kerry goalkeeper, Brendan Kealy was a popular winner and is the seventh different goalkeeper in eight years to win the goalkeeping All Star. Incidentially, Kealy is the second Kilcummin ’keeper to win an All Star after Shane Murphy in 2012, with Murphy becoming the only no.1 to win a second award after he did so with Dr Crokes on the 2016 team.

The final All Star went to Dr Crokes forward Tony Brosnan his second award after 2015 - for his outstanding display against Kilcummin in the quarter-finals.

John Feerick, Managing Director of The Kerryman newspaper sponsor, Tim Ryan, East Kerry GAA Board Chairman, and Eamon Quigley, Manager of Te Aquila Club, Gleneagle Hotel sponsor, with John Lenihan, East Kerry Person of the Year award winner, Andy...

Paudie Clifford, Intermediate Player of the Year, at the East Kerry GAA All Stars Dinner in the Gleneagle Hotel

Tadhg O’Donoghue with Pat Delaney, recipient of a Special Recognition award at the East Kerry GAA All Stars dinner

John, Bridie and James O’Donoghue Scataglen at the East Kerry GAA Board All Stars Dinner

Michael O’Connor with Aiden and Kieran O’Mahony Rathmore at the East Kerry GAA All Stars Dinner

Shane Ryan Under 21 and Senior Player of the Year and his brother Mark at the East Kerry GAA Board All Stars Dinner

Pictured on left are six-time All Star winner Aidan O’Mahony and Stephen Brosnan who accepted his brother Tony’s award