Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JACK COULDN’T GIVE HIMSELF A VOTE THIS TIME
HE finished the season with an All-star award but Jack Mccaffrey says voters were right not to name him Footballer of the Year.
The Dublin defender was shortlisted along with Brian Fenton and Ciaran Kilkenny for the top individual award, which he won in 2015.
But the intercounty playing base ultimately went for midfield general Fenton who capped a terrific campaign with his fourth All-ireland medal win.
Mccaffrey said he had no problem with the decision.
“I voted for someone that wasn’t me, that’s the most diplomatic way of saying it,” he said. “To be honest, in 2015, I voted for myself but this year I didn’t think I deserved it so I voted for one of the others.
“I didn’t lose sleep over that vote because I thought the two lads were really, really deserving of it. Ciaran, for us, is just the model of consistency. Not that Fento isn’t but Ciaran is so reliable, so solid, and his scoring game has come on massively this year.”
Despite receiving the prized award in 2015, the wing-back claimed that it’s not actually that important to him as a player.
The Clontarf man continued: “The Player of the Year thing is a bit of a popularity contest, to be honest. And there is also, I think, a side to it that .... ah, I won’t go into it.
“I honestly think it was a toss-up, the two of them are really good friends. I am sure they are going to slag each other about it and I don’t think they will fall out over it.
“We won the All-ireland, everything else is bonus territory.
“It would never have been something that motivated me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an incredible honour and it’s something I’m really, really proud of.”
›› Dublin footballer Jack Mccaffrey was speaking to support TK Maxx Christmas Sock Day which returns on Thursday, December 8 to raise funds for Enable Ireland. Get involved by sharing your own #socksie on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.