ONE of the best things about sport is that it creates debate. Was it over the line? Was it a foul? Who was the greatest? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. That is taken for granted in this free speech state of ours. However, when people’s opinions are unanimous on a matter, that is when alarms bells should ring.
A case in point is the 2010 Vodafone All Star football selection.
In case you are not aware, the All Stars is a team, picked by national journalists, that is meant to reflect the best player in the country in each of the 15 positions.
The 2010 All Star Football selection was a perfect example of how the majority opinion differed from the minority.
You see, if you ask any football fan in the country to name the best players in the country, one man’s name would keep coming up. From Mizen Head to Malin head gaelic football followers will mention John Galvin of Limerick in their top 5, if not top three in the country.
The Croom midfielder has been without doubt the most consistent midfielder in the game for several seasons as well as being regarded as the best footballer this county has ever produced.
When people scanned down the All Star team, (a team Galvin has not been nominated for three times), you will not see the Limerick mans name there, in midfield, where he would normally dominate.
Instead, GAA supporters were surprised to see Paddy Keenan of Louth and Aidan Walsh of Cork.
Keenan was a superb talent at under age, but one can only assume that Keenan’s choice at eight was only down to Louth’s injustice against Meath this year. To move on to Walsh’s selection, this is the more baffling. Walsh was taken off in every game bar the semi final. Nicolas Murphy his replacement. Indeed, Walsh and Galvin’s paths crossed this summer, ending in defeat for Limerick and a substitution for Walsh early in the second half.
The reaction to the Galvin omission was amazing. Local media was inundated with calls and messages of anger. Once more, they said, the “Dublin” media has slighted the Limerick GAA.
Once more the decision of men, who probably didn’t even see Galvin play this year is biased against Limerick.
When you look at it all, without the green tinted glasses, it really does make you wonder.
Galvin won the man of the match in this season’s Munster final. A game in which Colm Cooper played in and a game in which the Gooch won his All Star.
Looking at the rest of the team, it doesn’t stop there. Daniel Goulding, scorer of nine points in the All Ireland final, is missing. Goulding lifted Cork from the dead at times this season.
In a plea to messrs, Martin Breheny (Irish Independent) Brian Carthy (RTE Radio) Michael Lyster (RTE TV) Paddy Heaney (Irish News) Peter Sweeney (Irish Star) Sean Moran (The Irish Times) and Brendan O’Brien (Irish Examiner), in future when you are asked to do a job, do it right. The system needs to change. All games need to be rated. That can be hard to do. You can’t often see the Gaelic Grounds from the Croke Park Press Box.
The process is meant to be based on a years play, not the final two rounds of the championship.
It is not often the sporting public agree. So why not listen to them for once.
