There's been a bit of uproar surrounding the selection of Lee Keegan as the Footballer of The Year at last night's Opel All Stars. Obviously, fans are outraged at a player from their county not getting it. Same applies to the Hurler of the Year and respective Teams of the Year. But people seem to get confused as to how the awards are decided. Here is how it works.
How are the GAA All-Stars decided?
Team(s) of the Year
Are you outraged that Emlyn Mulligan wasn't picked at half forward? Why was Paddy O'Rourke not considered as 'keeper? Who do you blame for the absence of the Carlow rearguard?
The players that make the Team of the Year are decided by a selected committee featuring some of the top GAA journalists from the national media. They attended a meeting last Wednesday and were presented with a shortlist of 45 players. It was a hard job to do but they then whittled the list down to the final 15. Hence, the Team of the Year.
Footballer/Hurler of The Year
The important thing to note is that the biggest award is voted for exclusively by the players. Lee Keegan is Footballer of the Year because his peers think he is the best player in the country. Even the ones from Dublin. Which effectively nullifies any accusations of potential bias. The same goes for Austin Gleeson winning the Hurler of the Year.
Claim that your county star has been screwed over for the main award all you want, but don't point the finger at the 'biased media'. Feel free to do that with qualms over the Team of the Year!
