After a week of debate and a record number of votes, the results are in. We can reveal our eighth 15 for 30 team - Kerry's best county football team of the last 30 years, as voted by the public.
Over the course of the week, an unbelievable number of votes were cast. In the end, votes came in for over 80 players, which reflects the unbelievable and consistent strength of Kerry football, but in the end, only 15 could be named.
There was a brief panic yesterday when a quick vote tally revealed the legendary Maurice Fitzgerald in a precarious position in the forward. Needless to say, the alarm bells went off, and the siren went out. The 1997 Footballer of the Year surged to end up with the third most votes of any player.
A few players were always going to make it. Colm Cooper won an All-Star in nearly a third of the years in this 30 year timespan and he ended up topping the poll of not just this week, but of any week. It will be interesting to see if his number is topped in the weeks ahead.
Declan O'Sullivan wasn't very far behind him at all, while all three of the Ó Sé brothers were shoo-ins.
In other positions, there was less certainly. Aidan O'Mahony won the final sport in the backline, holding off Paul Murphy. In the forwards, it was expected that a place was up for grabs between Mike Frank Russell and Paul Geaney, but a massive vote for David Clifford meant that neither got in. Clifford might have only played senior football for two years, but what a two years they've been. Donnchadh Walsh also put up a big performance in the voting but was just outside the amount needed in the end.
James O'Donoghue joins fellow two-time All-Star Geaney on the outside looking in. It's a testament to the depth of Kerry talent that a former Footballer of the Year only received the 22nd most votes in this poll.
The final team lines up as follows:
The Kerry 15 for 30:
1. Diamuid Murphy;
2. Marc Ó Sé, 3. Mike McCarthy, 4. Tom O'Sullivan (Rathmore);
5. Tomás Ó Sé, 6. Séamus Moynihan, 7. Aidan O'Mahony;
8. Darragh Ó Sé, 9. David Moran;
10. Paul Galvin, 11. Declan O'Sullivan, 12. Maurice Fitzgerald;
13. Colm Cooper, 14. Kieran Donaghy, 15. David Clifford.
Not a bad team!
In the end, there's 60 All-Ireland winning medals on that team, along with 49 All-Stars, and six Footballer of the Year awards.
Naturally,Kerry's 2004 - 2009 team that played in six finals in a row, winning four of them, make up the bulk of the team. Only David Moran and Clifford made their mark in only in the 2010s, while Fitzgerald and Seamus Moynihan are the two players selected who would be more remembered for their 1997 and 2000 exploits under Páidi Ó Sé.
The Top 30 in order of votes received in all positions was as follows:
1. Colm Cooper
2. Declan O'Sullivan
3. Maurice Fitzgerald
4. Kieran Donaghy
5. Marc Ó Sé
6. Tomás Ó Sé
7. Séamus Moynihan
8. David Clifford
9. Darragh Ó Sé
10. Diarmuid Murphy
11. Paul Galvin
12. Tom O'Sullivan (Rathmore)
13. Mike McCarthy
14. David Moran
15. Aidan O'Mahony
16. Mike Frank Russell
17. Donnchadh Walsh
18. Seán O'Shea
19. Declan O'Keeffe
20. Paul Murphy
21. Paul Geaney
22. James O'Donoghue
23. Killian Young
24. Dara Ó Cinnéide
25. Eamonn Breen
26. Liam Hassett
T27. Bryan Sheehan
T27. Johnny Crowley
29. Darran O'Sullivan
30. Peter Crowley
We're sure this will only cause further debate now that the voting has closed.
Next up in the 15 for 30 series, but we'll be back to hurling and the great county of Wexford. Liam Griffin's men of '96 will be hard bet in this team we'd imagine but there are a few current players who are worthy of a spot of any Wexford team. Voters can decide for themselves when the poll goes up on Monday morning. We look forward to more debate.
