It was another disappointing night for the GAA at the RTÉ Sports Awards.
As well as having four unsuccessful nominees for the evening's main Sportsperson of the Year award, both Dublin football's men and ladies, as well as Galway's hurlers and Cork's camogie team were similarly overlooked in the Team of the Year category.
With David Clifford missing out on the inaugural Young Sportsperson of the Year award to swimmer Mona McSharry, Mick Bohan, Micheál Donoghue, Jim Gavin and Paudie Murray represented the GAA contingent overlooked in favour of Aidan O'Brien in the Manager of the Year category.
While it would be churlish to suggest that the GAA should be expecting to accumulate numerous winners from the awards, many are disappointed with where a portion of the awards went instead.
James Mc Clean is a man I admire greatly but to me Con O Callaghan is by far the outstanding Irish sportsman of 2017. His achievements will never be matched.
— Michael Duignan (@DuignanMichael) December 16, 2017
It shouldn't be overly surprising that the same public who placed Italia '90 as #1 of Ireland's greatest sporting moments would come out for James McClean in last night's main award.
While much correlation cannot be drawn between McClean's 2017 and that summer seventeen years ago, even an unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign can still conjure some heroes.
Because he's not a soccer player?
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) December 8, 2017
That Con O'Callaghan was not even among the nominees for Sportsperson of the Year became a point of conflict in the immediate aftermath of the nominees being announced last week.
When a few days later he was deemed too old to be considered for Young Sportsperson of the Year, it all began to seem a little farcical.
Not sure it’s dawned on most people what we might be witnessing with Con O’Callaghan. We haven’t seen this kind of success/impact from a 21yo dual GAA player since JBM. Worth a nomination last night, at least. #RTESportAwards
— Michael Foley (@MickFoley76) December 17, 2017
I’d love if I was wrong 🤕.... but the dubs were team of the year. Jim Gavin was manager of the year and Con o Callaghan???? They have been snubbed..no doubt about it. 3 in a row is some achievement not done since 80s!!!
— Tomás Ó Sé (@tomas5ky) December 17, 2017
Met Con o' Callaghan at the #SolidaritySleepout last night. As nice a young fella as you'll meet. How he didn't WIN, never mind get a nomination for #rtesportawards young sportstar of the year is some farce! Something not right there. The Dubs in general got snubbed by the show.
— Rory's Stories (@RorysStories) December 17, 2017
Equally puzzling was the public vote for the Irish Showjumpers in the Team of the Year category. While their achievements are unquestionable, it is curious how perhaps the least publicised nominee managed to win ahead of, to give one example, a Dublin side that had claimed their third All-Ireland in succession?
I wonder how many people can, without using Google, say what the showjumpers achieved this year that warranted their inclusion on the Team of the Year shortlist, let alone winning it?
— Joe Leogue (@JoeLeogue) December 16, 2017
Biggest surprise is that horses have learned how to text. #voteearlyvoteoften
— Kieran Cunningham (@KCsixtyseven) December 17, 2017
Nothing for our 3 In A Row Champions or the greatest Gaelic Football manager of recent times, Jim Gavin. Not even a nomination for the greatest GAA year in living memory from an individual, Con O'Callaghan. And nothing for Noelle or our Ladies. I give you the RTÉ Sports Awards
— AllGAA (@AllGaa_) December 16, 2017
It is understandable that in the wake of an international sporting achievement, the GAA is likely to get overlooked for awards such as these.
While nobody could definitively claim that the sporting achievements of O'Brien, the Showjumping team or McSharry ought to have been given to a nominee from the GAA, there is something particularly dispiriting about the selection of McClean.
In sporting terms, his was an ordinary year. With one goal scored across fewer competitive games than Andy Moran featured in for Mayo, it is not difficult to determine that the fondness for the Derryman outstripped an honest appreciation of his sporting year.
