Six of the best for Canavan

FIFTEEN years after making his senior debut, Peter Canavan brought the curtain down on a glittering inter-county career when he was named last night in the Vodafone GAA All-Stars football team.

Canavan was one of eight of Tyrone’s championship-winning team to receive awards - in a unique three-county selection which saw All-Ireland finalists Kerry claim four places and the remaining three go to Ulster champions, Armagh.

It marked a sixth award for Canavan, who turned 34 in April and who announced his retirement after Tyrone’s second All-Ireland triumph. Chosen at centre-forward for the first time (his first in 1994 was at right half-forward, three were at full-forward and the other in the right corner), his fifth award two years ago established an Ulster record.

His team-mate Sean Cavanagh achieved the distinction of being picked for the third consecutive year. Similarly, the Kerry pair Michael McCarthy and Colm Cooper, along with Armagh’s scoring star Stephen McDonnell, also received a third award. McCarthy’s selection at full-back was noteworthy for the reason that his previous two awards - last year and 2003 - were gained at left corner-back.

Apart from the confining of the awards to three teams, Tyrone’s eight awards not only represented their highest total (Cavanagh was their only winner last year, and they gained seven after their 2003 success), but it was the highest total since Kerry received nine in 1981.

And, that same year, the selection was limited to four counties - Kerry, Offaly (3), Galway (2) and Down (1). This had previously occurred in 1977 and 1976, when Dublin gained nine and seven awards respectively. Over the last 10 years, the average number of awards received by the championship-winning teams amounted to six.

Only three footballers were chosen for the first time - defenders Ryan McMenamin, who has gained a reputation with Tyrone as something of an “enforcer”, and Andy Mallon from Armagh, along with Tyrone forward Owen Mulligan.

Apart from scoring a brilliant goal in the drawn All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin, Mulligan made a massive contribution in the latter stages of the championship, setting up the goal for Canavan which more or less decided the outcome of the All-Ireland final.

Last year’s selection included 11 first-timers. And, of the players chosen then, only Kerry’s Diarmuid Murphy, Michael McCarthy, Tomás Ó Sé and Colm Cooper, along with Sean Cavanagh were again named last night.

Additionally, Tyrone captain Brian Dooher, along with team-mates Conor Gormley and Philip Jordan (all chosen in 2003), gained second awards, as did new Armagh captain Paul McGrane. He was one of their six players to be honoured in 2002. Star wing-back Aaron Kernan failed to make the team but had the consolation of picking up the “Young Player of the Year” award, which was first won by the late Cormac McAnallen.

The presentation of awards at a banquet in the Citywest Hotel in Dublin last night by GAA President Sean Kelly and Vodafone’s new CEO Teresa Elder featured the first ever twin brothers - Ben and Jerry O’Connor - to be honoured. Ben missed out on selection last year, even after captaining Cork to victory in the All-Ireland final, but he made it into the team this year, along with Jerry, who was also named as the Vodafone Hurler of the Year.

Brothers Eoin and Paul Kelly from Tipperary were honoured together for the second time, Davy Fitzgerald was Clare’s only All-star and Kilkenny star Henry Shefflin joined an elite group of hurlers who have been picked five times.