Northern pair dominate list

ALL-IRELAND champions Tyrone and runners-up Armagh dominate the list of nominations for the 2003 Vodafone GAA Allstar awards in football.

Between them they have 23 players selected with 11 other counties sharing the balance. Notably, of the four provincial champions, Kerry have gained just one nomination - defender Tomas Ó Sé, included for the third time in four years. In contrast, goalkeeper Declan O'Keeffe misses out for the first time since 1999.

Predictably, Tyrone gain the lion's share of nominations 14 in all which is five more than Armagh gained as champions last year.

The group features Stephen O'Neill, who made a significant contribution in the All-Ireland final as a second-half substitute for Peter Canavan. All six forwards who started in the final are named, with Canavan an absolute certainty to pick up his fifth award.

The only players to miss out are goalkeeper John Devine and centre-back Gavin Devlin, who was missing for the bulk of the campaign following a three month suspension.

Last year, winning Armagh goalkeeper Benny Tierney was also left out.

Unlike in hurling - where Kilkenny captain DJ Carey was excluded - a number of high-profile players failed to gain representation. Included in the group are Darragh Ó Sé, Seamus Moynihan, Graham Canty, Paraic Joyce and Anthony Lynch.

Laois, who ended their long wait for a Leinster title under the inspired management of Mick O'Dwyer, are rewarded with six nominations, among them top forward Brian 'Beano' McDonald and centre-back Tom Kelly.

Both of them are members of the Irish squad which leaves on Saturday for the two-test International Series in Australia.

Four from Donegal are included, featuring team captain Adrian Sweeney and his brother Raymond. The remaining seven counties each have one representative.

Muiris Gavin, the Limerick captain, is numbered among them, along with Declan Browne more readily acknowledged as one of the outstanding forwards in the game after his display in Croke Park in the qualifier series against Donegal and utility Offaly player Ciaran McManus.

He was arguably Offaly's outstanding player this year. Like Browne, he is also a member of the international squad and its most experienced member.

It's noteworthy that only 12 of last year's 45 nominees are again named of whom seven gained Allstar awards. Four are from Armagh - team captain Kieran McGeeney, Enda McNulty, Paul McGrane and Stephen McDonnell - along with Dublin's Paddy Christie, Kevin Cassidy from Donegal and Peter Canavan.

The county by county breakdown is: Tyrone (14), Armagh (9), Laois (6), Donegal (4), Galway (3), Roscommon (2), Dublin, Fermanagh, Kerry, Kildare, Limerick, Offaly and Tipperary one each.