O’Mahony backs GPA selection of Mayo trio

LIKELY Mayo manager John O’Mahony found himself in the position of having to justify the selection of three of the county’s attackers in yesterday’s inaugural Opel Football ‘Team of the Year’.

Kieran Donaghy was the only forward from All-Ireland champions Kerry, but O’Mahony emphasised that the selection committee (of which he is chairman) “had absolutely nothing to do with the selection of the team”.

Undertaken by the GPA membership in a postal ballot (with 627 players responding), he commented: “That’s the process and it’s a good one.’’ Asked if he felt it was a better idea to have the players pick the team, he said he wouldn’t want to criticise the way any other scheme was operated. “The All-Star nominations has been very successful,’’ he commented.

Overall, Kerry had six players selected — four of them in defence — while Mayo were confined to the three forwards, McDonald, Alan Dillon and Conor Mortimer. The remaining six positions were divided between Dublin (3), Cork, Armagh and Fermanagh.

O’Mahony’s committee picked the nominees (three per position), based on form after the league and provincial finals, before the All-Ireland final and subsequent to it. He commented that if the final team had been chosen after the Munster championship, he doubted if Kerry would have six players included. On the specific issue of the perceived imbalance of forwards between the All-Ireland champions and the runners-up, O’Mahony offered the view that Mayo “might have confounded some of the critics” with some of the scoring averages they put up.

“But, again it’s down to the votes of the players,’’ he added. And, that was how he responded to a question about the failure of Paul Galvin to gain selection at left-half forward (with the position going to Ciaran McDonald). Galvin was one of the three nominees chosen by the selection committee, he pointed out, Donegal’s Rory Kavanagh being the other.

“I am not privy as to how the votes went, but if you were looking at it you’d be saying it’s the nearest thing to a controversy you would have with this team,” he said. At the same time, he didn’t believe it was a reflection on McDonald’s selection in any way. “Ciaran had a fantastic year as well. And, Rory Kavanagh had tremendous early-season form.’’

Emphasising the importance of picking nominations based on form over the whole year, O’Mahony suggested criticism “of these kind of teams” in the past was probably because selection was based on All-Ireland form. “The way we did it we felt was the fairest way. Obviously there were some close calls and people will argue about players that should be there. But, you could never say any of the players shouldn’t be there.”

GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell said that from a GPA perspective they were “delighted” with the open scheme as it currently operates. “It’s unique from the point of view that the players themselves select the team. There is an acknowledgment amongst players that it’s very worthwhile to be selected and picked by your peers and fellow players,” he said.

“It’s different from any other scheme and I think the players are very happy with that. Players are very happy with the (Vodafone) All-Stars as it stands, but it’s a different scheme.”