Resurgent Rebels well rewarded with 11 All-Star nominees

CORK may have struggled through much of the summer, but the All-Ireland champions have, nevertheless, been well rewarded for their efforts in claiming the Sam Maguire with 11 of Conor Counihan’s men nominated for Vodafone All Star awards yesterday.

Cork’s representation compares favourably to the dozen Kerry received 12 months ago and betters the 10 Tyrone were offered in 2008. Only 10 of the 45 nominated are previous All Stars, with Kerry duo Colm Cooper and Tomás O Sé the most decorated nominees, with five awards each.

One point of note: though the 2010 season was by common consent the most open in years, the 12 sides represented in the nominations is identical to last year’s number and actually one less than the 2008 campaign.