Captain’s mantle sits easy on modest Cluxton

“An outstanding football player, an outstanding athlete and an exemplary individual. He sets the highest standards for himself and those around him. That’s what I’m looking for in a captain and he ticks all those boxes.”

The words of Jim Gavin explaining why he had appointed Stephen Cluxton, seated just to his right, as his captain for the 2013 season. His goalkeeper could have been forgiven for blushing but this being the 31-year-old’s first ever media outing, he was focused on other things.

The press was something Cluxton had never entertained since he made his inter-county debut back in 2001. When he was made captain of the 2011 International Rules team for the Australian series, it was vice-skipper Ciaran McKeever who gave interviews.