Poor Ciaran Kilkenny.
Only three players will receive a nomination for Footballer of the Year and, if there’s any justice in this cruel world, Conor McManus will be among them.
The Monaghan skipper might only have featured in four games this season, they might’ve been dumped out as early as the quarter finals but, for 280 minutes, Conor McManus lit up this championship.
For four games, he provided near-perfect performances and he did it with men hanging off of him. He did it with Tyrone players knocking lumps out of him and, win or lose, he was the best player on the park every time he stepped out on one.
The winner will come from Dublin or Kerry though and that is still very much up in the air. Basically, Sunday’s final won’t only decide the destination of Sam Maguire for the year, it will also crown the best of the best of our footballers. And whoever shines brightest on the biggest stage in the GAA will more than likely take the honour of Footballer of the Year.
Three players from each team are probably in the running and it sounds almost incredulous to think that Ciaran Kilkenny won’t be there – no, it’s actually vomit-inducing.
But there are three Dubliners ahead of him so we’ll persist. Just about.
Kerry fans, meanwhile, got uppity when none of their forwards made the readers’ All-Star selections but who is there really to come in? Donnchadh Walsh at a stretch, but nah.
Marc Ó Sé
The Kingdom’s defence have set them apart this year and Marc Ó Sé has typically been at the forefront of that.
Alongside Enright, Ó Sé has snuffed out attackers at will and he’s been the driving force of a slick Kerry outfit working the ball from back to front like their lives depended on it.
If Kerry are to win their 38th All-Ireland, Marc Ó Sé will have to keep a lid on the Sky Blue attack. And he’ll have to do it convincingly.
David Moran
One half of a midfield partnership that has been nothing short of uncompromising this year.
David Moran has arguably been his side’s best player this year. He’s not even allowing himself to stay in the same trenches he has been so deadly from. Instead, he’s been dictating play. He’s been turning ball over and driving forward and causing all sorts of havoc with that right foot of his.
When his team were asked questions in a tight semi final with Tyrone, it was Moran who stood up to the test and helped drag his team through a right battle.
Anthony Maher
Maher’s downright dominance in the middle of the park has been a throwback to an era we thought had long since deserted us.
The Kerry midfielder is hogging skylines all over Ireland and he’s actually the main reason why Kerry are coming in to this decider looking to back up last year’s success.
Everyone knows that Kerry will get the better in midfield and Maher is the reason for that. He’s the biggest threat to Dublin’s chances.
Cian O’Sullivan
For some reason, he’s gone somewhat under the radar.
Cian O’Sullivan going into centre back has been one of the success stories – amongst another season of success stories – of Dublin 2015.
The Kilmacud Crokes man has been solid as a rock and his tackling has really shone through back in a defensive position. Not only that, but his ability to make things happen from half back, along with McCaffrey and McCarthy, is another reason why it is just so difficult to see how Dublin can be stopped.
He’s been a leader at the back and, under his watch, the Dubs are menacing in defence.
Diarmuid Connolly
Diarmuid Connolly had a quiet game – relatively – during the Mayo replay. So what?
For five games previous, he had been unstoppable. His skill was laughable, he was scoring every type of point that was ever possible and he was controlling play with both feet, pinging torpedo like passes that were burning holes in his team mates’ chests.
He’s even taken over free duties when he wants to call rank, curling over with the outside of his right just to save Cluxton the bother of running down the field.
If Connolly stars again on Sunday – he’ll be favourite for the gong. At least he should be. Red card or not, he has been a joy to watch.
Bernard Brogan
Serious scoring in this years championship from @bernardbrogan who has bagged himself 6-19…ALL from play #Gaa RT 👌🏼 pic.twitter.com/DqDOjkA98U
— 𝘿𝙪𝙗𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 (@DubMatchTracker) September 8, 2015
All the while, Bernard Brogan is just ticking along on the inside line.
He’s winning serious ball for Dublin way up the field – exactly where they need him to – and, yes, he’s scoring for fun.
6-19 from play is a decent enough return, isn’t it?
