Twitter would have been carnage.
What the All-Stars really stand for has been lost in translation over the last while. When Colm Cavanagh’s named at full back on the team, even though he never played a minute on the edge of the square for Tyrone for the whole year, you know there’s something wrong.
The same goes for Brian Howard, who played all of his football at wing forward but makes the All-Star team at midfield. The problem is, it has a knock on effect and players who do deserve to make the team in the positions they’ve played in, like Ryan Wylie and like Shane Walsh.
There will be shortcomings and fall-guys in every single All-Star team, but never has there been a bigger blooper than the hurling rendition back in the year 1994.
24 years ago, Offaly were the kings. Birr were the best and Brian Whelahan was the chosen one. He was the most gifted hurler in Birr, he was the most gifted hurler in Ireland and he was at the peak of his prodigious powers.
The best half back hurling has ever seen had one of his best ever years in 1994 and he was honoured with the Hurler of the Year award. Unlike the majority of the player of the year awards, there was no real debate about it.
Whelehan was out on his own and that was that. The All-Star team, however turned out to be a different kettle of fish entirely.
The All-Star XV for the year named on the same night in the capital city, Brian Whelahan didn’t make it onto the chosen 15.
The team of the millennium member was a victim of his own versatility that night. Seeing as he was the best no matter where he played on the pitch, Whelahan was nominated for two positions on the All-Star team.
That meant his vote was split in half and in the end it pushed him out of the team. The team was chosen via a secret ballot from media heads and it was only revealed on the night of the function.
“He actually got more votes than anyone else but didn’t win a spot,” Michael Lyster explained.
Whelahan got over that and ended his career with four All-Stars, but it makes everything else relative in the great All-Star debate.
The Hurler of the Year 2018 is being announced on Friday night. Just imagine the uproar if Joe Canning, Cian Lynch or Padraig Mannion didn’t make it on to the All-Star team.
Twitter would have probably looked like this.
1. WTF
2. The people of Offaly rally around Brian Whelahan
3. The lads in charge of the whole thing haven’t a clue anyway
4. The journalist who loves taking the moral high ground
5. This is the last straw
6. Why do people care?
7. There’s always one
8. That’s it
