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Every county should be guaranteed one nominee, not in a patronising way but as a means of recognising that there s excellence outside the last eight in the championship. It wouldn t come at the cost of the 45 first choices, but rather as an addition to the scheme.
Players from lower-ranked counties (the term weak should be banned!) aren t the only ones to lose out on All-Stars. They are many from stronger forces too, who had solid cases over the years but never made the final cut.
Today, we celebrate a top 50 selection from both categories.
They can all feel disappointed at being missing out, especially when they examine the lists of those who made it.
Kids love him, and the adults love him, because he can tog out and he’ll embarrass our adult footballers with the way he can kick a ball.
“He would kick a 45/50-yard pass with his famous one, outside of the left (foot), and he would put it on a five pence. And he would always carry a bit of style, says Michael Hegarty of Crossmolina GAA who grew up and played with McDonald. Even at this stage, and he’s retired, kids want to be like him. He stands out in a crowd and the kids are like, ‘Who’s that guy? Who’s that kicking the ball like that?’
Still, it was far from plain sailing. They took just two wins from seven in the league that spring, staying up with a point to spare. Horan held firm and by the time their championship started in Ruislip, Mayo looked very different.
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There were just seven survivors from the team that lost to Longford. Horan would become a man with a reputation for looking after the small details. An ash cloud had wreaked havoc with travel plans before they were due to play London, and Mayo had a plan B in place should the worst happen.