Sky Sports pundit Peter Canavan selects his Gaelic football team of the year. All-Ireland champions Kerry lead the way with seven representatives, beaten finalists Galway have four on the side, Ulster winners Derry have two, while there is one apiece from Dublin and Armagh.
Wednesday 27 July 2022 18:12, UK
The standout 15 from a brilliant championship season.
Ryan had a very calm and assuring presence in the Kerry defence all year. The Rathmore man only conceded one goal in the championship, and that was a wonder strike from Cormac Costello.
The key in the modern game is the kick-out strategy. He was able to go long. When he went long, it was to the advantage of his midfielders. But when he needed to go short, and he needed to go short late in the game against both Dublin and Galway, and despite the fact that they were pressing hard, he got the ball away to the advantage of the defenders.
When the Tribesmen were chasing the game, Ryan hit two short in the 68th and 71st minutes, and Kerry got points from them both.
He has been by far the best goalkeeper this year.
Derry have marquee players, but unearthed a real gem in McCluskey. Similar to Chrissy McKaigue, he was brilliant with his man-marking duties. McCluskey made more valuable contributions to attack, more-so than the Slaughtneil man. For that reason, he gets the nod ahead of his county-man.
Jason Foley is only 25 and he's starting to come into his prime. His performance on Damien Comer capped off a magnificent year for him. He can take a lot of credit for Kerry only conceding a single goal this summer.
Silke meanwhile made a massive contribution to Galway's re-emergence. Defensively, he is often ear-marked to pick up the opposition's best forward. He has been able to do that with success, but he also adds an attacking dynamic. He's not happy to sit back, and was involved in some of Galway's best moves. As a club player for Corofin, Silke always stood out. This year, he did it on the county stage.
Prior to the final, Tom O'Sullivan was an automatic All-Star. He had an uncomfortable 50 minutes marking Shane Walsh.
But such was the quality of Walsh's scores, it wasn't that they were gifted to him. Another manager would have moved Tom O'Sullivan, but Jack O'Connor put his faith in him because he realised nobody else could have stopped Walsh in that form.
Most importantly, in the closing stages of that game, for the last 20 minutes, he got to grips with Walsh and curtailed him. But you look at every other game, he has been outstanding this year.
The number six jersey was a toss-up between John Daly and Tadhg Morley. Both performed their defensive duties. I've given Daly the nod because of his contributions going forward as well. He was able to command his defence. His passing was superb against Kerry. When they struggled against Derry, it was him who kicked a point from play in the first-half. Likewise, he was driving forward against Kerry.
Gavin White ticks all the boxes in terms of man-marking, winning kick-outs be it short or out in the middle. He's always a threat going forward. One of Kerry's most consistent players and worthy of an All-Star.
Cillian McDaid is an automatic choice. A player that has come of age this year. His industry, athleticism, leadership came to the fore, and he is a reason why Galway came within minutes of winning an All-Ireland. When the chips were down in the second-half, it was McDaid who drove it on against the Kingdom. He kicked inspirational scores against Armagh and Roscommon. Not only is he worthy of an All-Star, but I'd have him in my top three players this year.
Armagh came within a kick of a ball to reaching an All-Ireland semi-final. There was every possibility of beating Derry had they won. In that regard, they are unlucky they only get one selection on this team. The man who made the biggest contribution is Rian O'Neill. He played a lot of his football in the midfield, and his score-taking from distance was a joy to behold.
The measure of a player is how he is going when the chips are down and the team is not performing well. For a man with so many All-Ireland medals, Ciarán Kilkenny took the fight to Kerry in the second-half. He stood out, and showed the leadership you want when the team needs it most. His work-rate and movement was exemplary. One of the most consistent forwards in the country.
Seán O'Shea's consistency levels have remained high throughout the league and championship, in terms of his free-taking. It's never in doubt. He'll be forever remembered for his score in the last second against Dublin. It was his goal and point in the opening minutes that set Kerry on his way in that game. A superbly talented footballer, and he's going to get better.
Walsh may have had 15 on his back, but he played everywhere. His performance against Roscommon was immense. His display against Kerry was one of the best All-Ireland final displays we have ever seen. A contender for Footballer of the Year.
David Clifford is my player of the year. Had he remained on the pitch against Tyrone last year, there's every possibility that Kerry would have won the All-Ireland in 2021. He went off injured and gave Tyrone the upper hand in extra-time.
His ability to win dirty ball, the quality of his fetching, the marks that he took, the quality of his points off both feet, his intelligence playing in front of a double-sweeper to win ball and to kick over the bar. What a player. What a man.
I'm putting Paudie Clifford in the full-forward line, despite him playing further out as a link-man between the Kerry defence and his brother up front. His movement off the ball, particularly against Dublin was crucial. He wins his own ball, delivers quality passes, and did it against the Dubs when they needed him most. An automatic selection on the team, and a major reason why Kerry are All-Ireland champions.
The final spot came down to a choice between Damien Comer and Shane McGuigan. While Derry earned a lot of praise for their defence, they wouldn't have got through Ulster without Shane McGuigan's scoring prowess from both play and dead balls. He was ruthless. I've given him the nod over Comer.
