Eamon McGee: Verdict on all 15 football All Stars, who deserved one and who didn't

We’ve been through All Star debates before and I enjoy them.

A few years ago I threw out the idea of having 20 players selected instead of 15 but I’ve gone completely off the idea now.

Logically, it’s the right way to go. Gaelic football subs have never been more important. Armagh’s bench and their ability to change the dynamic of the game literally won an All-Ireland for them.

Read More: Two biggest guns in the game miss out as GAA All Star football team revealed

Read More: Shane O'Donnell 'uncomfortable' with use of his image by the GAA to sell subscriptions on GAAGO

Stefan Campbell had a massive influence in games coming from the bench and he didn’t get nominated.

The thing is though, leaving it open to 20 players takes away the controversy and without that there’s no crack.

The debates and the controversy are what makes the All Stars.

I’ve said this before, and it’s easy for me to say it because I’ve no All Stars, but as I retired I’ve chatted to more lads from different counties with far better CV’s than me and they’re stronger on the subject of All Stars than I ever was.

The best currency for any player is how they are viewed by the lads they would have played with.

You’d be surprised at some of the names that pop up in various county squads as being so important to the squad.

The thing is, a lot of teams are system driven now, so how important to the system are they?

They might be doing stuff that none of us see but come the video analysis session they’re top of the class.

Are the All Stars the 15 best players for 2024? Not in my opinion. League form bears little relevance in how they are picked.

Barry McCambridge played about 20 minutes in the Ulster Championship for Armagh and he is the All Star full back and in with a great shout for Player of the Year.

Of course I’m going to say Donegal should have had a third all star in Caolan McGonagle and maybe Brendan McCole. Has McCole been the best full back all year?

Donegal are Division 2 champions and Ulster champions but the nature of how the All Stars have been picked over the years means the two finalists are always going to end up with the majority of the awards.

After the Ulster Final we were all giving out about Armagh players and how they couldn’t get over that final hurdle. Now they’ve gone on to dominate the All Star team with six picks.

It’s always been the way. Maybe with the shorter county year we could look at the season as a whole but that;s an argument for another day.

Based on the final two teams logic when you look through the omissions the big ones are probably Aaron McKay and Blaine Hughes of Armagh.

But it’s so hard to squeeze everyone into that 15 and it goes back to my point. This is what generates debate.

In the full back line McKay will feel hard done by but who do you leave out? Do you push McCambridge or Mogan further out the field?

Again, someone has to be left out then and the half back line of Dylan McHugh, Aidan Forker and Craig Lennon is probably one of the lines we can all agree more readily on.

Here’s my take on the team the All Star selectors went with:

Niall Morgan (Tyrone): There's a bit of debate here about Morgan and Blaine Hughes but I’m happy Morgan got the shout because he was so central to what Tyrone were about.

Hughes was brilliant and it’s a testament to him that he kept Ethan Rafferty out of the team because Rafferty offered a lot going forward for Armagh. Tyrone have stuttered since their all Ireland win a few years ago but Morgan has been so good for them.

If you watched their game against Donegal in Celtic Park you could see first hand how important he is to Tyrone and what he brings is All Star material. The same way Cluxton revolutionized the kick out Morgan has done the same for the fly keeper.

Johnny McGrath (Galway): Young tigerish corner back and another worthy addition. He’s also in the line up for Young Player of the Year.

He added a good CV of names to his list of people he has manmarked and if these new rules come in the way he plays is ideally suited to that three v three at the back.

If Pádraic Joyce and the crew are to push on for that All-Ireland win then McGrath is pivotal to putting out the opposition fires.

Barry McCambridge (Armagh): Despite being a sub at the start of the year McCambridge pushed on and had a massive influence on Armagh getting their second All-Ireland title.

His rise nearly epitomized the Armagh attitude to just keep going and you can argue for that reason alone McCambridge deserves an All Star.

Scored that crazy goal against Kerry and ended up with 2-5 from corner back. Marked David Clifford and Shane Walsh. What more do you need to say?

Peadar Mogan (Donegal): I love this lad. Literally love him. I’ve worked with him at under age and what has come across very early is his desire to do well for Donegal.

At times he’s been unmarkable and when he presses the afterburners it's scary because in that full flight his ball control is brilliant, which is surprisingly hard to master.

Brilliant leg peg on him too. He had to step up defensively too when he was needed by Jim McGuinness.

Dylan McHugh (Galway): I didn’t realize how good this lad was until I got to see him in the flesh, see the runs he made and his desire to get on ball.

In an era where the majority of players want to play in that middle eight, those man markers and conventional inside forwards aren’t being created as regularly.

It’s a testament to McHugh that he is near the top of a crowded field in that area of the pitch

Aidan Forker (Armagh): There's a nastiness to Forker that makes him hard to like if you’re playing against him but we all need them lads and from the outside looking in, he has grown into one of McGeeney’s generals.

Looked to drive the whole thing on the field be that through scores from that left peg of his or just his physical presence.

He’s the type of character too that won’t be happy with the one All-Ireland and he’ll be back pushing the standards again next year.

Craig Lennon (Louth): As I’ve said before the middle eight group in GAA is dotted with quality and Lennon deserves his All Star.

He scored 4-7 (19) from play, breaking from the half back line, and was only four points behind the leading scorer from play in the entire Championship, Con O’Callaghan, who got 4-11 (23).

That he won an All Star, just Louth’s second one, and his team didn’t make the All-Ireland semi-finals is a testimony to his displays.

Paul Conroy (Galway): There’s a school of thought out there that once you are over 30 you should nearly start looking at the exit door in inter-county football.

Thank the lord Paul Conroy has gotten his first All Star to push back against that. If your situation allows it, play on while you can.

Conroy has stepped up for Galway all year. They looked to be stuttering in the final and by he tried to force his team back into it with his play.

Took some amazing scores from play all year but for me it's his attitude that stands out.

Ben Crealey (Armagh): Reminds me of my friend Neil Gallagher. An old school midfielder who can win that great primary ball.

People get caught up with that and think that’s all there is to it but like Neil, his positional sense is brilliant too and he got big scores in the Ulster and All-Ireland finals.

Rian O’Neill (Armagh): Okay, the only time I’m going to be controversial here in this whole selection but O’Neill, for me, doesn’t deserve an All Star.

Rian O’Neil is one the best players in the GAA. Has he at times shown that ability throughout the season? Some of the quality scores he takes are up there with the David Clifford standard.

Has he consistently been the best player for Armagh? For me that’s a hard no. He shouldn’t be in the best 15.

Johnny Maher (Galway): I’ve been a fan of Maher for a bit now and like Conroy he has grown into a leader for Galway. He shouldn’t be that good as he doesn’t look like a footballer.

When you look through some of the names on the first 15 here: Mogan, McHugh and O’Neill, the way they carry the ball is so natural.

It’s anything but with Maher but it's equally as effective. In my opinion he’s had to fight to get into Joyce’s graces but he is wild important to Galway now and I’m delighted to see him get an All Star.

Oisín Conaty (Armagh): Easy enough decision here too. Brilliant all year round on the wing in a real breakthrough season for the 21 year old. Three big points in the All-Ireland final.

Armagh have oceans of talent in the forward line.

I would have said that I can’t see Armagh retaining their All Ireland but under these new rules is there any other team out there with a better range of attacking options than Armagh?

Rob Finnerty (Galway): If Finnerty stays on in the All Ireland final then, in my opinion, Galway win.

Not just for his frees but it probably frees up Shane Walsh or Damien Comer that wee bit more.

He’s been the perfect foil for them all year and his injury 15 minutes in the All-Ireland final was a serious blow to Galway.

Oisín Gallen (Donegal): Looking at Gallen throughout the year you are blown away by some of the scores.

But any time I’ve seen him I’m thinking there’s more. He gets his deserved All Star but the great thing from a Donegal perspective is that he has a level or two in him yet.

The extra space of these new rules could help him find that.

Conor Turbitt (Armagh): ‘Turbo’ didn’t have a great All-Ireland final with Johnny McGrath in tow. He was the first taken off, after 46 minutes, and normally that is detrimental to your chances.

But he is still probably the easiest name to put on the sheet for an All Star. Was brilliant all year for Armagh in the big scores he got and created and in his defending and work on turning over short kickouts.

To keep up to date with all the latest GAA news, sign-up to our GAA newsletter here.