Reardens Cork Club Football All-Star Team of the Year is revealed

CHAMPIONS Nemo Rangers and runners-up St Finbarr’s, as expected, dominate the 2022 Reardens All-Star Football Team.

The city giants supply two-thirds of the 15 with semi-finalists Castlehaven and Ballincollig represented in three positions and quarter-finalists Mallow and Carbery also gaining recognition with a player apiece.

Nemo have the largest representation with six, keeper Micheal Aodh Martin, defenders Kevin O’Donovan, Briain Murphy and Stephen Cronin and Conor Horgan and captain Luke Connolly in attack while the Barrs have four, defender Colm Scully, midfielder Ian Maguire and Brian Hayes and Stephen Sherlock in the forwards.

Castlehaven, who lost to the Barrs in the last four, have two, wing-back Rory Maguire and centre-forward Brian Hurley, the championship’s leading scorer with 1-33, while corner-forward Darren Murphy flies the Ballincollig flag.

The other positions are filled by Mallow wing-back Mattie Taylor and Carbery midfielder Brian O’Driscoll.

As always, the team has as much to do with those players who didn’t meet the criteria of the judging panel, which had a very challenging remit, but can now relax in the knowledge that they won’t be counted on to select another team for 12 months.

Football followers will probably say ‘amen to that’ especially those who point to several others with just as strong credentials to have made the starting 15 as those who did get the nod.

Keepers John Kerins (St Finbarr’s) and Anthony Seymour (Castlehaven) had strong campaigns for their clubs and caught the eye with a series of notable saves in big games. Still, it’s hard to quibble with Martin’s selection.

The judges could just as well have opted for a full-back line of Sam Ryan (St Finbarr’s), Jamie Burns (do) and Nemo’s Kieran Histon, a more than capable trio of shutting down dangerous forwards in the same vein as the O’Donovan-Murphy-Scully axis.

Finding the right balance to the half-back line also involved much pain and anguish, notably in not find finding places for the Ballincollig duo of Cian Kiely, in particular, and Luke Fahy as well as Billy Hennessy from the Barrs.

Kiely was outstandingly consistent for the Village all through, solid defensively and raiding forward to supplement the scoring with 0-2 on three occasions, including a couple against Nemo in the semi-final. Yet the line of Maguire, Cronin and Taylor will brook no argument among those in the know.

Ian Maguire, the Barrs powerhouse, was always going to be automatic for one of the two midfield positions, adjusting from the high demands of inter-county football to again lead his side on another trip to the final day of the season.

Finding a partner, though, was far more problematic because of the numbers involved, players like Nemo’s Alan O’Donovan, Darragh Moynihan (Mallow), Sean Kiely (Ballincollig), Conor Cahalane (Castlehaven) and Eoin Comyns (St Finbarr’s) to list just five.

The judges nodded towards Brian O’Driscoll for his magnificent performances for Carbery, displaying endless reserves of energy with and without the ball as well as shouldering the free-taking responsibilities.

He finished the campaign with a fine total of 1-27, including 0-7 in the quarter-final defeat by Ballincollig, and is fully deserving of his place in the elite selection.

The forward sextet practically picked itself with Darren Murphy catching the eye with 3-14 from play during Ballincollig’s run, edging out Cillian Myers-Murray (St Finbarr’s), who scored 1-22, Nemo’s Mark Cronin, Ballincollig club colleague Cian Dorgan and the Haven’s Michael Hurley.

Reardens All-Star Football Team:

Micheál Aodh Martin (Nemo Rangers); 

Kevin O'Donovan (Nemo Rangers), Briain Murphy (Nemo Rangers), Colm Scully (St Finbarr's);

Rory Maguire (Castlehaven), Stephen Cronin (Nemo Rangers), Mattie Taylor (Mallow);

Ian Maguire (St Finbarr's), Brian O'Driscoll (Carbery);

Conor Horgan (Nemo Rangers), Brian Hurley (Castlehaven), Brian Hayes (St Finbarr's);

Steven Sherlock (St Finbarr's), Luke Connolly (Nemo Rangers), Darren Murphy (Ballincollig).