It was different to our team in three spots. We'd have had Alan Quirke in ahead of Stephen Cluxton, Bryan Cullen instead of Seamus Moynihan and Paul Barden ahead of Alan Dillon, but all were marginal, even possibly wrong, calls on our behalf.

Cluxton has the best kick-out in football, Moynihan was one of Kerry's top three performers in the All Ireland semifinal and final, while Dillon was as monstrous against Galway, Laois and Dublin as he was dismal against Kerry.

Whatever about no player having cause to mope, no county can. Quirke-Cluxton and Cullen-Ger Spillane were tight calls and in the end the Dubs and Cork ended all square. Donegal's defence was rightly saluted, even if Barry Dunnion could just as easily have won a statue as Karl Lacey. In all, seven counties were represented, compared to last year's scandalously-low three, giving a fair reflection of the breadth and depth of the year that we had.

Why la change? This might have been a better selection than last month's Opel side, but just as the emergence of the GPA caused Jarlath Burns' Players Committee to raise its game, the emergence of the GPA's award scheme has caused the GAA and the journos to raise theirs.

There were, of course, some quibbles. Joe Kernan has complained about Francie Bellew being pipped by Barry Owens, forgetting Bellew was fortunate to pip Owens in '03. We were also surprised to see John Morrison complain about Ciaran McDonald's omission, since McDonald was fortunate to win an Opel award. Paddy Bradley, who scored at least three points from play in all his four championship games this year, is unlucky. All Stars though don't so much go to who played the best football but as to who contributed more to our memory and enjoyment of the year.

Given he didn't even receive a nomination in '04, Conor Mortimer deserves his All Star, and the selectors themselves, no grief from us.

2006 All Star football team Stephen Cluxton (Dublin); Marc O Se (Kerry), Barry Owens (Fermanagh), Karl Lacey (Donegal);

Seamus Moynihan (Kerry), Ger Spillane (Cork), Aidan O'Mahony (Kerry); Darragh O Se (Kerry), Nicholas Murphy (Cork); Paul Galvin (Kerry), Alan Brogan (Dublin), Alan Dillon (Mayo); Conor Mortimer (Mayo), Kieran Donaghy (Kerry), Ronan Clarke (Armagh) Footballer of the Year Kieran Donaghy (Kerry) Young Footballer of theYear Keith Higgins (Mayo)