Brian Lohan, from Clare, has been acknowledged as the best hurling full back in the country for the third time in succession in the All Star team announced yesterday. Six Clare players have been honoured under the new scheme, sponsored by Eircell, while Tipperary, the team which they defeated in both the Munster and All-Ireland finals, have earned four positions. Wexford supporters will probably be disappointed by the fact that only their goalkeeper, Damien Fitzhenry, has been honoured. Kilkenny players occupy three positions, while Galway are also confined to one selection. The six Clare players are: Lohan at full back; Liam Doyle at right half back, his second award; Sean McMahon at centre back, also a second honour; Colin Lynch at midfield, his first award; Jamesie O'Connor at right half forward, his second award; and Ger O'Loughlin at full forward, also his second award. Tipperary's award winners are Paul Shelley at right full back, Tommy Dunne at midfield, Declan Ryan at centre half forward and John Leahy at left half forward.
The most honoured player is DJ Carey of Kilkenny who will receive his sixth award in seven years. His Kilkenny colleagues, Willie O'Connor and Liam Keoghan, are also included, O'Connor for the second time and Keoghan for the first. The lone Galwayman in the side is Kevin Broderick. Criticism of this year's selection may centre on the fact that National League champions Limerick are not represented. Comment is also certain to be generated by the fact that Clare's Ollie Baker is not included, even though he was named as RTE's Man of the Match in the All-Ireland final. His place is occupied by the man who marked him that day, Tommy Dunne of Tipperary. Speaking at the announcement of the team which was selected by a panel of journalists, the president of the GAA, Joe McDonagh, himself a former All Star (1976), said that he was acutely aware of the importance of the award scheme to players.
He congratulated the recipients and thanked the Eircell company for their generous sponsorship and also thanked the panel of journalists who had devoted considerable time and expertise to the selection process.
"I look forward now to the naming of the All Star football team which will be announced live on Network Two television from the presentation banquet in the Burlington Hotel on Friday at 8.0 pm," he said. The awards will be presented to the two teams on Friday night by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. The chief executive of Eircell, Stephen Brewer, also announced details of a new award scheme to start next year when an Eircell player of the month and manager of the month will be honoured. The selectors for the hurling and football teams this year were: Sean Moran (The Irish Times), Liam Horan (Irish Independent), Jim O'Sullivan (Examiner), Brian Carthy (RTE), Adrian Logan (UTV), Mairtin O Ciardha (Radio na Gaeltachta), Eamon O'Hara (Irish News), Dermot Crowe (Sunday In- dependent), Cian Murphy (Star), Enda McEvoy (Sunday Tribune), and Denis Walsh (Sunday Times).
The man who led Wexford to Leinster and All-Ireland senior hurling glory in 1996 will fill a similar role with the team in next year's league and championship. The formal announcement of Martin Storey's appointment as captain has been made by team manager Rory Kinsella.
Following his club's victory in the Wexford senior hurling championship, Storey and Liam Dunne were both in line for the captaincy. Unfortunately, the selectors' decision was made all the easier when Dunne had the misfortune to break his leg in Oulart the Ballagh's Leinster Club championship match against Castletown of Laois.
His first official engagement as captain will be on Sunday next when Wexford entertain Limerick in their final Oireachtas group game in New Ross.
