ALL STAR FOOTBALL SELECTION:THE WHOLE drama of any All Star declaration is sometimes more about who is left out than who is left in - and no representation for two of the provincial champions, no representation for the beaten All-Ireland semi-finalists and no Connacht representation whatsoever has created a particularly lively debate around the 2008 football selection announced yesterday.

Inevitably, All-Ireland champions Tyrone are the dominant force as they fill seven of the 15 positions, three more than beaten finalists Kerry. Dublin, Armagh and Westmeath are the only other counties to get a player on board, which means only five counties are represented, down one on last year.

It also means the beaten All-Ireland semi-finalists, Wexford and Cork, who had received four nominations each, have failed to get any representation on the team. Cork, who also won the Munster title, also join Galway as one of the two provincial champions without any player among the selection, and of perhaps even greater surprise is that there is not a single representative from Connacht.

Cork manager Con Counihan was cautious about being critical of all four Cork nominations being left out, partly because that could be perceived as being critical of those left in from other counties. But he did question the criteria by which the final 15 are agreed upon.

"I'd only be dishonest if I said I wasn't disappointed that Cork aren't represented," said Counihan. "I mean, we drew the All-Ireland semi-final, won the Munster title and, given the circumstances, did reasonably well in the league.

"But having said that, I don't feel either that the provincial champions have to be automatically represented. The problem really is that there doesn't appear to be any strict criteria, or at least we don't really know what that is. The point that individual performances are looked at rather than team performances is fair enough. But in general the teams that have been successful during the year get the higher priority, and sometimes the weaker teams don't get a look in, so in ways they're contradicting themselves with that."

The selection would also suggest that spectacular individual performances on route to winning a provincial title is a diminishing factor when it comes to an All Star award, although GAA president Nickey Brennan, in announcing the team, played down any such suggestion.

"No, I don't think so," said Brennan. "This is very much an individual awards scheme. It always was, and always will be. So I don't think it casts any slight on provincial winners. There is no player that wouldn't value a provincial award. Of course everyone wants to get the All-Ireland medal, but a provincial medal is still a huge milestone for a lot of players, and perhaps the only, or the highest milestone, they will achieve on the intercounty playing field.

"It's just there were a lot of strong players that came through. Clearly, when teams are beaten in the first rounds now, and get a second bite at the cherry, as Tyrone have shown, and others in the past, it can be a route to success, and suits many teams. But I certainly don't think it's any reflection on the provincial championship, which continues to provide good fare. I just think we all accept that in the qualifiers, and certainly the last eight, it gets very serious."

Counihan, however, wondered if the provincial competitions were being ignored when it came to All Star selection: "It does look that way, but again I think the criteria needs to be clearer. You just don't know all the things that are taken into account. Like, if a team are playing weaker opposition then sometimes a forward can end up with a big scoring total. Is that considered? Maybe if we were all clear on how the team was picked we could agree. But sure, if they picked the right team that pleased everyone there would be nothing to talk about."

Wexford's run to the All-Ireland semi-final, where they put up a gallant display against eventual champions Tyrone, was one of the team performances of the season, and yet not one player made the list - despite goalkeeper Anthony Masterson and forwards Redmond Barry, Matty Forde and Ciarán Lyng all gaining nominations.

Another notable aspect of the selection is that it shows only three players of last year's team, all from Kerry: Tomás Ó Sé, Declan O'Sullivan and Colm Cooper.

Seán Cavanagh's selection caps off a sensational two months which has already seem him honoured with the Player of the Month for August and September, before being named captain of Irish International Rules squad, and he's hotly tipped to win the Vodafone Player of the Year award, which will be announced as part of tomorrow evening's televised banquet. Tyrone team-mate Brian Dooher and Kerry's Colm Copper are the other nominations for the award.

Five of the players selected gain their first All Star: Justin McMahon, Davy Harte and Enda McGinley from Tyrone; Gary Connaughton of Westmeath; and Shane Ryan of Dublin. The county breakdown is: Tyrone (seven), Kerry (four), Westmeath (two), Armagh (one) and Dublin (one).

The hurling All Stars will be announced in the live broadcast on RTÉ 1 at 7pm tomorrow.