All-Ireland champions Galway and defeated finalists Kildare feature heavily in the 1998 Eircell GAA All Stars football nominations, a list which differs radically from last year's compilation.

Only five of the 1997 All Stars reappear this year and two of those - Glen Ryan and Niall Buckley - are from Kildare.

Kerry's Declan O'Keeffe and Seamus Moynihan also receive consecutive nominations, but only two other Kerry players, attacker John Crowley and midfielder Dara O Se, are under consideration for this year's All Star team - a stark contrast to last year.

Predictably, the nominations again honour liberally those players who competed in the All-Ireland final, with 13 players from both Galway and Kildare in contention.

Although both counties have five candidates in the forwards section, Galway may have the edge here given the presence of the GAA writers' Player of the Year, Jarlath Fallon, and their Young Player of the Year, Michael Donnellan, as well as Padraig Joyce, Niall Finnegan and Derek Savage.

Kildare's most likely recipients of All Stars in the attacking sections are Dermot Earley and Karl O'Dwyer, while Declan Kerrigan also made a strong claim over the summer.

Both counties are also likely to weigh in heavily when it comes to selecting the All Star's defence, with Glen Ryan and Brian Lacey among the shining lights for the Lily-whites and Tomas Mannion and Sean Og De Paor winning many plaudits in a generally impressive Galway defence.

The All-Ireland finalists also look likely to play a role when the goalkeeper's All Star award is allocated. Both Martin McNamara from Galway and Kildare's Christy Byrne contributed hugely to what was an extremely high-profile year for goalkeepers in both hurling and football.

Kerry's Declan O'Keeffe is the other nominee for that position, but despite a fine summer it is unlikely that he will prevent the award going to either Byrne or McNamara.

Indeed, so overwhelming is the presence of All-Ireland final players that it is tempting to forget the contribution made by other nominees this season.

National League winners Offaly have three nominees - Finbar Cullen, John Kenny and Vinny Claffey. Interestingly, Derry, beaten in that League showdown, are represented only by Sean Martin Lockhart, this despite the fact that they also won the Ulster title. Monaghan, who also reached the League semi-finals, do not have a representative while Donegal, who were defeated by Offaly in the best match of the League campaign, are represented by defender Barry McGowan and forward Brendan Devenney.

Five Ulster players feature in the overall list, reflecting the general perception that football in the province has regressed somewhat since teams briefly dominated the national scene at the outset of the decade.

For Connacht, All-Ireland winners aside, Roscommon defender Damien Donlon and forward Eddie Lohan are nominated. However, Mayo and Sligo have no nominees.

Tipperary's Declan Browne is the sole Munster nominee excluding the Kerry representatives. The first-time All Star contender earned his nomination after a marvellously productive summer in the corner of Tipperary's attack. Other first-time nominees include Fermanagh's Paul Brewster and Derry's Lockhart.

The absence of other traditional powers points to their declining form of late. Cork have no nominees, nor do 1991 and 1994 All-Ireland champions Down or 1995 champions Dublin.

Leinster finalists Meath do still feature significantly, however. Darren Fay, John McDermott, Tommy Dowd and long-term injury victim Trevor Giles are each listed.

Kerry followers may feel slightly aggrieved by the absence of the 1997 Footballer of the Year, Maurice Fitzgerald, while Offaly's Cathal Daly, who picked up last year's Young Footballer of the Year award, also misses out.

The 1998 Hurling All Stars will be announced tomorrow.