All Stars:In the end another wildly successful All Star tour came down to one particularly classic and unforgettable moment - the sight of Peter Canavan and Séamus Moynihan pitting all their strength and cunning against each other, only this time in an effort to bargain one last drink at the hotel bar not long before the early-morning departure back to Dublin.

A few hours before, in front of several thousand Irish spectators, and with thousands of miles of desert as a backdrop, Canavan and Moynihan were performing a similar routine, only this time as opponents in the annual All Star exhibition game, which also happened to double as a final moment of shared glory.

Canavan's 2005 All Star team narrowly won out over Moynihan's 2006 team, 4-13 to 3-10, and there were no complaints from either side about that. And over the past few days in Dubai the presence of both Canavan and Moynihan has added true weight to a tour that, though primarily designed to reward the players, does an awful lot to promote Gaelic games overseas as well.

There was always the chance two legends of the game would prefer to keep to themselves, perhaps even taking refuge in their hotel rooms and private company, in case somehow their status in the game was proven ineffective.

But Canavan and Moynihan embraced every moment of the tour - from Canavan's impromptu piece of stand-up comedy for the Irish ambassador to Moynihan's quality renditions of Bohemian Rhapsody, complete with backing vocals from Kerry team-mates.

There was a hint of sadness too as the realisation hit home that both players had now closed the book on their All-Ireland-winning careers, Canavan after helping Tyrone to All-Ireland success in 2005 and Moynihan after helping Kerry to glory this past year.

There's plenty of club football to come - and both men still have the physique to confirm that - but if the GAA had sense they'd continue to send the two around the world to promote their game.

When this was put to the GAA press officer on duty here a statement was issued: "Rumours and reports of any decisions having been reached on this question are misleading."

Anyhow, both Canavan and Moynihan put on another exhibition after Saturday's game in the dazzlingly plush Dubai Polo Grounds, posing repeatedly for photographs and signing enough autographs to cause wrist damage. As Grantland Rice - the great American sportswriter - might have said, they are clearly more than just players. Giants, idols, titans - standing for everything good and true and right in Gaelic football.

"Sure it was a great chance to play one last game with the best players in the country," said Canavan. "Players you'd normally be playing against. You also get to know them off the pitch . . . which is something very special about this trip.

"The whole group just bonded very well, had a great time, and I think we put on a good show with that match at the end of it.

"Of course you do miss it, when you'd played it for as long as I did. But it's still quite competitive with the club. Errigal Ciarán were always very good to me, so the least I can do is spend some time with them."

Canavan, naturally, still follows Tyrone tirelessly and is one of the 80,000 ticket holders for next Saturday's league meeting with Dublin: "That's a game not to be missed. I expect it will be very tough, probably not as physical as Omagh last year, but I think both teams are capable of playing high-quality football.

"And I know Tyrone always try to win the league. It's important to get off to a good start. And I feel the 80,000 people there are in for a treat.

"I'd definitely like to be out there myself, but with the head I have I might end up blinding a few people under those lights. But definitely those players running out next Saturday are privileged."

For Moynihan, who chipped in with a typically class goal, the chance to run out one last time was equally appreciated: "Sure it was good fun alright. I've always respected Peter and there's no one better to play against.

"I've got to know him very well over the years between the Aussie Rules and stuff like that, going back to 1999. But we've all got on well over the few days, had a very nice time."

And like Canavan he'll also be supporting his county's efforts to defend their All-Ireland title: "It's too early to say yet, but of course Kerry will never be too far away. It's just a case of getting the house in order and getting ready for the new campaign again.

"But there are a lot of good teams out there, sure. And I know Pat O'Shea is not thinking about winning two All-Irelands. He's just thinking about winning his first game against Mayo next week. It's a little unfair to be talking about All-Irelands already."

So another All Star tour - now seven years renewed under sponsors Vodafone - proved one not a single participant could have got enough of, and that's not just in terms of time or money or sleep.

2005 ALL STARS: P Hearty (Armagh, 0-1); D Lally (Dublin), M McCarthy (Kerry), A Mallon (Armagh); A Kernan (Armagh), R McMenamin (Tyrone), C Gormley (Tyrone, 0-1); P McGrane (Armagh, 0-1), S Cavanagh (Tyrone, 2-0); B Kavanagh (Longford), P Canavan (Tyrone, 0-1), E Mulligan (Tyrone); S McDonnell (Armagh, 0-3), P Bradley (Derry, 2-5), S O'Neill (Tyrone, 0-1).

2006 ALL STARS: A Quirke (Cork); K Slattery (Offaly), B Owens (Fermanagh), K Lacey (Donegal); S Moynihan (Kerry, 1-0), G Spillane (Cork), A O'Mahony (Kerry); N Murphy (Cork, 0-1), S Ryan (Dublin); S O'Sullivan (Kerry, 0-1), A Dillon (Mayo, 0-2), R Munnelly (Laois, 0-3); C Mortimer (Mayo, 0-2), A Brogan (Dublin, 1-0), J Masters (Cork, 1-1).

Referee: B Crowe(Cavan).