1. Peter Burke
Age: 20. Height: 6'. Weight: 14st. Club: Kiltimagh. UNDER-21 goalkeeper introduced at a surprisingly advanced stage of the year despite misgivings about John Madden's eccentricities, he has added reliable kick-outs to sound composure in the goalmouth. Tight defence has protected him well but an acrobatic stop against Offaly from Peter Brady proved his credentials.
2. Kenneth Mortimer
Age: 23. Height: 5' 9". Weight: 11st 10oz. Club: Shrule/Glencorrib. HAS maintained his best form of last year throughout this championship. Intelligent reading of the game enables him to intercept ball and make those relieving bursts. Serene self-confidence will have blotted out the unhappy memory of last year's All-Ireland replay.
3. Pat Holmes
Age: 30. Height: 6'. Weight: 13st 9oz. Club: Cavan Gaels. ANOTHER remarkable season for the man with the most critically acclaimed post-retirement career since Jimmy Keaveney's. Having to adapt to replace injured Kevin Cahill, Holmes has brought the familiar assets of intelligence and indomitability to the task of breaking the will of opponents. Slight vulnerability to pace.
4. Dermot Flanagan
Age: 35. Height: 6'. Weight: 13st 8oz. Club: Ballaghaderreen. PERCEPTIVENESS, will power and nerve are fighting a losing battle with dwindling pace. In the bigger matches Flanagan has been in trouble on both Galway's John Donnellan and Offaly's Vinny Claffey. He may or may not be exploited tomorrow but either way it's a risk.
5. Fergal Costello
Age: 23. Height: 5' 8". Weight: 12st. Club: Ballinrobe. VERY impressive newcomer to the team, Costello's emergence has been invaluable in freeing Holmes for relief work elsewhere. A tight marker with a corner back's parsimony, he has also shown adventurous urges when moving down the wing - but always with the discipline to cover back.
6. James Nallen
Age: 23. Height: 6' 3". Weight: 12st. Club: Crossmolina. THIS hasn't been as memorable a year for Nallen as last season but in good running conditions he will frequently get forward and is hard to mark. Suspicions of looseness in his primary defensive role have yet to be fully exploited as pace and intelligence get him out of most scrapes.
7. Noel Connelly
Age: 25. Height: 5' 11". Weight: 11st 7oz. Club: Hollymount. HAVING endured a loss of form earlier in the year, Connelly's place was on the line but his leadership qualities have made him nearly indispensable in the management's view. He has steadily reasserted himself on the wing and displays much of the old dependability.
8. Pat Fallon
Age: 31. Height: 6' 2". Weight: 13st 9oz. Club: Balla. FALLON'S performances have been a revelation. His displays at Croke Park last summer indicated his potential as a big-match player and he has been the season's best midfielder. This year, he has nailed down a first-team place and become the team's primary source of possession.
9. David Heaney
Age: 20. Height: 6' 2". Weight: 13st 7lb. Club: Swinford. AN unforeseen beneficiary of David Brady's difficulty in recovering from a broken leg, Heaney is young, strong and industrious. He is also a versatile player who can offer options at wing back or even full forward if Liam McHale needed to come out.
10. Maurice Sheridan
Age: 23. Height: 6'. Weight: 13st 3oz. Club: Balla. FOR a player whose big-match temperament was questioned last year, Sheridan's place-kicking performances this season have been impressive and should leave him the championship's top scorer. General contribution can be erratic but he raised his game commendably in last year's final.
11. Colm McManamon
Age: 25. Height: 6' 2". Weight: 14st. Club: Burrishoole. THE questioning of McManamon's basic function dried up after the Connacht final when his suspension was interpreted as one of the reasons behind the poor display. His energy levels and general acquisitiveness are as notable as ever and his distribution has improved, though he still tends to waste ball.
12. John Casey
Age: 23. Height: 6' 1". Weight: 12st 7oz. Club: Charlestown. ALTHOUGH Casey's decline dates back to last year's final, management reluctance to accept his unsuitability for the role makes this his first championship run in the more natural wing position. Pace and ability on the ball are unarguable but doubts persist in relation to temperament.
13. Kieran McDonald
Age: 22. Height: 6' 1". Weight: 13st 5oz. Club: Crossmolina. HAS added a bit of poke to the attack since coming on against Galway in May. Good for a couple of points in a match but could do so much more. General awareness of colleagues is poor and shot selection at times inexplicable but the hope remains that he can strike a seam tomorrow.
14. Liam McHale
Age: 31. Height: 6' 2". Weight: 13st 9oz. Club: Ballina Stephenites. CRITICISM of this placing has to be tempered by the lack of full forward options open to management. McHale faded in the semi-final after a good start, appearing somewhat of a supernumerary at times. His talents can cause some problems here but would cause more further out the field.
15. David Nestor
Age: 23. Height: 5' 8". Weight: 11st 2oz. Club: Ballyhaunis. NESTOR has worked hard all season and creates panic for defenders on the ball. Strengths include pace, vision and a shrewd positional sense but his accuracy isn't always what it could be and there has been no sign at senior level of his predatory under-21 finishing.
