Orange lodge a strong claim

All-Ireland champions Armagh feature most prominently of all the counties represented on the Vodafone Football All Stars nominations short-list for 2002.

The Ulster county's unbeaten championship season was reflected in nine nominations, with captain Kieran McGeeney expected to lead the charge for honours when the ceremony is held at the end of November.

As expected, the other county strongholds mirror the fortunes of the championship, with Kerry finishing on eight, Dublin on six, Cork on five and Donegal on four.

However, the influence of the back-door system is also evident in the short-list. Limerick's fine run, eventually halted by Mayo, was distinguished by the efforts of midfielder John Quane. He gains a candidacy in the particularly strong central area, which features notable talents such as Paul McGrane (Armagh), Ciarán Whelan (Dublin), Darragh Ó Sé (Kerry), Dermot Earley (Kildare) and John Gildea (Donegal).

It is notable that Sligo midfielder Eamonn O'Hara, who had a storming season for his county in the Connacht championship and later against Tyrone and Armagh, has been selected as a centre-half forward nominee.

His deserved nomination further increases the pressure on a forward list containing an extraordinary number of viable candidates.

Regardless of the outcome of the six attacking players chosen, this year's team is destined to be controversial.

Here, too, Armagh lead the charge, with teenager Ronan Clarke, All-Ireland final goal hero Oisín McConville and the cerebral forward Steven McDonnell. Also included is Diarmuid Marsden, an All Star in 1999, who had what was regarded as a quiet if industrious season in the build-up to the All-Ireland final. But he capped a fine final display with three points from play.

Dublin's livewire debut boy Alan Brogan also gets a nomination, along with the serial goal scorer Ray Cosgrove. Dublin's All Star nomination haul recognises Tom Lyons's adventurous selection policy, with goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton also catching the eye of the selectors.

Cluxton's rivals for the All Star are Kerry stalwart Declan O'Keeffe and Cork's Kevin O'Dwyer, with Armagh's colourful veteran Benny Tierney squeezed out.

A notable inclusion is Fermanagh's talismanic forward Rory Gallagher. His tally of 3-9 in the maiden days of the championship was one of the stories of the summer, equalling a record that had stood for almost a half a century. Although Fermanagh's summer petered out dismally against Kerry, Gallagher's was one of the best displays of attacking marksmanship witnessed in recent years.

Another lone star nomination is Tipperary's Declan Browne, a player with a repertoire of skills similar to Gallagher's. The former dual player was sensational during the drawn Munster football final when Tipp took Cork to the brink in Thurles.

Leigh O'Brien of Wexford is the stand-alone candidate for his county after excelling in what was a year of quiet but notable improvement for the Leinster county.

As ever, the list is awash with marquee names. Galway's Padhraic Joyce is one of four candidates for the Connacht champions. A reigning All Star, he remains in contention along with outgoing footballer of the year Declan Meehan.

Connacht receive the lowest provincial vote, a statistic that may well aggrieve advocates of Mayo's cause. Meath, beaten in last year's All-Ireland final, do not have a single candidate on the list, a rarity in modern times. Donegal, the county that defeated them in the All-Ireland qualifying series, fared quite well, with four candidates, including captain Michael Hegarty.

A disappointing conclusion to Páidí Ó Sé's season should be softened by the inclusion of all three of his nephews, Darragh, Tomás and Marc, in the list.

Not surprisingly, three of the four young player of the year candidates are also on the All Star short-list. Kerry marksman Colm Cooper figures here, as do Brogan and Cluxton, who also featured in Dublin's under-21 All-Ireland run which ended in a final defeat against Galway. The winners' captain, Joe Bergin, is the only one of the four who failed to make the All Star short-list.