Players' voting power appeals to Moran

He has, so far, been bypassed for the All Star version, but that doesn't fully explain why Dublin football captain Colin Moran was so enthused about the new Opel GPA awards. Moran reckons there is room for a second team-of-the-year selection, especially one chosen by the players, and any additional way of crediting players can only be a good thing.

Although sidelined with injury, Moran attends every Dublin training session and knows well the commitments of the modern intercounty player. A groin operation shortly before Christmas has meant he's needed to work even harder to get back to full fitness. His last game was the Railway Cup final in November, but he's on course to return for Dublin's defence of the Leinster championship.

Moran attended yesterday's GPA awards announcement with Armagh's Enda McNulty and Wexford's Keith Rossiter, and explained what he believed they will mean to players throughout the country.

"The fact that the players get the opportunity to vote definitely makes it an excellent scheme. I know sometimes players feel that certain team members mightn't always get the credit they deserve. So it gives us a chance to give them some recognition. But also the players that receive these awards will hold them in very high regard, simple because they were selected by fellow players."

Each of the monthly and team award winners will be selected by GPA members following a shortlist decided upon by two independent panels. The football panel will be chaired by John O'Mahony and includes former players Martin McHugh, Kevin O'Brien and Tony Davis, while the hurling panel, chaired by Donal O'Grady, includes Cyril Farrell, Michael Duignan and Dominic McGinley. The winning team will be announced at a ceremony broadcast live in November.

Yet, it remains to be seen just how seriously they challenge the All Stars. Currently sponsored by Vodafone, those awards don't present any direct financial benefit to the players, with the main perk being the annual All Star tour. They are also decided by members of the media, which usually creates plenty of debate.

The GPA awards, however, will be decided after a straightforward vote, with text messaging being used to vote for the monthly winners, and a written ballot for the team of the year. The All Stars briefly switched to a player-vote system before reverting back to a media's realm.

"You would get the few controversial decisions with the All Stars every year," added Moran. "But I think the All Stars is still a good enough system, and still has its place. So I think there is room for both. And every major sport has an awards voted by players . . . The other thing is that Opel have come in with a very good sponsorship package, one that will definitely benefit the players. And, of course, anything like that is welcomed. So this is really something to add to what the GAA is doing . . ."

Moran will also be attending Saturday's egm of the GPA in Portlaoise, and expects some firm opinions to be aired: " I think there is a lot of unrest in player circles. We've had a lot of meetings over the last few years, but hopefully this can be a watershed. I believe the grant scheme is quite acceptable, and hopefully it can come about in the next few weeks.

"I sense that players are anxious to see some definite progress at this stage. Some people seem to think this is some sort of move towards professional. But look, no one is going to be giving up their jobs because of this. It's just about making some way to covering some of their expenses that players do miss out on because of their intercounty commitments.

"Most other sports have it, and have tax breaks. Then you have the musicians and artists getting some benefit from the government as well. And I believe this grant scheme does nothing more than reflect the level of commitment and entertainment players provide."

Moran is keen to get back playing as soon as possible. "It has been frustrating to miss out on all the National League, especially as captain. But I've worked hard on my own, and things are starting to come back."