All Stars touring party for San Francisco confirmed

THE GAA All Stars touring party for San Francisco was confirmed yesterday with 14 players added to the 32, from 11 counties, that will play an exhibition match at Páirc na nGael on Sunday, December 7th.

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte will take charge of the 2008 team while former Kerry manager Pat O'Shea is manager of the 2007 All Stars. Armagh's Jimmy McKee will referee the game.

The GAA have confirmed the National League season will open with Dublin hosting All-Ireland football champions Tyrone under floodlights at Croke Park on Saturday, January 31st. The match will also mark the start of the GAA's 125 year celebrations.

The first ever match under floodlights in Semple Stadium will fittingly see Cork hurlers cross the border into Tipperary on February 14th, throw-in 7.30pm.

2007 ALL STARS: Marc Ó Sé, Darragh Ó Sé, Colm Cooper (Kerry); Kevin McCloy, Paddy Bradley (Derry); Graham Canty (Cork); Barry Cahill (Dublin); Stephen Bray (Meath); Tommy Freeman (Monaghan).

2008 ALL STARS: Conor Gormley, Justin McMahon, Brian Dooher, Seán Cavanagh, Davy Harte, Enda McGinley (Tyrone); Gary Connaughton, John Keane (Westmeath); Shane Ryan (Dublin). Replacements: Michael Cussen, Nicholas Murphy, Donncha O'Connor (Cork); Redmond Barry, Ciarán Lyng (Wexford); Ryan McCluskey, Martin McGrath (Fermanagh); Ryan McMenamin, Colm McCullagh (Tyrone); David Henry (Dublin); Séamus Scanlon (Kerry); John Doyle (Kildare); Brendan Murphy (Meath); Dessie Mone (Monaghan)

Referee: Jimmy McKee (Armagh).

Managers: Mickey Harte (Tyrone), Pat O'Shea (Kerry).

Whelan sticking to his guns

PAT GILROY was on the list of those expected to attend the DCU GAA academy announcement of a five-year sponsorship deal with Bank of Ireland yesterday. The new Dublin manager didn't show but his trainer and one-time mentor Mickey Whelan was there.

Nobody should ever complain about having to deal with Whelan. The man had an infamous experience as Dublin's football manager in the wake of the 1995 All-Ireland win. It ended miserably but the long-serving St Vincent's stalwart is adamant he never doubted his own methods.

"We can only do our work. We can only pick the best people we feel are there and work them and facilitate them as best we can. If the breaks come then we'll take them.

"I have a way and my ways haven't changed since I was 20 years of age. I've tweaked it here and there. So the thing that was unsuccessful the last time is still the same. Maybe with this group, between Pat and myself and the other selectors, we can take them that little bit further."

We should have expected a reference to Steinbeck when asking if there were any lessons learned.

"Every day I get up, I take a lesson from the previous day. There's always a lesson. The longer I go on, the more humble I am and there more I realise that the best laid plans of mice and men. It doesn't matter what plans you make. But you have to make plans. It doesn't just happen."

Remembering him pitch-side with the 2003 minor side that won Leinster but lost the All-Ireland final replay to Laois, reminds all of this constant hunger to guide young Dublin hopefuls.

"I have never been not-involved. I've always been involved at some level at all stages all my life and I'll probably go to the grave like that. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't be doing it. But I did take a break. Six months is a long time in my life to be inactive. At that stage, I was facing a hip operation, so I needed to get away for a while."

Some may wonder if Whelan felt even a tinge of doubt when the chance arose to come back into the Dublin senior set-up, considering the ever growing hype that surrounds what he terms the modern "cult of the manager."

"Pat has a pressure job. But he's well able for it. And I think he has put a good team around him. There's good experience and good knowledge there.

"I can understand where he's coming from. When you're county calls you like that, it takes a brave man to answer the call and he did it and I think he's well capable of carrying it through."

Considering Gilroy played for Whelan at club level until the All-Ireland club final last March and would have been on his radar back in the mid-1990s, he is ideally placed to cast some light on the relatively unknown, inexperienced intercounty manager.

"He has great leadership qualities. Everybody had to see that on the field. Why would I go with a guy his age? He was a very influential member there. And he's a very successful businessman. And all from his own work. It didn't just happen. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

"He has a lot of loyalty and a lot of leadership qualities and he has a very good vision."