Kerry guaranteed top honours in player of the year awards

GPA Awards:Back-to-back All-Ireland champions Kerry are now certain to land both the GAA and Gaelic Players Association (GPA) player of the year awards.

After already securing all three nominations from the All Stars awards scheme, the GPA have announced the same three nominations - Kerry's Marc Ó Sé, Colm Cooper and Declan O'Sullivan.

These were announced as part of the GPA's nominations for their team of the year, with 45 players named on yesterday's shortlist. Overall, there are 11 counties represented - one less than the All Stars nominations - headed, as expected, by Kerry's 10 nominations.

Also gaining nominations were players from Cork, Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Galway, Sligo, Tyrone, Monaghan, Derry and Donegal. The only county not making this list, but making the All Star list, was Louth, who has Paddy Keenan nominated for an All Star at midfield. Losing AllIreland finalists Cork, All-Ireland semi-finalists Dublin and Meath, and AllIreland quarter finalists Monaghan, each received six nominations.

The nominations were drawn up by a selection committee consisting of chairman Jack O'Connor, the former Kerry manager, along with Martin McHugh, Keith Barr, Tony Davis and Paddy Heaney.

Commenting on the nominations, O'Connor said: "The football committee has chosen what it considers to be the three most deserving players in it each position. No doubt it will generate plenty of debate as regards who's in and who's not, but the players now have the chance and the honour of selecting who are the best among their peers in 2007."

The final selection process is conducted via a postal vote by GPA members who are restricted to picking one player, from just three options, in each position. In contrast, the All Star system puts players into six categories: goalkeeper, two defensive blocks, midfield and two forwards blocks to allow greater flexibility of selection. This option is not available in the GPA system.

The announcement of the team and player of the year will be made at the Gala awards evening at Dublin's Citywest Hotel on Friday, November 2nd. The hurler and footballer of the year each receive a car from sponsors Opel worth €25,000, while each team member gets €2,500.

Meanwhile, RTÉ have announced details of their live coverage of the draws for the 2008 football and hurling championship. They will take place in Croke Park on Sunday evening, with live coverage on RTÉ 2 from 7pm.

Although the format of the draw is largely unchanged from recent years, there are a couple of alterations, the most notable being the Munster Council's controversial decision to seed their football championship, which for the past number of years was an open draw.

In hurling, the decision to bring Westmeath back into the Leinster championship means that two quarter-finals will take place next year - with Offaly, Laois, Dublin and Westmeath playing off at that stage to determine who joins Wexford and Kilkenny in the penultimate round of the competition.

It means that Wexford get a straight passage through to the semi-finals, along with the defending champions Kilkenny.

Nominations for Gaelic Team of the Year

Goalkeeper: Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Diarmuid Murphy (Kerry), Brendan Murphy (Meath)

Right corner back: Marc Ó Sé (Kerry), Michael Shields (Cork), Dessie Mone (Monaghan)

Full back: Graham Canty (Cork), Kevin McCloy (Derry), Darren Fay (Meath)

Left corner back: Conor Gormley (Tyrone), Karl Lacey (Donegal), Ross Donovan (Sligo)

Right wing back: Tomás Ó Sé (Kerry), Damien Freeman (Monaghan), Noel O'Leary (Cork)

Centre back: Aidan O'Mahoney (Kerry), Gary McQuaid (Monaghan), Michael McNamara (Sligo)

Left wing back: Barry Cahill (Dublin), Killian Young (Kerry), Caoimhín King (Meath)

Midfield: Nicholas Murphy (Cork), Darragh Ó Sé (Kerry), Ciarán Whelan (Dublin), Fergal Doherty

(Derry), Eoin Lennon (Monaghan), Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone)

Right wing forward: Declan O'Sullivan (Kerry), Bernard Brogan (Dublin), John Doyle (Kildare)

Centre forward: Alan Brogan (Dublin), Rory Woods (Monaghan), Anthony Moyles (Meath)

Left wing forward: Paul Galvin (Kerry), Rory Kavanagh (Donegal), Nicky Joyce (Galway)

Right corner forward: James Masters (Cork), Colm Cooper (Kerry), Conal Keaney (Dublin)

Full forward: Kieran Donaghy (Kerry), Paddy Bradley (Derry), Graham Geraghty (Meath)

Left corner forward: Stephen Bray (Meath), Thomas Freeman (Monaghan), Donnacha O'Connor (Cork)