Even by the lofty standards of the GAA, few topics lead to such wide discussion as annual the All Stars Team of the Year. A penny then for the thoughts of Dublin captain Stephen Cluxton.
The six-in-a-row All-Ireland winning captain was far from overstretched in 2020 as Dublin continued their stranglehold on Sam Maguire, with his rapid restarts and deadly accuracy meaning once again he was as involved in an attacking sense as he was from a shot-saving perspective.
The 2020 All Stars team doesn't feature the Parnell's man, with Cavan’s Raymond Galligan chosen by the selection committee after an outstanding campaign as the Breffni men conquered Ulster and reached the All-Ireland semi-finals.
Cluxton you’d imagine will lose little sleep over the perceived snub, and must be somewhat used to it at this stage, his eight All-Ireland medals the silverware that truly counts.
It is curious however that in the last seven years, he has managed to make the All Star team on just one occasion, in 2019 when he was also named Footballer of the Year.
In that time Paul Durcan, Brendan Kealy, David Clarke (twice), Rory Beggan and now Galligan have been preferred to the player many consider the greatest keeper to grace the game, and one of the most transformative players to grace the sport.
"Each year is taken on its merits, it's not a cumulative thing," Martin Breheny, Irish Independent journalist and a member of All Star selection committees, told RTÉ's Saturday Sport. "The opposition in goalkeepers he has been up against has been very, very good."
Cluxton has made the cut on half a dozen occasions, with four of those coming in the first half of an inter-county career that began in 2001.
Pat Spillane, a winner of nine All Stars, says the brilliant keeper is paying the price for having so little to do defensively in the Dublin team.
"The greatest goalkeeper of all-time, the man who has redefined goalkeeping, has the most miserable return you could ever get for a fella so good," he said.
"He just had nothing to do. Raymond Galligan had an absolutely, unbelievable year, from the winning point against Monaghan to four match-winning saves in the Ulster final. He was just superb, while Cluxton had nothing to do.
"From number five to number 12 on the All Star team, there is only one non-Dub (Raymond’s first cousin, Thomas). That highlights the middle third dominance Dublin have."
There is of course no doubting the merits of Galligan’s claims to the number one jersey.
The Lacken club man only conceded two goals in the Ulster championship as Cavan got their hands on the Anglo-Celt Cup for the first time since 1997.
There was the match-winning free against Monaghan, a spectacular save against Antrim and a virtuoso performance in the decider against Donegal in the provincial decider.
Against Dublin in Croke Park he could do little to prevent the two goals conceded, while his restarts at least provided a platform in what turned out to be a 15-point defeat.
He can rightly bask on a fine season between the sticks.
"It was a huge achievement for myself and family," he told RTÉ Sport on winning a maiden All Star award.
"It's been great for the club [Lacken]. They've been very supportive. The fact we got two awards - myself and [his cousin] Thomas - it's been fantastic.
"We were watching Twitter and the news [for the nominations]. It was nice, the suspense to see if I got the award or not."
The awards ceremony tonight will be a far more low-key event given Covid-19 restrictions, but it will be a satisfying night for all associated with Cavan.
For 58 years, Ollie Brady (1978) and Dermot McCabe (1997) were the county's only All Stars, now the figure stands at five, with full-back Paudie Faulkner joining the Galligan cousins in the winner’s enclosure.
"The fact [Cavan] had seven nominations, it would have been a nice evening out alright, there would have been a good gang of us. But we'll have a nice time with the family this evening, just sit back and watch the show."
