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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes

Fans fume over one glaring omission from The Sunday Game's Team of the Year

Kerry unsurprisingly dominated The Sunday Game's Team of the Year after beating Galway in the All-Ireland final.

Seven players from the Kingdom were named in the XV, with Shane Ryan, Jason Foley, Tadhg Morley, Gavin White, Paudie Clifford, Sean O'Shea and David Clifford all included.

And while four Galway players were named in the side, it was the omission of defender John Daly that left many fans frustrated.

READ MORE: Colm Boyle column: Galway asked tough questions but ultimately Kerry had the answers

Reacting to the team, one person said: "Not including John Daly is surely a joke? He’ll walk an all star."

Another tweeted: "Somebody watch back each of the Galway games in full and tell me John Daly is not in that half back line."

Someone else said: "John Daly has to be at 6."

One other fan wrote: "John Daly best no.6 this year. Hopefully the all star selection committee will have a different opinion than the Sunday game panelists."

Galway's John Daly runs past the Sam Maguire (©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)

"No one can convince me that John Daly shouldn’t be on any Team of the Year or All-Star selection," read another comment.

Meanwhile, Padraic Joyce was critical of a free given against Daly in Sunday's final.

The Galway manager said he couldn't understand why referee Sean Hurson handed the Kingdom a free rather than his own side a free out when the scores were level at a vital stage of the Croke Park clash.

Kerry sub Killian Spillane did appear to hold John Daly who was in possession, but the official from Tyrone decided the free was against Daly, and David Clifford converted the free.

Galway failed to score again as Jack O'Connor's side went on to triumph.

Jack O’Connor celebrates with the Sam Maguire Cup (©INPHO/Bryan Keane)

"To me, the most important and crucial part of the game is how they got a free when the game was 16 points apiece. I couldn’t get over it," said Joyce, after his side's 0-20 to 0-16 defeat.

"From where I was standing, it looked to be like Damien Comer was pushed in the back and it should have been a free out - and then he gave a free against John Daly for apparently holding his hand.

"John Daly had the ball in his hand, trying to get out.

"The reason his hand was up high was to stop the Kerry fella’s hand from going around his neck, which is what happened. I can’t get over it."

Joyce insisted it was a crucial moment in the game.

"Well, those frees are like tap-overs for the likes of Clifford," he said. "It was a two-point swing for us, we had the momentum at that stage.

"I said to the players, to a man, I am really proud of them from where we have come from, where we were to where we are now as a group.

"The dressing-room in there is really hurting and I know everyone in the room, nobody gave us a chance in the match.

"But look it, we knew we had a great chance and bitterly disappointed that we had come so close.

"I thought we played very, very well," said Joyce. "We played football to try and win the game, went in at half-time ahead, 8-7 I think.

"Credit has to go to our defence, Liam Silke was outstanding at centre-back, kept Sean O’Shea very, very quiet. Jack Glynn was immense on Paudie Clifford.

"We had a foothold in the game. I know we lost a few kick-outs and stuff, but we fought our way into the game. Shane was outstanding up front, kicked some great scores. In at half-time, 8-7, came out after the break I think Kerry came at us, went a couple of points up. We came back."

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