So,we can still look forward to the Inter-Provincials, AIB club championships, umpteen county finals, Fitzgibbon, Sigerson, Ashbourne and Purcell Cups, the Uncle Tom Cobley Cup as well as next weekend’s eagerly anticipated All Ireland camogie B final between Cork and Limerick, writes An Fear Rua...

There’s still lots of GAA activity to keep the fans happy … and angry. However, that trio of women’s football finals in Croker last Sunday effectively means the inter-county scene is over for this year.

It’s left us with lots of memories – good as well as bad. To end off our season, we’re handing out An Fear Rua’s Awards for the Ten of the Best moments in the championships and Ten of the Rest.

AFR’s ‘Ten of the Best’ Awards for 2007
1. Evanne Ní Chuilinn… After a shaky start, gets an AFR Award for her doggedly determined post match interviews on RTE TV with Richie and Babs, plus her all round contribution to big match coverage.

2. Kilkenny … For winning their first ever football All Ireland title in Croke Park. OK, so it was Junior. And it was their women. Still, an All Ireland is an All Ireland and it might yet inspire their male footballers to greater effort.

3. Ken McGrath… Croke Park, 5th August, 51st minute of Waterford v Cork in the All Ireland quarter final. Running at speed in the same direction as the sliothar, facing his own goal, McGrath looks over his shoulder and catches the ball.

4. Camogie on MTV … Featuring on the UK channel MTV didn’t bring much luck to the Dublin camogie team and star players Eimear Brannigan and Anne McCluskey. But an AFR Award may be some consolation.

5. Seamus McEnaney… The Monaghan football manager for this … literally… heartfelt comment after his side’s narrow defeat by Kerry in the quarter final: ‘It felt like open heart surgery out there, without the anaesthetic’.

6. Dan Shanahan… Not just for that fantastic 8 – 12 he scored in the championship, but for his wise tattoo: ‘If you don’t know me, don’t judge me’.

7. Richie Bennis … Might have heeded Dan’s tattoo before taunting the Big Man about not scoring any goals against Limerick in the hurling semi final. Still, any man who can silence Babs Keating deserves an Award of some kind.

8. Dublin hurling… In the League, their seniors drew with Kilkenny, beat Limerick and Galway and their minors and under 21s had a good year in Leinster. A false dawn or a real revival. For hurling’s sake, let’s hope it’s the latter.

9. Darren Bradley … The Fermanagh dual player for finally exposing the nasty, sectarian underbelly that still lurks in parts of Dis Great Association of Ours.

10. Kerry footballers… Two-in-a-row … three-in-a-row? Sure, why stop at only three?

AFR’s ‘Ten of the Rest’ Awards for 2007
1. Aussie Rules clubs … For increasingly poaching some of the best young prospects in Gaelic football at an age when they’re really not ready to make such a decision.

2. Semple Gate … Not so much for what the players got up to emerging from the tunnel as for the over reaction by ‘sictions of de meeja’ and the clumsy way the GAA top brass handled it.

3. The CCC, CHC, CAC and DRA … The alphabet soup of GAA discipline. It’s too complicated and it’s not working. Try this one. KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid!

4. The Government, the GPA and the Government … Guys, there’s €5 million on the table for player welfare. Cut the waffle (as Bertie might say) and cut a deal instead.

5. Ger Locks … For his way Over The Top comments about the hard way Kilkenny play their hurling, with talk of ‘flicks on the wrist’ and such like.

6. Brian Cody … See 5 above. For reacting completely Over The Top to Ger Lock’s comments about the hard way Kilkenny play their hurling and calling the great man a ‘Clare lunatic’.

7. Babs … We might as well stick with Bainisteoirí. For his daft comments that you can’t talk to players these days because they’re too well educated.

8. Dubs football fans … Some of whose drunk and drug fuelled antics on big match day suggest a new name for GAA headquarters: Coke Park.

9. Liam Hayes and the ‘Limerick Leader’ … The Award for the most inapt and inept pre-match comments goes to the ‘Leader’ for their ‘Waterford Will Wilt’ headline prior to the Munster final… and to the Meath pundit for writing off a great Kerry team.

10. Dubs … Again. This time it’s the team. For bringing taunting of defeated opponents to a new low in their Leinster final victory over Laois.