THERE shouldn't be much debate about around at least two-thirds of this year's Allstars football team - but the other five positions could be extensively argued at today's selection meeting.
Those who know me are aware of my fondness for robust debate, although I'm an agreeable sort compared to my predecessor in the role as the Irish News representative, as Paddy Heaney would acknowledge. Or not. The twisted twister.
My 'certs' are Niall Morgan, Padraig Hampsey, Lee Keegan, Kieran McGeary, Peter Harte, Matthew Ruane, Conor Meyler, Sean O'Shea, Darren McCurry, and David Clifford. And probably Tom O'Sullivan.
There's a case for a Tyrone midfielder in there - but I'm still pondering which one: Brian Kennedy or Conn Kilpatrick.
There are strong arguments for Michael McKernan, Niall Sludden, Paddy Durcan, Paudie Clifford, and Ryan O'Donoghue - or should that be Tommy Conroy? Three other Tyrone men, Mattie Donnelly, Cathal McShane, and Conor McKenna made significant contributions throughout the Championship too.
Yet all that would mean no Dub - despite them only losing after extra time to Mayo in their All-Ireland semi-final. Sure they used to get at least one when they couldn't even get to that stage…
Obviously the Allstars wouldn't be the Allstars without debate and disagreement.
The recently-published book 'All-Star Gazing - 50 years of the GAA All-Stars' has been lovingly compiled by Moira and Eileen Dunne, daughters of one of the award scheme's founders, the late Mick Dunne.
Produced in association with sponsors PwC and the GAA it is a fabulous work of reference, but also of reminiscence.
Its contents cover what the All-Stars are all about - memories, debate, and controversy.
The Allstars have always provoked discussion, and always will. Even the identity of 'the first Allstar' remains up for discussion. Why? How?
Well, the hurling team was the first to be announced in 1971, so Damien Martin of St Rynagh's in Offaly has often been deemed to deserve that accolade. However, the football awards were handed out first on the night, so perhaps the keeper in the big ball code, PJ Smyth of Galway club Tuam Stars is actually the man.
Yet the first known Allstar was from Offaly, Rhode's Eugene Mulligan. That's because he was, rather remarkably, the only nominee at right half-back, chosen by all 26 journalists on the nomination panel. In contrast, there were no fewer than a dozen nominations for left half-back (with that award eventually going to Pat Reynolds of Walterstown and Meath).
There were 11 football goalkeepers nominated in 1971 and 15 midfielders out of a total of more than 100 players - some appear to have been put forward in several positions.
Yet just two years later Billy Morgan was the only keeper nominated. Spoiler: he got the Allstar.
The hefty number of nominees continued for quite a few years - there were than 100 in hurling in 1981, including 13 at right half-forward.
That changed when the Allstars turned 15, with the number of nominees reduced to 45, making nomination a more meaningful accolade in itself. Actually, there were only two football 'keepers nominated in 1985, but they were two pretty good ones - Charlie Nelligan of Kerry and Dublin's John O'Leary. The latter received the second of his eventual five, the last coming a decade later.
Between 1986 and 1991 inclusive there were three players nominated per position (six midfielders). From 1992 onwards it's been the 3-18-6-18 formation, with 18 backs and 18 forwards, although from 2006 to 2014 inclusive it was 3-9-9-6-9-9, with separate nominations for full-backs, half-backs, half-forwards, and inside/full-forwards.
There's been leeway for a while now to shift players around, to get 'the best 15' as opposed to the best in each position, a debate which might be revived when this year's selection is revealed on Friday night.
As ever, the poor hacks will be vilified.
Yet after the extraordinary omission of Offaly's Brian Whelahan from the 1994 team, the sponsors Powerscreen pushed for players to pick the award-winners - but controversy ensued when Dublin star Jason Sherlock didn't make the 1995 selection while his team-mate Charlie Redmond, despite his dismissal in the decider against Tyrone and his refusal to leave the pitch for several minutes.
Even worse, the 1996 selection included five players who'd been suspended after the mass brawl in the All-Ireland Final replay between Meath and Mayo.
Understandably, that 'players picking' experiment ended after just those two seasons.
So far there have been 430 different football Allstars and 369 in hurling. That means one of the hurlers announced tomorrow is likely to become the 800th different Allstar, given that champions Limerick 'only' received nine last year.
'Allstar Gazing' quotes former Director-General Liam Mulvihill talking of 'the Northern lobby, the Dublin lobby' - but then a Longford man would say that...
Obviously the Northern lobby is a myth, all of us Ulstermen completely impartial reporters (with no implied bias towards Fermanagh), while the highly influential Dublin lobby has been sated by success over the past decade.
Joking aside, my most vociferous contributions in selection meetings have been in favour of Dubs - and yet I never got an Allstar for my favourite boy in blue, Kevin McManamon. Go figure.
Dublin have been closing significantly on Kerry over the past decade, 2011-20, with 59 Allstars having gone to the Dubs over that period and 'just' 22 to the Kingdom, and none at all last year.
However, Kerry will add more to their tally of 145 than Dublin to their 139, so it will be next year at the earliest before the Dubs go top of that roll of honour.
When the football Allstars are unveiled on Friday night, Tyrone will surely move from being joint-fifth with Meath and also go above Mayo into fourth spot, behind Kerry, Dublin, and Cork.
The Red Hands currently have 49 Allstars, with Mayo on 51, but they likelihood is that the All-Ireland champions will garner at least two more than the team they defeated in the decider.
No arguments with that, right? Right?
