Sam has passed McDonald by

Was disappointed that it looks like Ciaran McDonald won't be playing in this year's championship.
The Mayo man has lit up many a game in recent years and although infuriatingly inconsistent McDonald is a class act.
At times he has been capable of sheer genius, with his passing and point taking at times breathtaking.
On other days McDonald did things a novice wouldn't have done but it never seemed to erode his faith that he could do something which could turn a game.
At times his county was too reliant on him to win big games and other sides worked hard to cancel him out.
I always felt that if he had have had at least one other player providing a real cutting edge on the Mayo side that they would have broken their half century run of All-Ireland defeats.
As well as having one of the best left foots in the game McDonald has the knack of always finding space no matter how tight the marking and he never looks rushed, the mark of a great player.
His faith in his own ability was obvious.
He tried pinpoint passes again and again and more often than not he pulled them off.
If anything he tried the difficult pass too often, always trying to open up defences.
When he first burst on to the scene I wondered would he make it, would he apply himself to match his talent with the effort needed to rise to the top?
However, McDonald did work hard at his game and he inspired his side to two All-Ireland finals in the last four years only to lose heavily on both occasions to Kerry.
It looks likely now that McDonald will join a host of other great players never to lift the Sam Maguire but he gave us all plenty to remember him by.