Kenny Cunningham's impressive rate of development over the last 18 months, is reflected in his inclusion among the three short-listed contenders from whom the Republic of Ireland's Player of the Year will be chosen.
That remark applies in equal measure to another of the nominees, David Connolly, the 20-year-old Feyenoord forward, who has grown into a valued member of Mick McCarthy's World Cup squad.
The shrewd punters' money will still be on Roy Keane scooping the award at the FAI-Opel televised banquet in Dublin on October 26th; and yet, in different ways, the claims of both Cunningham and Connolly deserve the closest scrutiny.
Cunningham, unsung and largely unnoticed after arriving at Millwall via Home Farm and Tolka Rovers, went through his early career with scant recognition from either Jack Charlton or his assistant, Maurice Setters.
The exception was at Anfield in December 1994 when, with Jeff Kenna on one flank and Cunningham on the other, the Irish defence performed impressively in a `B' international against England.
Kenna made the transition to the senior squad shortly afterwards but it was not until McCarthy came to power that Cunningham followed him into the side. Since then, he has been converted with significant success, into a central defender, in a move which may have surprised the fans as much as it has delighted the manager.
Connolly's climb to fame has, in a sense, been even more spectacular for before his transfer to Feyenoord during the summer, he had been playing in the obscurity of the English second division with Watford.
However, it didn't deter McCarthy from promoting him to Ireland's team and that faith has been repaid with some fine performances, notably when Connolly scored three times in the defeat of Liechtenstein at Lansdowne Road in May.
Surprisingly, perhaps, Keane has never won the coveted award but he has been part of the presentation ceremony on three occasions, taking the youths award in 1990 and the Young Player accolade in successive years in 1993 and 1994.
Predictably, Connolly is also a nominee for this year's Young Player category but faces some sharp competition from Shay Given and Ian Harte, both of whom have played well in the World Cup qualifying series.
Neale Fenn, David Worrell and Kevin Kilbane make up an interesting short list for the under-21 award while two members of the team which finished third in the World under-20 championship, Thomas Morgan and Damien Duff, are in contention in the youths' category.
The award for the outstanding home-based player is always sharply contested and this year will feature two Derry City players, Liam Coyle and Peter Hutton, in direct competition. The list is completed by Des Baker of Shelbourne.
Meanwhile, McCarthy is scheduled to announce his squad today for the World Cup meeting with Romania on October 11th and his selection is expected to take account of the fact that no fewer than 11 of his players are currently on yellow cards.
It means that his starting lineup at Lansdowne Road is likely to differ sharply from that which faced Lithuania in the last game, with players like Alan Kelly, Curtis Fleming, Alan Moore and possibly, Dave Savage in line for recalls.
There is also a possibility that it will include Lee Carsley, a regular member of Derby County's Premiership team, who has still to be named in Ireland's senior squad after gaining several under-21 caps during Maurice Setters's term in charge of the team.
Nominations: Senior - David Connolly (Feyenoord), Ken Cunningham (Wimbledon), Roy Keane (Man Utd). Young Player - David Connolly, Shay Given (Newcastle), Ian Harte (Leeds). Under-21 - Neale Fenn (Tottenham), Kevin Kilbane (West Brom), David Worrell (Blackburn). National League - Des Baker (Shelbourne), Liam Coyle (Derry City), Peter Hutton (Derry City). Junior - Keith Bruen (St Columban's Boys), Des Cummins (Valley Park Utd), Barry Flynn (Fairview Rangers). Youths - Barry Conlon (Man City), Damien Duff (Blackburn), Thomas Morgan (St Patrick's Ath). Under-16 - Peter Murphy (St Joseph's/Blackburn), Paul O'Mara (Stella Maris/Liverpool), Richard Partridge (Stella Maris/Liverpool). Schools - Brian Burke (Wilton FC/PBC Cork), Michael Kavanagh (Tramore FC/St Paul's CC, Waterford), Ronnie O'Brien (St Joseph's/Middlesbrough).
