ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS Kerry lead the way with 11 nominations for this year’s GAA-GPA Allstar football awards.
The Opel sponsored event also sees Donegal and Dublin get nine nominations each with Mayo receiving six and Monaghan claiming four. Armagh (2), Tipperary, Derry, Cork and Galway (all one each) complete the 45-player list.
The awards will be presented at the annual Allstars banquet in the Convention Centre in Dublin on Friday October 24th.
Ten members of last year’s Allstar winning team are nominated on this occasion – Stephen Cluxton, Rory O’Carroll, Keith Higgins, Lee Keegan, Colm Boyle, Michael Darragh MacAuley, Aidan O’Shea, Paul Flynn, James O’Donoghue and Conor McManus.
The list of nominees in full is:
Goalkeepers
Paul Durcan (Donegal)
Stephen Cluxton (Dublin)
Rory Beggan (Monaghan)
Full-backs
Drew Wylie (Monaghan)
Fionn Fitzgerald (Kerry)
Keith Higgins (Mayo)
Éamonn McGee (Donegal)
Neil McGee (Donegal)
Andy Mallon (Armagh)
Philly McMahon (Dublin)
Rory O’Carroll (Dublin)
Paul Murphy (Kerry)
Half-backs
Aidan O’Mahony (Kerry)
Colm Boyle (Mayo)
Peter Crowley (Kerry)
James McCarthy (Dublin)
Frank McGlynn (Donegal)
Dessie Mone (Monaghan)
Colin O’Riordan (Tipperary)
Jonny Cooper (Dublin)
Lee Keegan (Mayo)
Midfield
Anthony Maher (Kerry)
David Moran (Kerry)
Neil Gallagher (Donegal)
Odhrán MacNiallais (Donegal)
MD MacAuley (Dublin)
Seamus O’Shea (Mayo)
Half-forwards
Johnny Buckley (Kerry)
Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin)
Paul Flynn (Dublin)
Mark Lynch (Derry)
Aidan O’Shea (Mayo)
Ryan McHugh (Donegal)
Michael Murphy (Donegal)
Donnchadh Walsh (Kerry)
Shane Walsh (Galway)
Full-forwards
Kieran Donaghy (Kerry)
Paul Geaney (Kerry)
James O’Donoghue (Kerry)
Cillian O’Connor (Mayo)
Brian Hurley (Cork)
Tony Kernan (Armagh)
Kevin McManamon (Dublin)
Conor McManus (Monaghan)
Patrick McBrearty (Donegal)
Kerry's James O'DonoghueSource: Cathal Noonan/INPHO
9 for Dublin? All they did was play minnows then get squashed by the first division 1 team they met. Ridiculous.
The all stars are for the whole year not just one match. But you may not remember that they won the national league title and leinster title this year! With loads of impressive performances on the way. The amount of nominations mean feck all…doesn’t mean that they’ll actually get 9 all stars
Donegal were a division two team this year.
Mayo don’t have enough nominations. I propose that an appeal be lodged immediately.
Its the curse I tell ya.
When the curse ends what excuses will be thrown around the place then? They had plenty of practice for the post curse era this August with all the whinging they did, but I think there’s plenty of room for improvement.
The only whingeing around here is you: not one other poster on this thread has queried the tally of Mayo nominations. Build a bridge and get over it.
Gave you a green thumb. You deserve it!
Hopefully Durcan gets one. Would hate to see him miss out because of one silly mistake.
Brian Kelly surely deserved at least a nomination?
One mistake? His kickouts in the final were a disaster. Kicked two over the sideline as well as the one he kicked straight to Donaghy. And lucky not to concede a goal when he rashly came out in the first half and missed a high ball which bounced narrowly wide.
The own goal he conceded against Armagh was his fault as well as he was too heavy to make it across the goal in time to stop the initial punched effort and then it hit him on the back and went in.
In a position where not making mistakes is the most important thing he had a fair collection this year.
Brian Kelly? The same Brian Kelly who nearly gifted goals to both Mayo and Donegal in the closing stages of matches?
Yes “nearly” as opposed to Durcan who did gift goals to Kerry and Armagh!
He did gift Mayo’s third goal in the replay, and it was only thanks to the width of the post that he didn’t cost them an All-Ireland. So I don’t think there’s much difference.
The Donegal Shot took a deflection at the death…he Did well to hold his stance and get a hand to it. Good goalkeeping.
Cluxton only there on reputation alone
The fact that the organisers bottled naming Murphy in the full forward line guarantees Donaghy the All Star. One of McHugh, Murphy, Flynn and Connolly to miss out. I think it should be McHugh
In fairness, Murphy did a lot of work out the field this season, so a lot of the time he wasn’t playing in the inside forwards.
Donaghy has to get an all star.
No he doesn’t. Plenty better than Donaghy. An overrated donkey and a one trick pony.
Is that you, Brolly???
Won Kerry another All Ireland. Not bad for a one trick pony
@Roland you’re suffering from a case of sour grapes my son.
You’re right Roland maybe more Donegal players should have got them
No sour grapes from me bud. James O’Donoghue much more deserving. Donaghy is an asal beag.
They say times a healer Roland
Is it? That’s great.
Not the first you’ve said that. Don’t worry Dublin might win leinster again next year if they’re lucky
As he Kerry fanatic I have to admit that Star has not been better than some of the other nominees even though he set Kerry’s campaign alight and won us the semi and the final. Is Donaghy better than Cillian O’Connor, Conor McManus, Paddy McBrearty or even Paul Geaney? I think he was in the final but the others have been great all year. JOD and Paul Geaney are certain picks in my opinion so who will be the third All Star? Very hard choice to make but I think is behind all the other nominees bar Kernan and Hurley and they too had brilliant years. Would live to give them all an All Star but you can’t.
Or they might give Kerry another hiding again like 2013 2011.
A 1 point win in 2011 after a lucky free that wasn’t and another lucky win in 2013 can’t actually be called hidings. Very much deserved Dublin wins but hardly hidings.
You must have been watching different games them days. Last time I remember a hiding in a Kerry Dublin games it wasn’t Kerry who were on the receiving end of it
exactly. We don’t boast about those things though.
The 2013 game was billed as one of the best games ever and Kerry shouldn’t have lost but we did.
In 2011 Dublin got a very soft free and it took Cluxton 1:20 to take it. Even the ref signalled more than once it was taking too long.
Kerry gave away a very good lead in the last 10 minutes though in 2011 but the young guys have clearly learned since then how to close out games.
Both 2011 and 2013 weren’t exactly hidings though I admit the way we lost to Donegal in 2012 was humiliating.
Dublin got another hiding though in 2012; this time by Mayo.
These awards have been a joke since Brian Whelahan didn’t get one despite being named hurler of the year in 1994.
When you look at what he’s done for club and county since February there is absolutely no question as to who the best player in the country has been this year. But he won’t win the award.
Club should have nothing to do with all star selections.
Where’s the meath players. Has to be a mistake
My winners would be:
Goalkeeper;
Rory Beggan (Monaghan)
Full-backs
Fionn Fitzgerald (Kerry)
Keith Higgins (Mayo)
Paul Murphy (Kerry)
Half-backs
Aidan O’Mahony (Kerry)
Colm Boyle (Mayo)
Colin O’Riordan (Tipperary)
Midfield
David Moran (Kerry)
Neil Gallagher (Donegal)
Half-forwards
Johnny Buckley (Kerry)
Aidan O’Shea (Mayo)
Donnchadh Walsh (Kerry)
Full-forwards
Paul Geaney (Kerry)
James O’Donoghue (Kerry)
Conor McManus (Monaghan)
Jaysus, it would be harsh on Cillian O’ Connor if he didn’t get an All-Star this year! Also: no Dubs?
Agree but Cillian O’Connor was not at the level of Conor McManus, JOD and Paul Geaney. Very harsh for him to miss out. I would not complain to see Paul dropped for Cillian but the form Paul Geaney was in all year it wouldn’t right.
Dublin only played minnows and had one good game against Monaghan but apart from that weren’t really tested. When they were tested they collapsed.
Yeah, fair enough that Dublin cruised through to the semis, but I would have given Diarmuid Connolly a spot on the “40″, given how good he was for Vins and the Dubs this year. Paul Flynn is also a better player than Donnchadh Walsh, IMHO, as he gets a lot of scores as well as picking up the breaking ball around the centre of the field, whereas Walsh isn’t as prolific. I would say that O’Connor is at least as good as Geaney and McManus (both fine players) given his performance in the semi-finals against the eventual winners (other than being sent off in the final minute).
Can’t see anyone other than JOD getting Player of the Year though.
Unfortunately club and league performances don’t count. Connolly is a great player but did not face the same players as Buckley, Walsh and O’Shea. Donnchadh Walsh is perhaps the most underrated player in Ireland. He fully deserves an all star.I would drop Buckley for Paul Flynn but like Connolly didn’t do enough in the Donegal game to warrant an all star in my opinion.
It is hard for O’Connor and Flynn and Connolly to miss out but such is the manner of competition.
McManus is the engine that got Monaghan to the quarter finals and is probably the best player to come out of Monaghan in a long time. Like Walsh in Galway and O’Riordan in Tipp he would get onto any inter county easily.
JOD is by far the best player in Ireland by a million country miles. If anyone else gets player of the year it would be a travesty.
League performances must count as Mark Lynch from Derry was nominated
Cillian not at the level of Geaney? Mother of God I only thought it was Spillane that had no time for Connacht, O’Connor is streets ahead of him and would walk into that Kerry inside line, or any line in the country.
Cillian scored mostly frees this year and penalties and won very little of his own ball. Compare that to Paul Geaney who had a marvellous year. Then look at the fact this was Geaney’s first full year compared to O’Connor who has been with Mayo a long time now. Cillian scores a lot but does not get Mayo out of trouble when he needs to.
He would indeed get on the Kerry team but not ahead of Geaney or JOD.
Can’t agree with you that he won very little of his own ball, just ask Shane Enright, who was so tormented by O’Connor that he had to be taken off after 20 minutes of the replay. Geaney is a fine player, but has only just broken into the Kerry team; O’Connor is only 23, yet has been one of the best forwards in the country for the past four seasons (he was winner of the Young Player of the Year award twice).
IMO O’Connor has produced plenty for Mayo in difficult times; the problem is rather that the other forwards don’t chip in enough from play.
I agree with that but I still think Geaney brought more to the game this year than Cillian. Would gladly swap Cillian for Geaney though as I feel Geaney will get a few more all stars soon.
Actually Connolly did face the same opposition (Donegal) as your Walsh Buckley and Co. and scored five points against them..
He didn’t this year play Donegal this year. We are looking at the current year. I fully agree Cillian is a great player but I don’t think he was good enough in the full forward line to warrant an All Star.
Move him to the half forwards and he would indeed be better than Buckley. That’s not how it works though.
Compare McManus for example with Cillian and you’ll see that McManus had a much better year despite his side losing the Ulster final and the quarter final. Cillian did great in the games that Mayo won this year but apart from frees he did not do much in the two Kerry games and was certainly not better than JOD and Geaney in those games. Geaney also had a great final so I would say he is ahead of Cillian this year. As for JOD, I don;t think anyone can seriously suggest he is not the player of the year.
Based on league performance half the Derry team could have been picked in my opinion
Haha no Connolly or Flynn in your team. At least 1 of them lads deserve an all star
Mc Manus was awful against Dublin he couldn’t kick snow off a rope that day. I think ya need to take them Pat Spillane glasses off!
Cillian O’Connor doesn’t win ball? The same Cillian O’Connor that had his marker changed both in Croke Park and Limerick for tormenting them and was called out as a cynical player by Cuthbert out of sheer terror? Geaney has 2/3 years hard graft ahead of him to be even considered near O’Connor’s level.
Based on what? Beating very poor teams?
McManus didn’t get any ball to play with against Dublin but was the one Monaghan player that shone that day.
Surely Neil McGee for the fullback?? 4 of the top marksmen in the country were kept to just 3 points. If that doesn’t deserve an all star I don’t know what does. Easiest spot in the defence to pick
This armchair panel forget the lads who busted there guts from Feb-May.
Championship only really starts in May.
Yeah, fair enough that Dublin cruised through to the semis, but I would have given Diarmuid Connolly a spot on the “40″, given how good he was for Vins and the Dubs this year. Paul Flynn is also a better player than Donnchadh Walsh, IMHO, as he gets a lot of scores as well as picking up the breaking ball around the centre of the field, whereas Walsh isn’t as prolific. I would say that O’Connor is at least as good as Geaney and McManus (both fine players) given his performance in the semi-finals against the eventual winners (other than being sent off in the final minute).
Can’t see anyone other than JOD getting Player of the Year though.
In fairness, O’Connor is twice the player of Geaney and a much better player than McManus too. Much more consistent that either of those players and how he is still looking for his first All-Star is beyond me.
I may be biased cause im Mayo but I don’t think there is any argument that O’Connor is in the top 3 full forward line players, infact he had just as good a season for Mayo as JOD did for Kerry and had Mayo won in Limerick would be a shoe in for POTY.
Agree with you on JOD winning that award though, nobody else nominated is even close to him
Gonna be a tough call to pick the other 2 half backs beside Colin O’Riordan!
All stars are great did players that win them personally but as a Mayo fan it’s only one award I want to see coming west in my lifetime…one would do.