A closely-fought season of some surprises continued into a similarly tight and tense PwC GAA/GPA Football Allstars selection.
Again All-Ireland SFC champions Armagh came out on top, with six award-winners, and again they are only narrowly ahead of beaten finalists Galway, who garnered five.
Ulster will collect three more awards at Friday night’s ceremony, with two for the northern provincial champions Donegal and one for Tyrone. Making up the 15 is a first award for Louth in 14 years, going to dashing wing-back Craig Lennon.
Despite that huge boost for ‘the wee county’, as so often it will be certain absentees from the line-up, chosen by members of the media, that may be major talking points.
For one thing, it’s the first time since 2003 that there are no Allstars from either Dublin or Kerry, the Leinster and Munster champions respectively, with the Kingdom also reaching the All-Ireland semi-finals before losing out after extra time to Armagh.
Indeed, this year’s choices have a series of firsts, including 14 first-time winners. That hasn’t happened since 1987, when Kerry’s Tom Spillane was the only previous Allstar, collecting his third accolade.
The first name on the selection is sure to provoke some debate, even though he also happens to be the only previous winner this year.
All-Ireland champions Armagh might feel they merited more than six winners, but their goalkeeper Blaine Hughes was not chosen, with Tyrone’s Niall Morgan – selected when the Red Hands triumphed in 2021 – preferred by a large majority of selectors.
After the omission of Stefan ‘Soupy’ Campbell from the list of 45 nominees, Armagh supporters may also wonder about Aaron McKay, their goal-scorer in the All-Ireland final, not making the cut. The Dromintee defender was desperately unlucky to miss out after several close votes, and re-votes, to decide on the fifth and sixth backs in the selection.
It’s worth noting that last year, which also had the four-group 16-team All-Ireland SFC format, the then All-Ireland champions Dublin only received five Allstars; there were also players picked from five different counties.
Looking at it positively from an Orchard County perspective, their captain Aidan Forker did eventually get the nod, joining Footballer of the Year nominee Barry McCambridge among the defenders.
Forker’s Maghery clubmate Ben Crealey also earned a place, at midfield, while Rian O’Neill, Oisin Conaty, and Conor Turbitt were confirmed as inclusions among the attackers. Conaty is also in the running for Young Footballer of the Year.
Their six winners, their first for 16 years since Ronan Clarke collected his second, bring Armagh’s Allstars tally to 30, now with 21 different players on the roll of honour.
Ulster champions Donegal’s two – pacy defender Peadar Mogan and full-forward Oisin Gallen – lifts their total to 36, among 24 players, ending a five-year wait since Michael Murphy won his third.
Tyrone remain top of the Allstars tree in Ulster, now with 58, shared between 33 different Red Hands.
Galway have moved to level fifth place on the Allstars roll of honour with Meath, on 48. The beaten All-Ireland finalists’ five comprise defenders Johnny McGrath and Dylan McHugh, midfielder Paul Conroy, half-forward John Maher, and corner-forward Rob Finnerty. Both Conroy and Maher are in the Footballer of the Year reckoning with McGrath contesting the Young Footballer award.
The awards also bring first Allstars for nine different clubs – two each for the Armagh pair of Clann Eireann (McCambridge and Turbitt) and Maghery (Forker and Crealey) and also, somewhat surprisingly, for Salthill-Knocknacarra in Galway (Maher and Finnerty).
First winners will also be warmly welcomed at Tir na nOg, Portadown (Conaty), St Naul’s (Mogan) and Sean Maccumhaill’s, Ballybofey (Gallen) in Donegal, plus McGrath (Caherlistrane) and Conroy (St James’) in Galway, and Louth’s Lennon (St Mochta’s).
Along with Edendork’s Morgan, Dylan McHugh becomes another Allstar for Corofin, while Rian O’Neill joins illustrious Crossmaglen company, including his uncle Oisin McConville, a two-time winner.
The Footballer of the Year and Young Footballer of the Year awards – both chosen by the membership of the GPA – will be announced on Friday night, as will all the hurling accolades.
Football of the Year nominees: Barry McCambridge (Armagh), Paul Conroy, John Maher (Galway)
Young Football of the Year nominees: Oisin Conaty (Armagh), Ciaran Moore (Donegal), Johnny McGrath (Galway).
2024 PwC GAA/GPA Football Allstars:
1 - Niall Morgan (Tyrone) Edendork
2 - Johnny McGrath (Galway) Caherlistrane
3 - Barry McCambridge (Armagh) Clann Eireann
4 - Peadar Mogan (Donegal) St Naul’s
5 - Dylan McHugh (Galway) - Corofin
6 - Aidan Forker (Armagh) Maghery
7 - Craig Lennon (Louth) St Mochta’s
8 - Paul Conroy (Galway) St James’
9 - Ben Crealey (Armagh) Maghery
10 - Rian O’Neill (Armagh) Crossmaglen
11 - John Maher (Galway) Salthill-Knocknacarra
12 -Oisin Conaty (Armagh) Tir na nOg
13 - Rob Finnerty (Galway) Salthill-Knocknacarra
14 - Oisin Gallen (Donegal) Sean MacCumhaill’s
15 - Conor Turbitt (Armagh) Clann Eireann
Winners by county: Armagh (6), Galway (5), Donegal (2), Tyrone (1), Louth (1).
