Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAYO & DUBLIN SEEING STARS
DUBLIN and Mayo between them have captured the last five All-ireland footballer of the year awards.
That trend will continue when 2020’s Pwc GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year is announced next month.
In 2015 it was Dubs speedster Jack
Mccaffrey who started the sequence, followed by Mayo pair Lee Keegan and Andy Moran in the 2016 and ‘17 respectively.
Dublin players took home the last two awards, with Brian Fenton in 2018 followed last year by the remarkable Stephen Cluxton, who won it at the age of 38.
One year on, Fenton is back on the shortlist after the most unusual of championships that only got underway in October and ended less than a week before Christmas with Dublin beating Mayo in the All-ireland final to make it six-in-a-row.
This time the massively consistent Fenton has competition from his team-mate, Ciaran Kilkenny, who had a superb Championship in a more attacking role, and from Mayo captain Cillian O’connor, who scored a record 4-9 in the All-ireland semi-final victory over Tipperary.
It is expected, however, that it will be Fenton or Kilkenny who land the award after both were centrally involved in Dublin’s masterful second half performance in the final, when O’connor’s threat was effectively snuffed out.
While 10 counties in total have picked up PWC All-star nominees, not surprisingly Dublin and Mayo dominate having received 25 of the 45 nominations up for grabs – 13 for Dublin and 12 for Mayo.
Of the starting line-ups from the final, Jonny Cooper and Paddy Small miss out on a nomination for the Dubs while Stephen Coen, Conor Loftus and Diarmuid O’connor miss out for Mayo.
The historic nature of the year is reflected in Kerry only gaining one nomination, for David Clifford, and Donegal three while Cavan (seven) and Tipp (four) were next in the list behind the big two. “I want to acknowledge all of those who have been chosen among this list of nominees for the All-stars,” said GAA president John Horan (inset).
“The 2020 season will go down in history.
“Our thanks to PWC for helping ensure those heroics are recognised here.”
FOOTBALL NOMINEES
GOALKEEPERS
Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), David Clarke (Mayo), Raymond Galligan (Cavan).
DEFENDERS
David Byrne, Michael Fitzsimons, Robbie Mcdaid, Eoin Murchan, John Small (all Dublin); Chris Barrett, Patrick Durcan, Lee Keegan, Eoghan Mclaughlin, Oisín Mullin (all Mayo); Ciarán Brady, Pádraig Faulkner, Gerard Smith (all Cavan); Bill Maher, Kevin Fahey (both Tipperary); Aidan Forker (Armagh); Peadar Mogan (Donegal); Iain Corbett (Limerick). MIDFIELDERS
Brian Fenton, James Mccarthy (both Dublin): Matthew Ruane (Mayo); Gearóid Mckiernan (Cavan); Ian Maguire (Cork); Colin O’riordan (Tipperary).
FORWARDS
Seán Bugler, Ciarán Kilkenny, Con O’callaghan, Dean Rock, Niall Scully (all Dublin); Tommy Conroy, Kevin Mcloughlin, Cillian O’connor, Ryan O’donoghue, Aidan O’shea (all Mayo); Thomas Galligan, Martin Reilly (both Cavan); Conor Sweeney (Tipperary); Michael Langan, Ciarán Thompson (both Donegal); Paul Conroy, Shane Walsh (both Galway), David Clifford (Kerry).
BREAKDOWN (10 counties): Dublin 13; Mayo 12; Cavan 7; Tipperary 4; Donegal 3; Galway 2; Armagh, Cork, Kerry, Limerick all 1.
FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES: Brian Fenton, Ciarán Kilkenny (Dublin); Cillian O’connor (Mayo)
YOUNG FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES: Tommy Conroy, Eoghan Maclaughlin Oisín Mullin (all Mayo)