All-Ireland finalists Kerry and Cork boast 22 of the 45 GAA Football All-Star nominations for 2009 and all three of the candidates for Footballer of the Year, though 12 counties are represented in total on the shortlist revealed this evening.
After claiming Sam on Sunday, the Kingdom’s Paul Galvin and Tomás O’Sé will once again go head-to-head with Cork captain Graham Canty for the individual award.
Tadhg Kennelly is another Kerryman on the All-Star
list, wrapping up a remarkably successful return to domestic football after a lengthy spell in the AFL with the Sydney Swans. He’ll know if he will emulate his father Tim – a two-time winner at centre back in 1979
and 1980 - on Friday October 16th.
A decade on from winning his first All-Star, Rebel defender Anthony Lynch is nominated again but his team-mate Colm O’Neill has been omitted, though he is shortlisted for the Young Player award alongside Donegal’s
Michael Murphy and Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea.
Murphy’s scoring exploits were exceeded only by fellow full forward Colm Cooper, while his scoring average of six points per game was bettered only by Dublin’s Bernard Brogan.
Brogan is joined on the list by his brother Alan, Dublin goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton and half-back Barry Cahill.
Tyrone have five nominations in total but there is no place for 2008 Footballer of the Year Seán Cavanagh.
Mayo have the lowest return of the provincial champions with just two, captain Trevor Mortimer and wing back Andy Moran.
That is one less than Kildare and one more than Antrim, Sligo, Limerick and Wicklow.
Antrim full forward Michael McCann is the county's first nominee since 2000.
The 2009 GAA Football All Stars nominations
Goalkeepers
Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Diarmuid Murphy (Kerry), Alan Quirke (Cork)
Full Backs
Tommy Griffin (Kerry), Tom O’Sullivan (Kerry), Marc Ó Sé (Kerry), Anthony Lynch (Cork), Michael Shields (Cork), Ciarán Hyland (Wicklow), Karl Lacey (Donegal), Johnny McCarthy (Limerick), Justin McMahon (Tyrone)
Half Backs
Graham Canty (Cork), John Miskella (Cork), Michael McCarthy (Kerry), Tomas Ó Sé (Kerry), Davy Harte (Tyrone), Ryan McMenamin (Tyrone), Barry Cahill (Dublin), Johnny Davey (Sligo), Andy Moran (Mayo)
Midfield
Dermot Earley (Kildare), Nicholas Murphy (Cork), Alan O’Connor (Cork), Kevin Hughes (Tyrone), John Galvin (Limerick), Séamus Scanlon (Kerry)
Half Forwards
Paul Galvin (Kerry), Tadhg Kennelly (Kerry), Alan Brogan (Dublin), Leighton Glynn (Wicklow), James Kavanagh (Kildare), Trevor Mortimer (Mayo), Paddy Kelly (Cork), Pearse O’Neill (Cork), Joe Sheridan (Meath)
Full Forwards
Bernard Brogan (Dublin), Colm Cooper (Kerry), Declan O’Sullivan (Kerry), Tommy Walsh (Kerry), Daniel Goulding (Cork), Michael Murphy (Donegal), Michael McCann (Antrim), Stephen O’Neill (Tyrone), Alan Smith (Kildare)
Footballer of the Year
Graham Canty (Cork), Paul Galvin (Kerry), Tomas Ó Sé (Kerry)
Young Footballer of the Year
Michael Murphy (Donegal), Colm O’Neill (Cork), Aidan O’Shea (Mayo)