The reigning senior football champions in All-Ireland, Armagh, have been awarded six All Stars and in a ‘team of the year’ lineup featuring 14 newcomers. Niall Morgan of Tyrone is the sole past winner among the total of 15 individuals recognised in the 2024 GAA PwC All-Star football team of the year.
The selection comprises representatives from five different counties, with Armagh standing out with six players, followed by Galway, the runners-up in the All-Ireland final, contributing five. Tyrone, Donegal, and Louth also made noteworthy contributions with two players from Donegal and one each from Tyrone and Louth.
An intriguing occurrence this year was the complete absence of players from either Dublin or Kerry – a first since 2003. Armagh yet again dominated the scenario, with half a dozen football All Stars to their name.
There’s a marked significance associated with Armagh’s six entries to the ‘team of the year’, as it marks the county’s first instance since Ronan Clarke’s entry in 2008. Additionally, Craig Lennon’s inclusion marks Louth’s first All Star since Paddy Keenan’s in 2010, thus making history as the county’s second All-Star.
While Armagh’s additions represent different positions – defence, midfield, and offense, goalkeeper Blaine Hughes and defender Aaron McKay proved unlucky, missing out on the honour.
Niall Morgan, previous All Star winner in 2021 following his impressive performance in Tyrone’s victorious All-Ireland season, gets another chance this year, surpassing Hughes and Shaun Patton, Donegal’s goalkeeper. Morgan’s prolific ability and proactiveness on field added to Tyrone’s performance this season, his precision in kickouts playing a significant role in keeping possession and preparing plays for attack.
Morgan’s roles as a groundbreaking goalkeeper and a consistent performer set him distinct from other nominees vying for the All Star in 2024. McKay, however, is perhaps the most unfortunate nominee not to make the team of the year. The key player in Armagh’s defence, McKay also contributed to their counterattack and scored the decisive goal in the All-Ireland final.
Galway’s Johnny McGrath, Barry McCambridge from Armagh, and Donegal’s Peadar Mogan make up the full-back line. McGrath has also been shortlisted for the Young Footballer of the Year award, with McCambridge being a contender for the Footballer of the Year honour, the announcement of which will take place at Friday evening’s RDS gala event. This season, Peadar Mogan is recognised for his aggressive advances from the half-back line or occasionally the corner back and has been chosen as the fourth member on the All-Star team.
On the half-back line, the talent is represented by three counties with Galway’s Dylan McHugh, Aidan Forker from Armagh, and Louth’s own Lennon. McHugh wreaked havoc on opposing defences during the summer season, storming forward from Galway’s half-back line putting rival squads on the defensive. Meanwhile, Forker took on the role of Armagh’s captain, making him the county’s second All-Ireland winning captain after current manager, Kieran McGeeney (2002).
Lennon distinguished himself as one of the most vigorous wing backs during the competition. The St Mochta’s clubman scored 4-7, purely from play and his expertise in moving the ball with intent around the field was key to Louth securing a spot in their first ever All-Ireland senior football quarter-final. A noteworthy moment was Lennon’s burst of energy forward in the final moments of the preliminary quarter-final against Cork at Inniskeen in June, resulting in the historic match-winning free, scored by Sam Mulroy.
Unsurprisingly, long-time player Paul Conroy landed a spot as one of the two midfielders. Despite his lengthy career since 2008, this marks the 35-year-old’s first All-Star win. He is also up for Footballer of the Year. His midfield partner is Ben Crealey from Armagh, who got the opportunity ahead of his Orchard colleague, Niall Grimley. Dublin’s Brian Fenton might view himself as unfortunate to miss out.
The selection of John Maher in the half-forward line for the 2024 All-Star football team was justified by his exceptional versatility, which led him to thrive as a central player this summer. Not only was his physical strength a key attribute, but his team-driven spirit and work ethic also set him apart as a formidable performer in the matches. Rian O’Neill and Oisín Conaty, both from Armagh, join Maher in the half-forward line. O’Neill particularly stood out in the later stages of the championship, whilst Conaty showcased consistent strength, culminating in a three-point score in the final.
The full-forward arrangement comprises Rob Finnerty from Galway, Oisín Gallen from Donegal, and Conor Turbitt from Armagh. Finnerty’s reputation was cemented as Galway’s front scorer, whose unfortunate injury significantly affected Galway’s performance in the All-Ireland final. Gallen finished the season in joint fourth place for top scorers, while Turbitt showed consistency as Armagh’s leading forward for a significant portion of the season.
Notably absent from the line-up is Mulroy, who with a score of 3-43, contributed to 39 per cent of Louth’s total score, finishing the championship as its second top scorer. Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan was also a commendable contender.
The All-Star 2024 football team recipients will be honoured at the forthcoming RDS awards ceremony on Friday night. The event will also see the unveiling of the hurling team.
Here is the list of 2024 All-Star Football Team of the Year:
– Niall Morgan (Tyrone)
– Johnny McGrath (Galway)
– Barry McCambridge (Armagh)
– Peadar Mogan (Donegal)
– Dylan McHugh (Galaxy)
– Aidan Forker (Armagh)
– Craig Lennon (Louth)
– Paul Conroy (Galway)
– Ben Crealey (Armagh)
– Rian O’Neill (Armagh)
– John Maher (Galway)
– Oisín Conaty (Armagh)
– Rob Finnerty (Galway)
– Oisín Gallen (Donegal)
– Conor Turbitt (Armagh)