Two biggest guns in the game miss out as GAA All Star football team revealed

The PwC All Star Football team was unveiled this morning and features a remarkable 14 first time winners - with no award for Dublin or Kerry for the first time since 2003.

Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan is the only previous winner, as he fought off stiff competition to land the goalkeeper slot ahead of Armagh’s Blaine Hughes.

The full county by county breakdown is Armagh (6), Galway (5), Donegal (2), Louth (1) and Tyrone (1).

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Five counties are honoured with the All-Ireland finalists collecting 11 awards between them, a figure which some believe is still too high.

Louth All Star winner is wing back Craig Lennon, who hit a hugely impressive 4-7 from play in this year’s Championship, putting him among the leading scorers from play in the country.

Game breaker Lennon is just Louth’s second ever All Star, following in the footsteps of Paddy Keenan (2010).

Kerry may well feel aggrieved at not landing an award, given that they cantered through Munster and the group stages of the All-Ireland.

They are the only one of the four All-Ireland semi-finalists not to win an award.

Had one of Tom O’Sullivan’s two goals chances hit the net against Armagh in the early stages of the second half of the All-Ireland semi-final it might have been a different story.

Defenders O’Sullivan and Brian Ó Beaglaoich were Kerry’s strongest candidates, while Dublin’s front runner was Con O’Callaghan, with Brian Fenton also in the running at midfield.

O’Callaghan was the top scorer from play in the entire Championship with 4-11 (23) - just four more than Craig Lennon - and 4-17 (29) in total.

The Championship’s top scorer, Ryan O’Donogue, who finished with 3-48 (57), averaging eight points per game, with 1-16 (19) coming from play, also missed out on the team.

It didn’t help O’Donoghue’s case that it was only the second time Mayo failed to make the All-Ireland quarter-finals since 2010.

In the final shake up Armagh had three players in attack with Oisin Conaty, Rian O’Neill and Conor Turbitt making the side.

Turbitt shot 3-22 in the Championship with 3-12 of it coming from play.

The Clann Éireann man showed other strings to his bow, intercepting two short kick outs in the group game against Galway, which led to 1-1 in a vital draw, and catching a great kickout mark against Kerry in extra time in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Conaty shot three points from play in the final on a day when Armagh hit just 1-11, and only one other player in orange managed more than one score - midfielder Ben Crealey.

Portadown man Conaty, also hit four points in the All-Ireland quarter-final win over Roscommon, although he wasn’t at his best against Kerry.

He man marked another All Star contender, Ryan McHugh in the Ulster final and scored two points from play.

Rian O’Neill had some huge moments this year, although he wasn’t always at his best.

Against Kerry his long ball for Turbitt’s clinching point, a massive 50 metre score - one of three from play - and a high catch in his own goalmouth at the end of extra-time were major plays.

He came alive at the All-Ireland stages, hitting 1-1 from play against Derry and 0-3 from play in the group stage game with Galway, although he was taken off early in the second half against Roscommon.

The Armagh trio, Galway’s John Maher and Donegal’s Oisin Gallen were regarded as near certs for the team with the final place up for grabs.

That went to Galway’s Roberty Finnerty, who shot 1-34 in the Championship, with 1-16 coming from play.

Finnerty was off it against Dublin and taken off injured early on in the final, but he had big games against Monaghan, Derry and Donegal, while his 0-8 (5fs) was critical in the Connacht final win over Mayo.

Gallen scored 2-34, including 1-16 from play, with the quality of his points standing out as Donegal won Ulster. He also attracted the opposition’s best marker every day.

Maher was a model of consistent brilliance throughout the season and his nomination for Footballer of the Year meant that an All Star was inevitable.

At midfield, Paul Conroy, with an incredible 2-16 from play, was always getting into the team, while it was a straight shootout between Armagh duo Ben Crealey and Niall Grimley for the second spot.

Crealey got the nod with his two points in the Ulster final and All-Ireland final tipping the balance over his team mate, who didn’t play in the Ulster Championship but was a revelation after coming back into the team.

At the back it was widely believed that there were four certs.

Donegal’s Peadar Mogan, who won two Player of the Month awards, Armagh’s Barry McCambridge, nominated for Player of the Year, Galway man marker Johnny McGrath and Dylan McHugh, who was in the running for Player of the Year going into the final.

The last three spots were between Craig Lennon, Aaron McKay and Aidan Forker, with free scoring Lennon and Armagh skipper Forker getting the nod.

Forker hit eight points from play in the Championship, with his trademark outside of the left foot shot a big weapon for his side.

He also went to full back for the All-Ireland final to mark Damien Comer, with his two points against Kerry one key to Armagh’s upset win that day.

McGrath man marked the likes of Ryan O’Donohue, Shane McGuigan and Turbitt and did good jobs on them, with the latter taken off midway through the second half of the All-Ireland final.

McCambridge had a stand out year, marking the likes of David Clifford and Shane Walsh, while still getting forward to score 2-5 from play, with vital goals against Roscommon and Kerry in the All-Ireland knockout stages.

The team announcement is a particularly massive day for the Clann Eireann (Turbitt and McCambridge), Maghery (Forker and Crealey) and Salthill Knocknacarra (Maher and Finnerty) clubs, who won two All Stars apiece.

PwC All Star Football Team: Niall Morgan (Tyrone), Johnny McGrath (Galway), Barry McCambridge (Armagh), Peadar Mogan (Donegal), Dylan McHugh (Galway), Aidan Forker (Armagh), Craig Lennon (Louth), Ben Crealey (Armagh), Paul Conroy (Galway), Rian O'Neill (Armagh), John Maher (Galway), Oisin Conaty (Armagh), Robert Finnerty (Galway), Oisin Gallen (Donegal), Conor Turbitt (Armagh).

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