Cavan’s Ulster championship winning season has resulted in seven nominations for the PwC All-stars.
Raymond Galligan, Ciarán Brady, Padraig Faulkner, Gerry Smith, Gearóid McKiernan, Martin Reilly and Thomas Galligan are all up for the awards.
The Breffni County’s previous winners are Ollie Brady (1978) and Dermot McCabe (1997).
While players from 10 different counties are represented in the final list of football nominations with six-in-a-row All-Ireland champions with 13 of the 45 man list.
Beaten finalists Mayo are next with 12 contenders for the final 15.
Tipperary’s memorable march to a first Munster senior football title since 1935 is reflected in four nominations for defenders Kevin Fahy and Bill Maher, with Colin O’Riordan among the midfield contenders and Captain Conor Sweeney named among the forward contenders.
Their last PwC All-Star in football was Michael Quinlivan in 2016.
Iain Corbett’s eye-catching exploits for Limerick in their league and championship displays in 2020 is honoured with an inclusion among the 18 top defenders, a nomination for the Treaty footballers for the first time since John Galvin in 2010.
There are three nominations for Ulster finalists Donegal, two for Galway and with Armagh’s Aidan Forker, Cork midfielder Ian Maguire and Kerry attacker David Clifford also included.
Also announced today are the players who have been shortlisted for the PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year Awards.
Dublin’s Brian Fenton (Raheny) and Ciaran Kilkenny (Castleknock) are joined by Mayo forward Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber) in the shortlist for the PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year Award which will be chosen by their peers.
The vote for the PwC GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year Award will be an all-Mayo affair with emerging stars Oisín Mullin (Kilmaine), Eoghan McLaughlin (Westport) and Tommy Conroy (the Neale) shortlisted.
“I want to acknowledge all of those who have been chosen among this list of nominees for the PwC All-Stars” said Uachtarán CLG John Horan.
“The 2020 season will go down in history for the backdrop against which it was played, and all of our players deserve great credit for producing the levels of skill and enjoyment we witnessed.
“Our thanks to PwC for helping ensure those heroics are recognised here” added Horan.
“Warmest congratulations to all 45 footballers who have been nominated for PwC All-Star Awards for 2020, a year that none of us will ever forget” said Paul Flynn, Chief Executive of the GPA.
“While our games are all about the team, individual recognition through the PwC All-Stars, which are the pinnacle in individual achievement in Gaelic football, is a huge honour”.
“Congratulations also to the nominees for both the PwC Footballer of the Year and the PwC Young Footballer of the Year.”
The nominations were chosen by a panel of Gaelic Games correspondents from across, print, radio, TV and digital media, chaired by Uachtarán CLG John Horan.
The PwC All-Star nominations in hurling will be released tomorrow (Saturday).
It is intended that the presentation of the PwC All-Star awards will take place late next month in a TV show that will be in line with Covid-19 restrictions and will be confirmed in due course.
PwC All-Stars Football nominations 2020
Goalkeepers
David Clarke (Mayo), Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Raymond Galligan (Cavan)
Defenders
Davey Byrne, Michael Fitzsimons, Eoin Murchan, John Small, Robbie McDaid (all Dublin)
Oisín Mullin, Eoghan McLaughlin, Lee Keegan, Chris Barrett, Patrick Durcan (all Mayo)
Ciarán Brady, Padraig Faulkner, Gerry Smith (all Cavan), Kevin Fahy, Bill Maher (Tipperary), Iain Corbett (Limerick), Aidan Forker (Armagh), Peadar Mogan (Donegal).
Midfielders
James McCarthy (Dublin), Brian Fenton (Dublin), Colin O’Riordan (Tipperary), Gearóid McKiernan (Cavan), Matthew Ruane (Mayo), Ian Maguire (Cork)
Forwards
Niall Scully, Con O’Callaghan, Ciarán Kilkenny, Dean Rock, Seán Bugler (all Dublin)
Cillian O’Connor, Kevin McLoughlin, Ryan O’Donoghue, Aidan O’Shea, Tommy Conroy (all Mayo)
Martin Reilly, Thomas Galligan (Cavan), Shane Walsh, Paul Conroy (Galway), Michael Langan, Ciarán Thompson (Donegal), Conor Sweeney (Tipperary), David Clifford (Kerry)
PwC GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year nominees
Oisín Mullin, Tommy Conroy, Eoghan McLaughlin (all Mayo)
PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year nominees
Brian Fenton (Dublin), Ciarán Kilkenny (Dublin), Cillian O’Connor (Mayo)
