2014 GAA/GPA All-Star football team:

Goalkeeper:

1. Paul Durcan (Donegal)

Full-backs:

2. Paul Murphy (Kerry)

3. Neil McGee (Donegal)

4. Keith Higgins (Mayo)

Half-backs:

5. James McCarthy (Dublin)

6. Peter Crowley (Kerry)

7. Colm Boyle (Mayo)

Midfielders:

8. Neil Gallagher (Donegal)

9. David Moran (Kerry)

Half-forwards:

10. Paul Flynn (Dublin)

11. Michael Murphy (Donegal)

12. Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin)

Full-forwards:

13. Cillian O'Connor (Mayo)

14. Kieran Donaghy (Kerry)

15. James O'Donoghue (Kerry


Delighted that James McCarthy, Diarmuid Connolly and Paul Flynn received All stars this year.

It is Diarmuid's and James 1st gong and well deserved.
(For those who think James doesn't deserve one after his performance v Donegal, the same could be said for Durcan after his display in the Final.)


As for Flynner receiving his 4th All Star in a row - exceptional achievement. What a talent.
To put it into perspective - only 3 other footballers have achieved this: Jack O'Shea, Paidi O'Shea and Pat Spillane.
Take a bow Paul... Well done.

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 3727 - 23/10/2014 09:14:34    1666337

I feel very sorry for Ryan McHugh, thought he was excellent all year.

supermon (Monaghan) - Posts: 1073 - 23/10/2014 10:04:03    1666353

Let he annual "it's a disgrace that so and so got the award" and "sure he only got it because he's from county x" and "how didn't this fella get in when your man who did get wouldn't lace his boots!" begin!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 23/10/2014 10:09:17    1666355

Congrats to all the players on their awards especially from a Mayo point of view Keith, Colm and Cillain - well deserved.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11229 - 23/10/2014 10:09:36    1666356

Where is Aidan O'Mahony, he had to get one!!!!!!!!!

jackrobin (Kerry) - Posts: 15 - 23/10/2014 10:09:38    1666357

This was posted as a new thread but as the subject matter is the same it has been incorporated here.

Richieq
Posts: 1827
Meath

On the whole a fair enough selection I suppose but Aidan O'Mahoney can feel aggrieved, a super year from the veteran and much as I admire and like Kieran Donaghy and acknowledge his superb performances against Mayo and Donegal I don't think All Stars can be given out in the basis of two games, even if you were brilliant in both of them......

Administrator (None) - Posts: 2274 - 23/10/2014 10:14:00    1666360

It is Diarmuid's and James 1st gong and well deserved.
(For those who think James doesn't deserve one after his performance v Donegal, the same could be said for Durcan after his display in the Final.)

I have to disagree, and not for any other reason than this, I didn't think McCarthy had a stand out year let alone a semi final, Paul Murphy has been selected in the full back line to accommodate McCarthy and as a result O'Mahoney loses out, that is incredibly unfair. Connolly & Flynn very deserving and Connolly may yet get more but as good a footballer as McCarthy is he wasn't All Star material for me this year, Durkan had a fantastic championship apart from the final but that could be said of all the Donegal team

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 23/10/2014 10:22:11    1666366

Aidan O'Mahony, Aidan O'Shea and Ryan McHugh all had better years than some of the guys in the team.


Also the point about Durkin getting one and McCarthy getting one isn't the same. There was a dearth of standout goalkeepers this year, the same cant be said for half backs.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 23/10/2014 10:23:40    1666368

Pretty fair selction with the exception of Murphy in the half forward line. Should have been either Murphy or Donaghy and Ryan McHugh in the half forward line. McHugh now a nailed on cert for young Player of the Year.

tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1105 - 23/10/2014 10:31:29    1666375

Fion
The fact that your straight in to defend James McCarthys inclusion in the all star awards says it all for me. I can't understand how he got in ahead of O'mahony or any1 else to be honest. Very dodgy in my book and also Connolly getting one ahead of Aidan O'Shea is a pure joke.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 23/10/2014 10:34:55    1666376

Dessie Mone has to the unluckiest player in the history of all stars. Has any other player been nominated 4 times and not one and all star. Its fair to say he will never win one now. Man of the match in 4 of his last 7 games and not rewarded i don't think McCarthy,Crowley and Boyle got a man of the match award between them.

shaggylegend (Monaghan) - Posts: 1928 - 23/10/2014 10:36:34    1666381

Grand auld selection but of course plenty to debate.

James Mc lucky to get one but was unlucky last year when he should have gotten one. The All-Stars shouldn't work like that though!

Murphy and Durcan lucky too in my opinion. McHugh unlucky to miss out.

O'Mahoney and Aiden O'Shea very unlucky to miss out. Then again AOS was lucky enough last year.

It is a far enough team but you could make a hundred variations to it in fairness!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 23/10/2014 10:38:53    1666383

It is Diarmuid's and James 1st gong and well deserved.
(For those who think James doesn't deserve one after his performance v Donegal, the same could be said for Durcan after his display in the Final.)

I have to disagree, and not for any other reason than this, I didn't think McCarthy had a stand out year let alone a semi final, Paul Murphy has been selected in the full back line to accommodate McCarthy and as a result O'Mahoney loses out, that is incredibly unfair. Connolly & Flynn very deserving and Connolly may yet get more but as good a footballer as McCarthy is he wasn't All Star material for me this year, Durkan had a fantastic championship apart from the final but that could be said of all the Donegal team

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 23/10/2014 10:44:53    1666386

KingdomBoy1
County: Kerry
Posts: 2521

Fionn
The fact that your straight in to defend James McCarthys inclusion in the all star awards says it all for me. I can't understand how he got in ahead of O'mahony or any1 else to be honest. Very dodgy in my book and also Connolly getting one ahead of Aidan O'Shea is a pure joke

I didn't think James would get one after the semi but I feel he has had a very good year.
Do you think Donaghy deserves an All Star..?? He only started in 2 games this year, is that correct.?
I would not have given him one that is for sure. Very over-rated imo.

But your comment about Connolly - cant believe your view on that...
Connolly has been excellent all year and is way ahead of O'Shea.

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 3727 - 23/10/2014 10:45:34    1666387

KingdomBoy1 I agree with you. AOS put in massive performances against Galway, Cork and Kerry with 14 men. We'd have lost 2 of those without him. Connolly done damage against wexford and meath but as soon as a division 1 team arrived he simply didn't perform. I think people had assumed that Dublin were going to do well this year and had Flynn and Connolly down as automatic choices from a long way back. But that sequence of events didn't materialise. McCarthy didn't deserve one either. Id have had o'mahoney and that young lad from Tipperary ahead of him. Flynn would be the only Dublin player that deserved to get one in my opinion. That seems harsh, but look you have to perform in big games. The way our performances against Sligo, Leitrim, London and New York are dismissed for these awards should also apply to most of Leinster at present. If guys have done well in the AI series then they shouldn't be kept out of the team by guys who played well in the provincials.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 23/10/2014 10:53:11    1666393

These All SAtars are a joke.
How in the hell did the Gooch not get one.
The applause he got when Kieran O Leary mentioned his name in the speech was outstanding

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 23/10/2014 11:00:20    1666395

Dessie seems destined not to get one at this stage, which is a great shame. He really can't do any more based on his own performances, it seems we need to get to a semi for him to be selected, but it's not his fault we didn't get there. He was unlucky last year not to get one I thought, and this year the half back line was much more open and Dessie was better than last year. He's one of the best wing-backs in the country and it's a shame he hasn't got this recognition, he's been brilliant pretty much every game since the start of the league.

patk (Monaghan) - Posts: 936 - 23/10/2014 11:01:55    1666396

Donahy very very lucky. Not deserved imo.

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 23/10/2014 11:02:58    1666397

how on earth can donaghy get one?????????????
did he even play any other games outside of the semi final and final
and the fact that he gets one on the basis of getting that fortunate goal
and the culprit for giving him the ball gets the goalkeepers spot makes a mockery of their
selection process, as on one hand donaghy is being picked only because he performed in the biggest match
and durcan had a complete malfunction in the big match and he too gets selected, you cannot have it both ways like.
i agree with durcan being selected as one game doesnt blight his performances throughout the year
but donaghy only played two games all year how can anybody get an all star for that.
conor mcmanus clearly performed better all year.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 23/10/2014 11:15:16    1666406

TheMaster
County: Mayo
Posts: 12166

1666393
KingdomBoy1 I agree with you. AOS put in massive performances against Galway, Cork and Kerry with 14 men. We'd have lost 2 of those without him. Connolly done damage against wexford and meath but as soon as a division 1 team arrived he simply didn't perform. I think people had assumed that Dublin were going to do well this year and had Flynn and Connolly down as automatic choices from a long way back. But that sequence of events didn't materialise. McCarthy didn't deserve one either. Id have had o'mahoney and that young lad from Tipperary ahead of him. Flynn would be the only Dublin player that deserved to get one in my opinion. That seems harsh, but look you have to perform in big games. The way our performances against Sligo, Leitrim, London and New York are dismissed for these awards should also apply to most of Leinster at present. If guys have done well in the AI series then they shouldn't be kept out of the team by guys who played well in the provincials.

1) AOS deserved an All-Star this year (unlike last year!). Horan getting him out of midfield and in to the half forward line was inspired. He was brilliant.

2) Donegal played Division 2 football last year.

3) If Diarmuid Connolly scored 0-5 in match in which, as you put it, "he simply didn't perform" then he is a nailed on All-Star! According to you Diarmo scored 5 points against a great Donegal defence while not performing. That is unreal and well deserving of an All-Star!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 23/10/2014 11:18:34    1666408