Mayo's Sam Maguire triumph has been recognised with the inclusion of seven players on The Sunday Game Football Team of the Year, with Ryan O'Donoghue chosen as Footballer of the Year.

The full forward was also named as the All-Ireland final Man of the Match after inspiring the Westerners to a famous win over Kerry.

The Kingdom have four players included, while Louth, Westmeath, Tyrone and Dublin have one player each. The selection panel comprised Paul Flynn, Enda McGinley, Cora Staunton, Ciarán Whelan, Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Mark McHugh.

Elaborating on O'Donoghue's selection as Footballer of the Year, Eamonn Fitzmaurice said: “We narrowed it down to David Clifford because of the season he had, and Ryan O’Donoghue.

“In these things, the winners write the script. They write history, so Ryan O’Donoghue. He’s been brilliant throughout the season. Even there you could see that it wasn’t the scores. It wasn’t the two-pointers he kicked. It was the tackling. And that tackling has been the definition of what Mayo have been about this summer. 

“And as they’ve gone on, they’ve gotten better and better. They’d probably like to be playing another game next weekend with the way they finished the season. He’s a tremendous player, he’s developed so much over the last couple of seaons. I remember when he came on the scene first, I’d have wondered if he had a left foot or did he trust his left side?

“He’s totally developed his left side. His finishing, his tackling, his two-point ability, his leadership - deservedly Player of the Year.”

The 2026 Sunday Game Football Team of the Year:

1. Shane Murphy (Kerry)

2. Sam Callinan (Mayo), 3. Jason Foley (Kerry), 4. Enda Hession (Mayo)

5. David McBrien (Mayo), 6. Dara McDonnell (Louth), 7. Matthew Whittaker (Westmeath)

8. Conn Kilpatrick (Tyrone), 9. Jack Carney (Mayo)

10. Niall Scully (Dublin), 11. Paudie Clifford (Kerry), 12. Jordan Flynn (Mayo)

13. David Clifford (Kerry), 14. Ryan O’Donoghue (Mayo), 15. Kobe McDonald (Mayo)

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