'There's a bit of imposter syndrome to be mentioned alongside those two boys'

Mayo's Jack Carney ahead of the game against Cork at Croke Park ©INPHO/James Crombie

Jack Carney says he feels out of place in the company of fellow Footballer of the Year nominees Ryan O'Donoghue and David Clifford.

The Kilmeena midfielder has been shortlisted for the prestigious accolade alongside the two superstars after playing a starring role in Mayo's first All-Ireland SFC success in 75 years. 

"There's a bit of imposter syndrome to be mentioned alongside those two boys," Carney admitted to The GAA Social podcast ahead of Friday night's All-Star awards.

"I genuinely suffer from feeling a little less worthy than Ryan and David because of what they do on the big stage time after time.

"But I'm very glad the work I've done in the last 17 or 18 years has come to fruition. Not for me, but for my family and my club, the first player from Kilmeena to be nominated as an All-Star."

He added: "After the All-Stars, we go to Barbados the next morning for 10 days.

"The timing of that is great for the group because when you come back there's a bookmark in the 2026 season and we move on from there.

"That's the time our mindset will shift to 2027. We're a young group, we're ambitious. The celebrations can't go on forever."