Mayo receive 11 All-Star nominations as Clifford, O'Donoghue and Carney shortlisted for POTY

Mayo's Jack Coyne celebrates with the Sam Maguire Cup at Croke Park ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

All-Ireland champions Mayo have been rewarded with eleven Football  All Star nominations.

After winning their first Sam Maguire in 75 years, Mayo headline a list that is yet again  reflective of the new, ultra-competitive football landscape where 12 counties in all have  representatives after another memorable season. 

As well as having all-star contenders on every line of the field, Mayo will also be represented  by forward star Ryan O’Donoghue and midfield anchor Jack Carney in the battle to be  crowned PwC GAA GPA Footballer of the Year. Also in the running is Kerry talisman David  Clifford who won a third footballer of the year award last season. 

The nominations for PwC GAA GPA Young Footballer of the Year will see Louth’s rampaging  centre back Dara McDonnell go up against Mayo’s scoring starlets Darragh Beirne and Kobe  McDonald, with McDonald hoping to emulate the all-star won by his father Ciarán in 2004.  These overall awards will be voted on by the players themselves.

The 12-county breakdown is Mayo 11, Kerry seven, Dublin five, and Westmeath four,  Monaghan, Armagh and Louth three each, Roscommon, Cork, Galway and Tyrone two each  and one from Donegal. 

The All-Star nominations were chosen by a group of Gaelic Games Correspondents from  across print, radio, tv and digital media and was chaired by Jarlath Burns.  This will be the 55th year of the awards stretching back to 1971. The PwC All-Stars will be  presented at a gala black-tie event at Dublin’s RDS on Friday, 30th October, which will be  shown live on RTÉ.  

The hurling nominations will be announced tomorrow morning. 

PwC All-Stars Football Nominations 2026 

Goalkeepers 

1. Rory Beggan (Monaghan) 

2. Jack Livingstone (Mayo) 

3. Shane Murphy (Kerry) 

Defenders

1. Sam Callinan (Mayo) 

2. Jack Coyne (Mayo) 

3. Enda Hession (Mayo) 

4. David McBrien (Mayo) 

5. Donnacha McHugh (Mayo) 

6. Jason Foley (Kerry) 

7. Michael Breen (Kerry) 

8. Jarlath Óg Burns (Armagh) 

9. Tiernan Kelly (Armagh) 

10. Dara McDonnell (Louth) 

11. Craig Lennon (Louth) 

12. Ronan Wallace (Westmeath)

13. Matthew Whittaker (Westmeath)

14. David Byrne (Dublin) 

15. Charlie McMorrow (Dublin)

16. Tommy Walsh (Cork) 

17. Niall Devlin (Tyrone) 

18. Dylan Byrne (Monaghan) 

Midfielders 

1. Jack Carney (Mayo) 

2. Mark O’Shea (Kerry) 

3. Conn Kilpatrick (Tyrone) 

4. John Maher (Galway) 

5. Ciarán Kilkenny (Dublin) 

6. Michael Langan (Donegal) 

Forwards 

1. Darragh Beirne (Mayo) 

2. Ryan O’Donoghue (Mayo) 

3. Kobe McDonald (Mayo) 

4. Jordan Flynn (Mayo) 

5. David Clifford (Kerry) 

6. Paudie Clifford (Kerry) 

7. Dylan Geaney (Kerry) 

8. Niall Scully (Dublin) 

9. Con O’Callaghan (Dublin) 

10. Darragh Heneghan (Roscommon)

11. Diarmuid Murtagh (Roscommon)

12. Sam McCartan (Westmeath)

13. Brandon Kelly (Westmeath)

14. Steven Sherlock (Cork) 

15. Stephen O’Hanlon (Monaghan)

16. Ciarán Downey (Louth)

17. Oisín Conaty (Armagh) 

18. Robert Finnerty (Galway) 

PwC GAA GPA Footballer of the Year Nominees 

1. David Clifford (Fossa, Kerry) 

2. Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet, Mayo) 

3. Jack Carney (Kilmeena, Mayo) 

PwC GAA GPA Young Footballer of the Year Nominees 

1. Darragh Beirne (Claremorris, Mayo) 

2. Kobe McDonald (Crossmolina Deel Rovers, Mayo) 

3. Dara McDonnell (Naomh Máirtín, Louth)