ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS Dublin lead the way with nine players in the 2020 PwC GAA-GPA All-Star football team.
The team has been announced this morning with Dublin, who won Sam Maguire for the sixth successive year, supplying the bulk of the team.
Defenders Michael Fitzsimons, James McCarthy, John Small and Eoin Murchan are honoured along with star midfielder Brian Fenton. The attacking quartet of Niall Scully, Ciaran Kilkenny, Con O’Callaghan and Dean Rock complete the line-up.
Ulster champions Cavan are rewarded for their superb season with three winners in Raymond and Thomas Galligan, and defender Padraig Faulkner. Defeated All-Ireland finalists Mayo have two players chosen in Oisin Mullin and Cillian O’Connor while Tipperary’s Conor Sweeney completes the team.
There are eight players honoured for the first time in the Galligan cousins, Mullin, Faulkner, Small, Murchan, Scully and Sweeney while the Dublin trio of Fitzsimons, Fenton and O’Callaghan are the only representatives from 2019 to be awarded again.
It is a landmark selection for Cavan with three recipients as Ollie Brady (1978) and Dermot McCabe (1997) are the county’s only previous winners. Conor Sweeney joins Declan Browne (1998 and 2003) and Michael Quinlivan (2016) by becoming the third Tipperary footballer to secure this award.
But it is Dublin’s dominance that is the key feature in this team. Fenton moves into elite company in winning his fifth award while McCarthy and Kilkenny are both honoured for the fourth time.
2020 Football All-Star Team
Goalkeeper
1. Raymond Galligan (Cavan – Lacken)
Defenders
2. Oisin Mullin (Mayo – Kilmaine)
3. Padraig Faulkner (Cavan – Kingscourt Stars)
4. Michael Fitzsimons (Dublin – Cuala) – Previous winner in 2017 and 2019.
5. James McCarthy (Dublin – Ballymun Kickhams) – Previous winner in 2014, 2017 and 2018.
6. John Small (Dublin – Ballymun Kickhams)
7. Eoin Murchan (Dublin – Na Fianna)
Midfielders
8. Brian Fenton (Dublin – Raheny) – Previous winner in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
9. Thomas Galligan (Cavan – Lacken)
Forwards
10. Niall Scully (Dublin – Templeogue Synge Street)
11. Ciaran Kilkenny (Dublin – Castleknock) – Previous winner in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
12. Con O’Callaghan (Dublin – Cuala) – Previous winner in 2017 and 2019.
13. Cillian O’Connor (Mayo – Ballintubber) – Previous winner in 2014.
14. Conor Sweeney (Tipperary – Ballyporeen)
15. Dean Rock (Dublin – Ballymun Kickhams) – Previous winner in 2016 and 2017.
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Bernard Jackman, Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey take the fine-tooth comb to Ireland’s defeat to France and get to the bottom of their issues on both sides of the ball:
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
