1. Kingdom changes
When they last won the All-Ireland in 2009, Kerry had 12 players make the list, none of whom are in contention this time around. Five years later they have 11 players acknowledged with Fionn Fitzgerald, Paul Murphy, Peter Crowley, David Moran, Johnny Buckley and Paul Geaney all first-time nominees.
It’s the lowest haul from the All-Ireland champions since Cork’s 11 back in 2010. Interestingly, of Kerry’s seven Allstars in 2009, only Declan O’Sullivan was still part of the squad this year.
2013 Allstar James O’Donoghue is the favourite to become the first Footballer of the Year from the Kingdom since Paul Galvin in 2009.
2. Michael Murphy’s position
Perhaps the most interesting nomination is that of Michael Murphy on the half-forward line. While he often lined out at 14, Murphy spent the majority of his time performing key duties in midfield.
Murphy was seen as a contender for Footballer of the Year until his quiet display in the All-Ireland final, but remains a cert to pick up his second award. His positioning at half-forward, where he rarely featured, paves the way for Kieran Donaghy to win his first Allstar since 2008 at full-forward. With Diarmuid Connolly also nailed on, either Ryan McHugh or Paul Flynn look set to miss out.
3. Dublin the only Leinster county represented
The Dubs are Leinster’s sole representatives on the 45-man list. It represents a worrying trend for the rest of the province, who had just one nominee between the other 10 counties last year (Meath’s Michael Newman), a long way off the seven in 2012 and six in 2011.
Dublin’s nine nominees mask a deeper problem for the rest of Leinster, highlighted by the fact that no county outside of Jim Gavin’s side made it into the All-Ireland quarter-finals or will compete in the top flight of the NFL next Spring. The Dubs are seeking a fifth Delaney Cup in-a-row next year and they don’t look like being stopped anytime soon.
It was also the first time since 2004 that either Bernard or Alan Brogan didn’t feature on the list of nominees.
4. Notable absences & inclusions
A number of players may feel aggrieved to have missed out on the GAA-GPA acknowledgements. Kerry’s All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Brian Kelly lost out to Monaghan’s Rory Beggan, while Karl Lacey, a four-time winner, wasn’t included on a very strong looking half-back line.
Elsewhere, Kerry’s Marc Ó Sé and Killian Young and Tomás Flynn of Galway were notable omissions. Corner-forwards Brian Hurley (Cork) and Mark Lynch (Derry) were acknowledged largely for their excellent form in the National League with a nomination.
5. Rare Tipperary nomination
18-year-old Tipperary wing-back Colin O’Riordan gets the nod for his excellent form this summer. In a rare nomination for the Premier County, O’Riordan becomes their first footballer to be included in the 45-man list since Declan Browne in 2003.
O’Riordan enjoyed a fine debut campaign and scored 1-2 as Tipperary’s season culminated with a defeat to Galway. One for the future.
Check out the full list of nominees below:
