Glen lead the way with six selections on AIB club football team of the year

Niall McIntyre

All-Ireland champions Glen are best represented with six players on the AIB Club football team of the year.

Ryan Dougan, Ciaran McFaul, Eunan Mulholland, Michael Warnock and midfield duo Conor Glass and Emmett Bradley were all honoured on the club football All-Star team, which was named on Tuesday morning.

Glass is also nominated for the top gong of club footballer of the year, no surprise given his game-changing role in the final, with Shane Walsh and Ben O’Carroll the other two nominees.

The winner will be announced at Friday night’s banquet in Croke Park, where all of the awards will be presented by Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns.

Four players beaten finalists St Brigid’s make the team, with defenders Brian Stack, Pearse Frost and Ruaidhri Fallon joined on the selection by star forward Ben O’Carroll. Kilmacud Crokes, meanwhile, have two players on the team in Paul Mannion and Shane Walsh while Naas, Scotstown and Castlehaven are also represented.

Having had an impressive campaign in Kildare and Leinster – he kicked 1-10 from play in three Leinster championship games – Darragh Kirwan makes the team at full forward while NFL hopeful Rory Beggan is Scotstown’s sole representative.

Having hit 1-7 from play in three Munster championship games, Brian Hurley from Castlehaven makes the team at right corner forward.

The GAA JOE club football team of the year had three changes, with Conor McCarthy (Scotstown), Kieran Hughes (Scotstown), Brian Derwin (St Brigid’s) and Eddie Nolan (St Brigid’s) replacing Michael Warnock, Paul Mannion, Darragh Kirwan and Pearse Frost respectively.

Hughes and McCarthy are deemed by this writer as particularly unlucky absentees having played starring roles for Scotstown, kicking some outstanding scores during their run to the Ulster final.