2022 Antrim GAA football All Stars nominations revealed

The 45-player shortlist for this year’s Antrim GAA football All Stars has been revealed with recently-crowned Senior champions Cargin dominating the nominees.

Erin’s Own claimed a dramatic extra-time win over Aghagallon in last Sunday’s Antrim SFC final at Corrigan Park and have 11 players included while St Mary’s have six of their players shortlisted.

Beaten semi-finalists Portglenone (four) and Creggan (six) are also well presented while the Intermediate and Junior divisions make up the remainder of the selection.

Dunloy got the better of Glenravel in the Intermediate decider this term with the Cuchullain’s landing six nominations while Con Magee’s have four.

Pearse’s brought the Junior title back to North Belfast and have six players shortlisted while beaten JFC finalists O’Donnell’s have two.

Cargin’s Sean O’Neill and Eunan Walsh of Aghagallon have both been shortlisted for Antrim All Star awards. (©INPHO/Declan Roughan)

There are three players shortlisted for each position and Cargin are expected to be well-represented in the final team after clinching their fourth title in five years.

Tomás McCann was their sole representative in last year’s inaugural Antrim All Star team and the Cargin ace is nominated once again after hitting five vital frees in the county final.

He is joined in the forward division by Pat Shivers, Jamie Gribbin and sibling Paul McCann.

Goalkeeper John McNabb is also shortlisted along with defenders Kevin O’Boyle, Justin Crozier, Cahir Donnelly, James Laverty and Sean O’Neill while Cargin midfielder Gerard McCann also makes the cut.

Aghagallon’s Jamie Lamont, Jack Lenehan, Adam Loughran, Eunan Walsh, Gareth Magee and Ruairi McCann all received nominations with Loughran, Walsh and Magee seeking to win back-to-back All Stars.

Creggan trio Jamie McCann, Kevin Ruairi McCann will also be bidding for second All Stars along with Portglenone’s Dermot McAleese.

The shortlist of nominations was drawn up by a panel of GAA reporters including Brendan Crossan (The Irish News), David Mohan (Belfast Media Group), Paddy Tierney (Belfast Live) and Brendan McTaggart (Saffron Gael) as well as renowned Antrim photographer John ‘Curly’ McIlwaine, also from the Saffron Gael.

The shortlist for the hurling selections will be unveiled next Monday following this weekend’s Junior, Intermediate and Senior finals.

The nominations for the Player of the Year and the Young Player of the Year awards will be confirmed later this week.

Antrim Football All Stars 2022 nominees:

John McNabb (Cargin), James McEvoy (Glenravel), Conor Murphy (O’Donnell’s)
Kevin O’Boyle (Cargin), Ethan Carey Small (Creggan), Gearoid McKiernan (O’Donnell’s)
Justin Crozier (Cargin), Jamie Lamont (Aghagallon), Caolan Tierney (Portglenone)
Cormac O’Neill (Pearse’s), Cahir Donnelly (Cargin), Kevin McQuillan (Dunloy)
Dermot McAleese (Portglenone), Daniel McQuillan (Glenravel), Odhran McLarnon (Creggan)
James Laverty (Cargin), Aodhan McCavana (Pearse’s), Aaron Crawford (Dunloy)
Ryan Convery (Portglenone), Sean O’Neill (Cargin), Jamie McCann (Creggan)
Callum Higgins (Glenravel), Jack Lenehan (Aghagallon), Kevin Small (Creggan)
Gerard McCann (Cargin), Piaras Donaghy (Pearse’s), Ryan McGarry (Dunloy)
Jamie Gribbin (Cargin), Paddy Kelly (Portglenone), Ruairi McCann (Creggan)
Conal Cunning (Dunloy), Fionn Grew (Pearse’s), Adam Loughran (Aghagallon)
Nigel Elliot (Dunloy), Eunan Walsh (Aghagallon), Paul McCann (Cargin)
Gareth Magee (Aghagallon), Pat Shivers (Cargin), Tiernan McAteer (Creggan)
Ruairi McCann (Aghagallon, Eamon Fyfe (Glenravel), Liam Campbell (Pearse’s)
Tomas McCann (Cargin), Sean Moreland (Pearse’s), Keelan Molloy (Dunloy)

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