Mayo News/O’Neills Club Stars shortlist selected

Nominees
Mike Finnerty

TWELVE players from Mayo senior football champions Castlebar Mitchels have been nominated for The Mayo News/O’Neills Club Stars ‘Team of the Year’.
The 15 players and five replacements will be revealed at the twelfth annual Club Stars banquet – in association with AIB – which will be held on Saturday, December 10 at Knockranny House Hotel in Westport.
All proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the Western Care Association, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2016.
After their impressive march to their 30th Mayo SFC title recently, it’s no surprise that Mitchels dominate the list of nominees.
Six players from beaten finalists Knockmore have also been nominated for a Club Star award, which honours those players who have performed with distinction during the 2016 Mayo club championship.
A total of nine clubs are represented among those in contention for awards on the night.
Semi-finalists Breaffy and Ballintubber both feature, while quarter-finalists Ballaghaderreen, Aghamore, Crossmolina and Garrymore have each had one player shortlisted, as have Hollymount/Carramore.
Five players from this year’s Mayo Intermediate Championship have also been nominated as ‘wild cards’. County champions Westport have three players in contention, with one player picked from beaten finalists, Kiltimagh, and one from semi-finalists, Shrule/Glencorrib.
This year’s ‘Team of the Year’ nominees were selected by former Charlestown and Mayo footballer, John Casey, ex-Knockmore manager Eamon Clarke, and Mayo News GAA writers SeΡn Rice and Austin Garvin.
The judging panel will now be charged with further whittling down that list and picking the 15 players and five replacements for the 2016 team. This selection will not be revealed until the night of the banquet.
With just nine of last year’s nominees back in the hunt, the final selection looks set to include plenty of new faces.
Senior winners Castlebar dominate the nominees list with Mayo panelists Paddy Durcan, Barry Moran and Ger McDonagh joined by captain Rory Byrne, Shane Irwin, Donie Newcombe, Ray O’Malley, Eoghan O’Reilly, Aidan Walsh, Fergal Durkan, Cian Costello and Neil Douglas.
Knockmore goalkeeper Aidan Kilcoyne is on the list, along with club-mates Shane McHale, SeΡn Ruttledge, Kevin McLoughlin, Keith Ruttledge and Kieran Langan.
Breaffy have Gerry Jennings, Aidan O’Shea and Liam Irwin all nominated while Ballintubber’s Gary Loftus and Cillian O’Connor make the cut.
From the beaten quarter-finalists, Garrymore’s Jimmy Killeen, Aghamore’s Brendan Harrison, Ballaghaderreen’s Andy Moran and Crossmolina’s Conor Loftus have all been selected.
Intermediate champions Westport were rewarded for their fine season with nods for defender Kevin Keane and forwards Fionn McDonagh and Lewis Cawley, with Kiltimagh’s Ronan Malee and Shrule/Glencorrib’s Mark Ronaldson completing the line-up.