Castlebar’s Neil Douglas (right) and Ballintubber’s Gary Loftus are both among the nominees for the 2010 Mayo News/O’Neills Club Star awards.
Club Stars shortlist revealedDaniel CareyTHE 30 nominations for a place on the Mayo News/O’Neills Club Stars team of the year have been decided, with no fewer than ten Ballintubber players in the running for the coveted honour.
A total of 11 clubs are represented among those in contention. Seven players from beaten senior finalists Castlebar Mitchels have also been nominated for a Club Star award, which honours the cream of Mayo’s club footballers.
The 15 players and five replacements will be revealed at the sixth annual Club Stars banquet – in association with AIB – which will be held on Friday, December 3 at the Knockranny House Hotel in Westport.
Semi-finalists Knockmore and Shrule/Glencorrib have two nominees apiece, while there are one apiece from Crossmolina, Ballinrobe, Charlestown and Breaffy.
Five players from this year’s Mayo Intermediate Championship have also been nominated as ‘wild cards’ – there are two apiece from county champions Tourmakeady and beaten finalists Burrishoole, with one from semi-finalists Kiltimagh.
All proceeds from this year’s event will go to the Mayo Branch of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. Nominees will be joined by family, friends and supporters at the banquet.
The 30 players were selected by Mayo GAA Board Secretary SeΡn Feeney, former Knockmore manager Eamon Clarke, and Mayo News GAA writers SeΡn Rice and Austin Garvin.
Those four wise men will now be charged with further whittling down that list and picking the 15 players and five replacements for the 2010 team. This selection will not be revealed until the night of the banquet.
With just five of last year’s nominees back in the hunt, the final team is sure to include plenty of new faces. Three of those who were nominated last year are from Castlebar Mitchels – Alan Feeney, Neil Douglas and Ciaran Naughton – while Ballintubber’s Alan Dillon and Knockmore’s Trevor Howley were also part of the 2009 team.
Dillon will have plenty of company, as Noel Gibbons, Gary Loftus, Cathal Hallinan, Paul Earley, John Feeney, Jason Gibbons, Alan Plunkett and Michael Nestor and PΡdraic O’Connor have also been nominated from the county champions.
The returning Mitchels trio will be joined by team-mates Richie Feeney (a wing forward on the 2008 Club Stars team), Eoin Reilly, Donal Newcombe and Ronan Burke. Knockmore’s Damien Munnelly, Shrule/Glencorrib duo Conor Mortimer and David Geraghty, Tourmakeady pair Brendan Prendergast and Kevin Dolan and Burrishoole’s James Moran and Jason Doherty are also nominated.
Crossmolina’s Ian Rowland, Ballinrobe’s Donal Vaughan, Charlestown’s Paul Mulligan, Breaffy’s Aidan O’Shea and Kiltimagh’s TomΡs Morley complete the line-up.
Tickets for the event in Knockranny House Hotel cost €60 and are available on 098 25311.
Get your ticketsTO book your ticket for the Club Stars Banquet or make a donation, call The Mayo News office on 098 25311. All proceeds go to the Mayo Branch of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.
This year's Club Stars nomineesGoalkeepersCiaran Naughton (Castlebar Mitchels)
Noel Gibbons (Ballintubber)
DefendersGary Loftus (Ballintubber)
Cathal Hallinan (Ballintubber)
Paul Earley (Ballintubber)
John Feeney (Ballintubber)
Alan Feeney (Castlebar Mitchels)
Richie Feeney (Castlebar Mitchels)
Eoin Reilly (Castlebar Mitchels)
Donal Newcombe (Castlebar Mitchels)
Ronan Burke (Castlebar Mitchels)
Trevor Howley (Knockmore)
David Geraghty (Shrule/Glencorrib)
Brendan Prendergast (Tourmakeady)
MidfieldersJason Gibbons (Ballintubber)
Donal Vaughan (Ballinrobe)
James Moran (Burrishoole)
TomΡs Morley (Kiltimagh)
ForwardsAlan Dillon (Ballintubber)
Alan Plunkett (Ballintubber)
Michael Nestor (Ballintubber)
PΡdraic O’Connor (Ballintubber)
Neil Douglas (Castlebar Mitchels)
Damien Munnelly (Knockmore)
Ian Rowland (Crossmolina)
Conor Mortimer (Shrule/Glencorrib)
Paul Mulligan (Charlestown)
Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy)
Kevin Dolan (Tourmakeady)
Jason Doherty (Burrishoole)
