Two Mayo men nominated for Footballer of the Year after All-Ireland heroics
The duo played starring roles as Andy Moran’s men ended their county’s Sam Maguire drought in Croke Park
Two of Mayo’s All-Ireland-winning heroes have seen their stellar 2026 campaigns rewarded with nominations for the Footballer of the Year awards.
Every single member of Andy Moran’s Green and Red army put in displays across the All-Ireland campaign.
However, this pair has been recognised by the selectors for utterly Trojan performances as their county banished the ghosts and brought Sam Maguire back to the West for the first time since 1951.
We’ll start with the man in the middle of the park. Jack Carney is a man who has grown tremendously this season. The pride of Kilmeena, a club nestled on the shores of Clew Bay, this flame-haired maestro has wrestled for control of the middle with some of the most feared sky-walkers in the country. More often than not, he has come out on top in the engine room.
That’s not where his impact ends. Far from it. Time and again, he has shouldered the responsibility of being the man to boom over two-pointers in the time of need. That moment in the All-Ireland final, where Kerry appeared a runaway train, was the epitome of this.
Carney steadied himself and let fly. The shot was true and sailed over, handing his comrades a lifeline, which they duly took.
Then, there’s Mr Belmullet. Ryan O’Donoghue is a man forged by Erris, and he fought tooth and nail for every single ball in the All-Ireland final, pressing ferociously from the front and leading from the front as well.
Pride and passion can only get you so far, though. This deadly attacker’s laser-like ability to find the posts is off the charts. A tally of 2-56 speaks for itself, and his 1-11 in the semi-final against Louth was breathtaking.
Add in his ability to produce magical passes and his tigrish work when defending, and you’d find few better in the land.
Also nominated for the accolade is Kerry’s David Clifford, the top scorer of this year’s competition.
The winner will be announced at the All-Star Awards ceremony on Sunday, October 30 at the RDS in Dublin. The event will be broadcast live on RTÉ.