All stars 2026

[Armagh18]

Conor McCarthy not in with a shout. Thought he was very good each match

yeah thought he was very good myself, good few from Monaghan in with a shout of nominations.

Tough year to pick with the fact provincial winners usually get one and then there are another 6 teams on top of that who had decent to good years 3 provincial winners, then probably Monaghan, Cork (Sherlock), Tyrone, Louth and Dublin will all feel like they could have a few nominations and that's before you mention the 2 finalists.

If I had to guess
Westmeath x1
Louth x1
Dublin x2
Mayo x5
Kerry x6.

[DuffleKing]

Beirne has been more effective than Kobe this year surely. There's a fair bit of wasted ball with Kobe.

[Armagh18]

Beirne has been more effective than Kobe this year surely. There's a fair bit of wasted ball with Kobe.

Maybe one gets young footballer of the year and the other gets a all star? Kobe will definitely get something with the name and hype around him and this game being a sort of send off before Oz.  Beirne probably done more damage though.

[twohands!!!]

OP can update the thread title to 26.

I'll take a stab at towards who could be selected.

If Kerry win the All-Ireland final

Shane Murphy (Kerry)
Jason Foley (Kerry)
Donnacha McHugh (Mayo)
Enda Hession (Mayo)
Charlie McMorrow (Dublin)
Dara McDonnell (Louth)
Mike Breen (Kerry)
Mark O'Shea (Kerry)
Joe O'Connor (Kerry)
Brandon Kelly (Westmeath)
Paudie Clifford (Kerry)
Kobe McDonald (Mayo)
David Clifford (Kerry)
Dylan Geaney (Kerry)
Ryan O'Donoghue (Mayo)


If Mayo win the All-Ireland final

Jack Livingstone (Mayo)
Jason Foley, (Kerry)
Donnacha McHugh (Mayo)
Enda Hession (Mayo)
Charlie McMorrow (Dublin)
Dara McDonnell (Louth)
David McBrien (Mayo)
Mark O'Shea (Kerry)
Joe O'Connor (Kerry)
Brandon Kelly (Westmeath
Darragh Beirne (Mayo)
Kobe McDonald (Mayo)
David Clifford (Kerry)
Dylan Geaney (Kerry)
Ryan O'Donoghue (Mayo)

The selection process as ever the winner  gets 7 or 8.  Semi-finalists Louth and Dublin should get at least 1.

All star to Westmeath winning Leinster against the odds and I believe only David Clifford scored more from play in the championship than Brandon Kelly. Finally I think it will be a rare year of no Ulster player getting All Star.

As much as it pains me to say it, would probably be unfair in Con Kilpatrick not to get one. Absolutely brilliant against Armagh in the Athletic Grounds and against Kerry.

I think Kilpatrick might lose out with Tyrone not getting closer to the business end - Keeper and Midfield seem to be two of the areas where a player's team nearly always has to get to a semi-final to have a chance.

[Armagh18]

OP can update the thread title to 26.

I'll take a stab at towards who could be selected.

If Kerry win the All-Ireland final

Shane Murphy (Kerry)
Jason Foley (Kerry)
Donnacha McHugh (Mayo)
Enda Hession (Mayo)
Charlie McMorrow (Dublin)
Dara McDonnell (Louth)
Mike Breen (Kerry)
Mark O'Shea (Kerry)
Joe O'Connor (Kerry)
Brandon Kelly (Westmeath)
Paudie Clifford (Kerry)
Kobe McDonald (Mayo)
David Clifford (Kerry)
Dylan Geaney (Kerry)
Ryan O'Donoghue (Mayo)


If Mayo win the All-Ireland final

Jack Livingstone (Mayo)
Jason Foley, (Kerry)
Donnacha McHugh (Mayo)
Enda Hession (Mayo)
Charlie McMorrow (Dublin)
Dara McDonnell (Louth)
David McBrien (Mayo)
Mark O'Shea (Kerry)
Joe O'Connor (Kerry)
Brandon Kelly (Westmeath
Darragh Beirne (Mayo)
Kobe McDonald (Mayo)
David Clifford (Kerry)
Dylan Geaney (Kerry)
Ryan O'Donoghue (Mayo)

The selection process as ever the winner  gets 7 or 8.  Semi-finalists Louth and Dublin should get at least 1.

All star to Westmeath winning Leinster against the odds and I believe only David Clifford scored more from play in the championship than Brandon Kelly. Finally I think it will be a rare year of no Ulster player getting All Star.

As much as it pains me to say it, would probably be unfair in Con Kilpatrick not to get one. Absolutely brilliant against Armagh in the Athletic Grounds and against Kerry.

I think Kilpatrick might lose out with Tyrone not getting closer to the business end - Keeper and Midfield seem to be two of the areas where a player's team nearly always has to get to a semi-final to have a chance.

yeah probably won't get one but if I was picking a team he'd be in it. Morgan robbed one off Blaine in 2024 having only reached a preliminary qf.  Beggan was a strong candidate for one pre getting injured, this year the goalkeeper could come down to who has a good final, both been excellent.

[ONeill]

Clifford should get POTY?

[Armagh18]

Clifford should get POTY?

You on the beer?

One clear winner and it's not even close....

YPOTY is where the debate is at..

[nrico2006]

Clifford should get POTY?

You on the beer?

One clear winner and it's not even close....

YPOTY is where the debate is at..

Clifford should clearly be player of the year.

[Armagh18]

Clifford should get POTY?

You on the beer?

One clear winner and it's not even close....

YPOTY is where the debate is at..

Clifford should clearly be player of the year.

R O'D by a country mile for me

Clifford has enough. Can't see the journalists overlooking O'Donoghue. Not sure who the third nominee will be. YPOTY Mayo could have the 3 nominees but Darragh McDonnell should get nominated with Beirne and Kobe.

[Wildweasel74]

Has enough,?thats not a reason not to not give someone player of the year lol, tends to be if somebody had a better overall yr. I call it player of July, because they dont seem to base it on the other 11 months. For what it worth, i thought Kilpatrick was the best / top performing in ever game he played, but he not even be on the radar as he out  at a earlier stage.

[Estimator]

It just highlights the fickle nature of the award - and the recency bias that dominates the All Stars.

Dylan Geaney was touted by some as a potential PoTY after the quarterfinal, now he isn't really in the running for a place in the All Star team - at least none that I have seen from the experts.

Also, if Clifford's 2pt effort at the end of the final went the right side of the post and Kerry went on to win the match - no one would be referencing O'Donoghue as PoTY - Clifford would be an absolute shoe in for the award.

Just looking back on previous awards, I'm assuming Bernard Brogan the only man to win it without getting to the final?

[seafoid]

Ryan O Donoghue imposed his will on
Kerry. His tackling and his scoring. They couldn't deal with him. The 2 Cliffords didn't have the same impact.

[thewobbler]

It just highlights the fickle nature of the award - and the recency bias that dominates the All Stars.

Dylan Geaney was touted by some as a potential PoTY after the quarterfinal, now he isn't really in the running for a place in the All Star team - at least none that I have seen from the experts.

Also, if Clifford's 2pt effort at the end of the final went the right side of the post and Kerry went on to win the match - no one would be referencing O'Donoghue as PoTY - Clifford would be an absolute shoe in for the award.

Just looking back on previous awards, I'm assuming Bernard Brogan the only man to win it without getting to the final?

It's not recency bias.

It's recognition that as challenges got increasingly more difficult, some players rose to the occasion, and others did not.

Player of the year should be the person who had the most bearing on the outcome of the championship.

That was Ryan O'Donaghue. Then a long, long gaps.

[nrico2006]

It just highlights the fickle nature of the award - and the recency bias that dominates the All Stars.

Dylan Geaney was touted by some as a potential PoTY after the quarterfinal, now he isn't really in the running for a place in the All Star team - at least none that I have seen from the experts.

Also, if Clifford's 2pt effort at the end of the final went the right side of the post and Kerry went on to win the match - no one would be referencing O'Donoghue as PoTY - Clifford would be an absolute shoe in for the award.

Just looking back on previous awards, I'm assuming Bernard Brogan the only man to win it without getting to the final?

It's not recency bias.

It's recognition that as challenges got increasingly more difficult, some players rose to the occasion, and others did not.

Player of the year should be the person who had the most bearing on the outcome of the championship.

That was Ryan O'Donaghue. Then a long, long gaps.

So POTY has to come from the winning team?

[thewobbler]

No nrico2006 not as an absolute rule.

But most of the time, that's what should happen.

Once the shadow boxing and easy ties are out of the way, who is it that stands up the most?

Y'know for all Clifford's absolute brilliance (he's the best player I've ever seen), he didn't have that much of an impact on the final; and he was not being double marked or sweeped. He got most his scoring done early doors. I know that's his games - he's a quality over quantity player when it comes to touches.

ROD on the other hand showed up in pretty every aspect of what's important in Gaelic football ie skill, athleticism, aggression, intelligence, willingness, leadership.

How anyone would want this marked the other way is beyond me.