MONAGHAN duo Grainne McNally and Ciara McAnespie were Ulster’s only two Allstar recipients at this year’s 2016 TG4 Allstar awards at Dublin’s Citywest Hotel on Saturday night.
It is a third award each for the Emyvale team-mates on a night when All-Ireland champions Cork dominated the winners with six awards, beaten finalists Dublin went home with five and Kildare and Mayo one apiece.
McNally, who previously picked up the prestigious gong in 2011 and 2013, was named at left half-back with McAnespie, who won awards in 2009 and 2011, named at right corner-forward for the Ulster champions.
Cork’s Briege Corkery joined Cora Staunton and Mary Jo Curran as the most-decorated player of all-time with 10 Allstar awards.
Corkery was joined on the 2016 team by team-mates Marie Ambrose, Bríd Stack, Leah Caffrey, Deirdre O’Reilly, Ciara O’Sullivan and Orla Finn.
Bríd Stack rounded off a great night for Cork when the 11-time TG4 All-Ireland winner and seven-time Allstar was also named as the Senior Players’ Player of the Year.
Dublin’s Sinead Goldrick earned her fifth Allstar award in-a-row, with Leah Caffrey earning her first.
Dublin captain Noelle Healy earned her second at right half-forward as did Carla Rowe at left half-forward. Dublin’s ace forward, Sinead Aherne earned her fifth at full-forward after a series of brilliant performances for the Leinster champions.
Fiona McHale was selected as Mayo’s Allstar winner at midfield with Kildare’s brilliant netminder Mary Hulgraine adding her first Allstar award to add to the Player of the Match award she won with Kildare in their All-Ireland intermediate final triumph.
Antrim duo Clare Timoney and Mairead Cooper missed out to Longford captain Mairead Reynolds for the Junior Players’ Player of the Year title, while Kildare captain Aisling Holton picked up the Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year title.
Former Tipperary player and current chairperson Biddy Ryan was inducted into the Ladies Gaelic Football Hall of Fame.
Clann Eireann and Armagh’s Dearbhla Coleman was named the Ulster Young Player of the Year, Amy O’Connor from Knockmore in Mayo received the Connacht Young Player of the Year award, .
Fiadhna Tangney from Beaufort in Kerry was named as the Munster Young Player of the Year and Caoimhe O’Connor from Clontarf in Dublin was selected as the Leinster Young Player of the Year.
