ALL-Ireland Senior Championship top scorer Aimee Mackin of Armagh is one of five Ulster nominees for the 2021 TG4 Ladies Football Allstar awards. Mackin, who bagged 4-23 in this year's championship is nominated alongside Orchard team-mate Lauren McConville while Donegal have nominations for Evelyn McGinley, Nicole McLaughlin and ace forward Geraldine McLaughlin.
Senior champions Meath lead the way with 14 nominations on the list of 45 nominees for the awards.
The Royals surged to senior glory with a stunning final victory over Dublin at Croke Park on September 5, to bring the curtain down on a memorable season of TG4 All-Ireland Championship fare.
Runners-up Dublin, who had won the four previous senior finals, have been rewarded with nine nominations following a season that also saw the Sky Blues collect the Lidl National League Division 1 title.
Cork, who lost out to Meath in the All-Ireland semi-final, have seven players nominated for Allstar awards, while Mayo, defeated by Dublin in the last four, have earned six nominations.
There are three nominees from Donegal, two each from Armagh and Galway, and one apiece from Kerry and Waterford.
Five players from the 2019 TG4 Allstar team are nominated for awards again; namely Meath goalkeeper Monica McGuirk, Cork’s Melissa Duggan, Dublin duo Carla Rowe and Lyndsey Davey, and Mayo’s Rachel Kearns.
McGuirk is joined by 13 of her Meath team-mates who stormed to a very first senior title during the course of a history-making season that also saw Division Two glory achieved.
The other Meath nominees are Emma Troy, Mary Kate Lynch, Katie Newe, Aoibheann Leahy, Aoibhín Cleary, captain Shauna Ennis, Máire O’Shaughnessy, Orlagh Lally, Orla Byrne, Stacey Grimes, Niamh O’Sullivan, TG4 Senior Final Player of the Match Vikki Wall, and Emma Duggan.
From Dublin, Rowe and Davey are joined on the list of nominees by goalkeeper Ciara Trant, Martha Byrne, Leah Caffrey, Orlagh Nolan, Lauren Magee, Jennifer Dunne and Hannah Tyrrell.
Joining Duggan on the list of nominees from Cork are Róisín Phelan, Eimear Meaney, Erika O’Shea, Hannah Looney, Sadhbh O’Leary and Eimear Scally.
Representing Mayo, 2019 Allstar Rachel Kearns is joined by team-mates Saoirse Lally, Tamara O’Connor, Sinéad Cafferky, Sarah Rowe and Shauna Howley, while there is a pair of nominations for Galway, with goalkeeper Dearbhla Gower and Olivia Divilly acknowledged.
The list is completed by Katie Murray (Waterford) and Kerry’s Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, who scored 3-20 for the Kingdom in the 2021 Championship.
One player will be chosen from the three shortlisted in each of the positions to make up the final selection, with the exception of midfield, where two from six will be chosen.
The 2021 TG4 Allstar team will be announced at a gala banquet at Dublin’s Bonnington Hotel on Saturday, November 13.
The 2021 TG4 Junior, Intermediate and Senior Players’ Player of the Year award winners will also be announced on the night.
2021 TG4 All Star nominations
Goalkeepers: Monica McGuirk (Meath)*, Ciara Trant (Dublin), Dearbhla Gower (Galway)
Right corner back: Emma Troy (Meath), Martha Byrne (Dublin), Saoirse Lally (Mayo)
Full back: Mary Kate Lynch (Meath), Róisín Phelan (Cork), Evelyn McGinley (Donegal)
Left corner back: Leah Caffrey (Dublin), Katie Newe (Meath), Eimear Meaney (Cork)
Right half back: Erika O’Shea (Cork), Tamara O’Connor (Mayo), Aoibheann Leahy (Meath)
Centre back: Aoibhín Cleary (Meath), Lauren McConville (Armagh), Nicole McLaughlin (Donegal)
Left half-back: Melissa Duggan (Cork)*, Orlagh Nolan (Dublin), Shauna Ennis (Meath)
Midfield: Lauren Magee (Dublin), Jennifer Dunne (Dublin), Sinéad Cafferky (Mayo), Máire O’Shaughnessy (Meath), Hannah Looney (Cork), Orlagh Lally (Meath)
Right half forward: Hannah Tyrrell (Dublin), Olivia Divilly (Galway), Orla Byrne (Meath)
Centre forward: Rachel Kearns (Mayo)*, Lyndsey Davey (Dublin)*, Stacey Grimes (Meath)
Left half forward: Niamh O’Sullivan (Meath), Carla Rowe (Dublin)*, Sarah Rowe (Mayo)
Right corner forward: Aimee Mackin (Armagh), Vikki Wall (Meath), Sadhbh O’Leary (Cork)
Full forward: Emma Duggan (Meath), Shauna Howley (Mayo), Katie Murray (Waterford)
Left corner forward: Eimear Scally (Cork), Geradline McLaughlin (Donegal), Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh (Kerry)
*(denotes 2019 TG4 All Star)
