Meath fans were left feeling aggrieved as The TG4 Ladies football All-Star team was named on Saturday night at the Bonnington hotel.
The All-Ireland champions led the way with six representatives on the team but they felt they deserved more. And with good reason.
Niamh O'Sullivan, Vikki Wall and Orlagh Lally can all count themselves very unlucky not to have won awards as, despite having played starring roles for their county, all three were left out in the team.
O'Sullivan, for example, was player of the match in the All-Ireland final against Kerry, won player of the month for July but she still did not make the team. Lally and Wall, both of whom made the move to Australia to play AFLW after this year's final, were also key players in Eamon Murray's winning Meath team but they also did not feature.
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The team was revealed at the TG4 All Star awards banquet, in association with Lidl, at The Bonnington Dublin Hotel on Saturday evening.
Goalkeeper Monica McGuirk won her third TG4 All Star award and she was one of four Meath players honoured for a second successive year, alongside Emma Troy, Aoibhín Cleary and Emma Duggan.
Team captain Shauna Ennis and Stacey Grimes are the Meath players who were crowned TG4 All Stars for the very first time.
Meanwhile, beaten finalists Kerry claimed five TG4 All Star awards.
Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, who was the leading scorer in the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship with 4-24, collected her third TG4 All Star award, and first since 2013, while Cáit Lynch bridged a ten-year gap by earning her second award, at corner back.
The Kerry players named as TG4 All Stars for the first time are Kayleigh Cronin, Aishling O’Connell and Niamh Carmody.
As well as contesting a first TG4 All-Ireland Senior Final since 2012, Kerry also landed the 2022 Lidl National League Division 2 title, and will play in the top flight of the National League next year.
Mayo, who lost out to Kerry in the TG4 All-Ireland semi-final, have received two All Star awards.
Danielle Caldwell and Shauna Howley are both first-time winners for the green and red.
Armagh's Aimee Mackin won her third award while Donegal captain and midfield dynamo Niamh McLaughlin is also a first-time All Star recipient. .
She also won the the 2022 TG4 Senior Players’ Player of the Year.
For the Senior Players’ Player of the Year award, McLaughlin held off Meath star Emma Duggan and Kerry ace Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh.
Duggan collected a second successive TG4 All Star award on the night, as Ní Mhuircheartaigh scooped her third award, and first since 2013.
The 2022 TG4 Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year award, meanwhile, went to Laois forward Mo Nerney.
And there was some consolation for Fermanagh following their TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship Final replay defeat to Antrim as forward Bláithín Bogue was named Junior Players’ Player of the Year.
It was also confirmed at the TG4 All Star banquet that the 2022 TG4 All Star Tour will visit Austin, Texas, in the United States next year.
2022 TG4 Ladies Football All-Star team:
- Monica McGuirk (Meath) – 3rd award (previous winner in 2019 and 2021)
- Shauna Ennis (Meath) – 1st award
- Kayleigh Cronin (Kerry) – 1st award
- Danielle Caldwell (Mayo) – 1st award
- Aishling O’Connell (Kerry) – 1st award
- Emma Troy (Meath) – 2nd award (previous winner in 2021)
- Aoibhín Cleary (Meath) – 2nd award (previous winner in 2021)
- Cáit Lynch (Kerry) – 2nd award (previous winner in 2012)
- Niamh McLaughlin (Donegal) – 1st award
- Niamh Carmody (Kerry) – 1st award
- Emma Duggan (Meath) – 2nd award (previous winner in 2021)
- Shauna Howley (Mayo) – 1st award
- Aimee Mackin (Armagh) – 3rd award (previous winner in 2015 and 2017)
- Stacey Grimes (Meath) – 1st award
- Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh (Kerry) – 3rd award (previous winner in 2012 and 2013)
