Football GPA Award nominees announced

The nominees for the 2009 Opel Gaelic Players Association Football Team of the Year have been announced.

45 players have made the shortlist with two - Paul Galvin and Tomás O'Sé - nominated for the Opel GPA Footballer of the Year award.

The list contains players from 12 counties but is dominated by Kerry, who have 11 nominees. Cork, Tyrone, Dublin, Kildare, Donegal, Antrim, Meath, Wicklow, Sligo, Mayo and Derry are also represented.

All-Ireland finalists Cork have nine nominees while Tyrone and Dublin have four each.

The selection committee consisted of Chairman Martin McHugh and Keith Barr and Paddy Heaney. The winners will be picked by GPA members.

McGugh said: 'These type of awards are entirely subjective and don't always attract everyone's approval but the over-riding objective is to get the best 15 players for the 15 individual positions.

'Those of us on the committee believe that the overall aim can be achieved from the 45 players whom we have chosen for the nominations.'

Nominees for Opel GPA Football Team of the Year:

1. Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Diarmuid Murphy (Kerry), Alan Quirke (Cork)

2. Colm Brady (Antrim), Karl Lacey (Donegal), Marc Ó Sé (Kerry)

3. Tommy Griffin (Kerry), Justin McMahon (Tyrone), Michael Shields (Cork)

4. Ciaran Hyland (Wicklow), Tom O'Sullivan (Kerry), Gerard O'Kane (Derry)

5. Peadar Gardiner (Mayo), James Loughrey (Antrim), Tomás Ó Sé (Kerry)

6. Graham Canty (Cork), Michael McCarthy (Kerry), Ryan McMenamin (Tyrone)

7. Barry Cahill (Dublin), Mikey Conway (Kildare), John Miskella (Cork)

8/9. Dermot Earley (Kildare), Kevin Hughes (Tyrone), Nigel Crawford (Meath), Ronan McGarrity (Mayo), Nicholas Murphy (Cork), Seamus Scanlon (Kerry)

10. Alan Brogan (Dublin), Paul Galvin (Kerry), Paul Kerrigan (Cork),

11. Tadhg Kennelly (Kerry), Pearse O'Neill (Cork), Joe Sheridan (Meath)

12. Leighton Glynn (Wicklow), Paddy Kelly (Cork), James Kavanagh (Kildare)

13. Eoin Bradley (Derry), Daniel Goulding (Cork), Stephen O'Neill (Tyrone)

14. Michael Murphy (Donegal), Aidan O'Shea (Mayo), Declan O'Sullivan (Kerry)

15. Bernard Brogan (Dublin), David Kelly (Sligo), Tommy Walsh (Kerry)

Nominees for Opel GPA Player of the Year for Football:
Paul Galvin (Kerry) and Tomás Ó Sé (Kerry)