Players’ award for Murphy as Cork claim six All Stars

ALL-IRELAND champions Cork dominated the O’Neills/TG4 Ladies Gaelic Football All Stars at a gala function at the CityWest Hotel on Saturday night.

Deirdre O’Reilly, Briege Corkery, Bríd Stack, Geraldine O’Flynn, Juliet Murphy and Rhona Ní Bhuachalla claimed six statuettes for the Rebels while Murphy was honoured with the inaugural senior Players’ Player of the Year Award.

Monaghan won four awards (Gráinne McNally, Sharon Courtney, Therese McNally and Ciara McAnespie); Leinster champions Laois were represented by Tracey Lawlor and Mary Kirwan while Dublin pair Elaine Kelly and Sinéad Aherne were also honoured. Meath’s Irene Munnelly was selected as goalkeeper.

Áine Tighe (Leitrim) and Lucy Mulhall (Wicklow) were the respective intermediate and junior Player’s Player of the Year.

Sarah Rowe (Kimoremoy, Mayo), Michelle Farrell (Colmcilles, Longford), Laura Rogers (Austin Stack, Kerry) and Ciara McDermott (Magheracloone, Monaghan) were the Provincial Young Players of the Year Award winners.

Cavan legend John Joe Brady was inducted into the Ladies Football Hall of Fame.

pat Quill, president of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, said: “The 2011 All Star night was a fantastic success. We saw some of our top, most consistent players over the last decade receive further recognition of their individual talent and for some they accepted the honour for the first time in their career. The first Players’ Player of the Year for the three grades was also a wonderful addition to the event and a huge honour for the three girls who received the award.”