It was a good night for Monaghan at the announcement of the 2011 O’Neill’s/TG4 Ladies Gaelic Football All-Star awards on Saturday night, with four of the county’s star players rewarded for their performances this year. Monaghan lost just two games in 2011, including the All-Ireland final against Cork, and that was reflected by the fact that the Farney county had the second-highest representation on the team behind the All-Ireland champions, who got six awards.

Three current Emyvale players made the final 15 – Gráinne and Therese McNally and Ciara McAnespie – along with county captain and Donaghmoyne star Sharon Courtney. Gráinne McNally got the nod at corner-back, joined in the full-back line by Sharon Courtney, who was also nominated for the Player-of-the-Year award which was won by Cork midfielder Juliet Murphy. McNally’s sister Therese took one of the wing-forward positions, while Ciara McAnespie won her second award in three years at corner-forward.

Monaghan had six other nominees – Truagh corner-forward Caoimhe Mohan (who was unlucky not to make the team after scoring nine goals in the championship), Donaghmoyne trio Amanda Casey, Cora Courtney and Cathriona McConnell, Emyvale wing-back Aoife McAnespie and Magheracloone corner-back Christina Reilly. Well done to all.

2011 O’Neill’s/TG4 Ladies Gaelic Football All-Stars: Irene Munnelly (Meath); Gráinne McNally (Monaghan), Sharon Courtney (Monaghan), Deirdre O’Reilly (Cork); Briege Corkery (Cork), Bríd Stack (Cork), Geraldine O’Flynn (Cork); Juliet Murphy (Cork), Tracey Lawlor (Laois); Therese McNally (Monaghan), Elaine Kelly (Dublin), Mary Kirwan (Laois); Ciara McAnespie (Monaghan), Rhona Ní Bhuachalla (Cork), Sinéad Aherne (Dublin).