Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh

2010/2011 Ulster Colleges All-Stars

December 22nd, 2010

This week the presitigious BT Ulster Colleges Football and Hurling All-stars were announced.

Pictured is Conor McNally (St Patrick’s Armagh) who completed a personal double.  He was selected at corner-forward in both the Hurling team announced on Tuesday and the Football team announced today.  Conor was also at corner-forward in last year’s elite Hurling team.  Conor joins Peter Morris, Consumer Director, BT left and Paddy Linden, Vice-chairman Ulster Colleges Council.

2010/11 BT Colleges’ Football All-stars

1.   Matthew McNeice (St Colman’s Newry)

2.   Niall Donnelly (St Colman’s Newry)

3.   Ciaran Cannon (St Eunan’s Letterkenny)

4.   Peter Quinn (St Mary’s Magherafelt)

5.   Aidan Breen (St Michael’s Enniskillen)

6.   Conall McNulty (St Joseph’s Donaghmore)

7.   Caolán Mooney (St Colman’s Newry)

8.   Richard Donnelly (St Michael’s Enniskillen)

9.   Harry Óg Conlan (St Patrick’s Dungannon)

10.  Ronan McGrady (Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s Knock)

11.  Ruairí Corrigan (St Michael’s Enniskillen)

12.  Emmet Bradley (St Patrick’s Maghera)

13.  Ryan Mayse (Omagh CBS)

14.  John McCullagh (Omagh CBS)

15.  Conor McNally (St Patrick’s Armagh)

  • These All-stars are known as the 2010/11 Football All-stars and this is the 24th year of the Ulster Colleges’ All-star scheme.
  • Players are selected over the course of two trial games, after being initially nominated by their own school to attend the trials.
    The scheme rewards excellence in skill and in sportsmanship and a player who has been sent off in any game between September 1st and the dates of the trials is ineligible for selection.
  • St Michael’s Enniskillen defeated St Patrick’s Dungannon in the BT MacCormack Cup final 1-10 to 2-3 last week.
  • 3 St Michael’s Enniskillen players make the team, while only Harry Óg Conlan is selected from St Patrick’s Dungannon.
  • 3 players from current Hogan champions St Colman’s Newry are included – all in defence – while there are 2 Omagh CBS forwards and 1 each from a further 6 schools.  Overall 10 schools are represented in the selection.
  • Conall McNulty is the first player from St Joseph’s Donaghmore to be awarded an Ulster Colleges’ All-star.  St Joseph’s becomes the 31st school to be included in the scheme.
  • Ronan McGrady’s inclusion is only the third time that Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s Knock has had a footballer recognised.  Marcus Miskelly (2002) and Seán Molloy (2006) were like Ronan selected in attack.
  • 6 of the 9 teams still involved in the BT MacRory Cup have players in the line-out – St Macartan’s Monaghn, Abbey CBS and St Michael’s Lurgan are the exceptions.
  • Ciaran Cannon (St Eunan’s Letterkenny), Conall McNulty (St Joseph’s Donaghmore) and Ronan McGrady (Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s Knock) are in the BT O’Doherty /MacLarnon Cup draw, while Emmet Bradley’s St Patrick’s Maghera were knocked out of the BT MacRory in a play-off last week.
  • Seven of the nine counties are represented, with 5 All-stars for Tyrone players, 2 each for Derry, Down, Armagh and Fermanagh, and 1 each for Antrim and Donegal.
  • None of last year’s team are winning a second Football All-star, although corner-forward Conor McNally is receiving his third, having gained back to back hurling All-stars as a corner-forward last year and this year.
  • Caolán Mooney has signed professional terms with Aussie Rules’ club Collingwood and will join them in summer 2011 when he completes his A Levels.
  • Richard Donnelly, Harry óg Conlan and John McCullagh were all in the Tyrone team that won the All-Ireland Minor title in September, Harry scoring a goal and John picking up the Player of the Match Award and the Ulster GAA Writers’ Award for September.
  • Richard Donnelly has repeated his brother Matthew’s feat of winning Ulster and All-Ireland Minor medals in 2008 and the following year picking up a BT Ulster Colleges’ All-star.
  • Ruairí Corrigan’s brother Tomás was corner-forward in the 2009 All-star team and is now on the Fermanagh Senior squad.  Tomás and Ruairí are sons of Dominic, who has taken St Michael’s to the MacRory title on a couple of occasions and also managed both Fermanagh and Sligo at senior level.
  • In overall terms, St. Patrick’s Maghera stay ahead of Abbey CBS with 44 football awards and they are joint-tops in the Hurling winners’ list with St Mary’s Belfast with 73 awards.

2010/11 BT Ulster Colleges’ Hurling All Stars

1. Conor McAlister (St Killian’s Garron Tower)

2. Christopher Convery (St Patrick’s Maghera)

3. Stephen Rooney (St Mary’s CBS)

4. Aaron McAufield (La Salle)

5. Karl McKaigue (St Patrick’s Maghera)

6. Conal Morgan (La Salle)

7. Conor McCann (St Mary’s Magherafelt)

8. James Black (Cross & Passion, Ballycastle)

9. Andrew McGowan (La Salle)

10. Damian Casey (St Patrick’s Dungannon)

11. Ciaran Clarke (Cross & Passion, Ballycasle)

12. Shea Gaffney (St Patrick’s Keady)

13. Conor McNally (St Patrick’s Armagh)

14. Shane Farren (St Patrick’s Maghera)

15. Danny Toner (St Patrick’s Downpatrick)

  • These All-stars are known as the 2010/11 Hurling All-stars and this is the 24th year of the Ulster Colleges’ All-star scheme.
  • Players are selected over the course of two trial games, after being initially nominated by their own school to attend the trials.
    The scheme rewards excellence in skill and in sportsmanship and a player who has been sent off in any game between September 1st and the dates of the trials is ineligible for selection.
  • St Patrick’s Maghera defeated St Mary’s Belfast in the BT Mageean Cup final at Halloween by 1-12 to 1-11. St Patrick’s were captained by Karl McKaigue who is selected at right half-back today.
  • Player of the Match in the BT Mageean Cup final was Shane Farren (St Patrick’s Maghera) who is selected today at full-forward.  Shane scored 9 points in the final.
  • In the All-star team St Patrick’s pick up a total of 3 All-stars as do La Salle Belfast, while there are 2 awards for Cross & Passion Ballycastle.  7 other schools have one player each named.
  • Danny Toner’s award is the first ever for his school St Patrick’s Downpatrick and rewards their entry into the BT Mageean Cup for the first time in over 30 seasons.  Danny’s scoring returns brought them to within 2 points of Maghera in the semi-final.  Danny has already played his part in Ballygalget winning the Down senior title and he has recently joined the Down Senior squad.
  • Also picking up a school’s first ever award is Conor McCann from St Mary’s Magherafelt.  Conor, from the Creggan club has played at minor level for Antrim in both hurling and football.
  • The addition of these two schools means that hurling awards have now been earned by players from 26 different schools from across the province.
  • Last year Sean Kelly picked up a first ever hurling All-star for St Patrick’s Dungannon.  Damian Casey this year made it a second, following some fine displays that saw the Academy reach the semi-final of the BT Casement Cup.
  • Only St Partick’s Armagh forward Conor McNally has retained his jersey from last year’s selection.  In both years he has been selected at right corner-forward.
  • Centre half-forward Ciaran Clarke from Cross & Passion Ballycastle is also receiving his second award.  Two years ago he was selected at corner-forward.
  • St Patrick’s Maghera’s 3 awards means that they are now tied with St Mary’s Belfast at the top of the board with a total of 73 hurling All-stars over the past 24 seasons.  Last year’s team was the first announced in which there wasn’t a player from Maghera.
  • Just last week, Shea Gaffney’s brothers Barry and Paul were awarded All-stars for their performances when Armagh won the Nicky Rackard Cup in Croke Park during the summer.  Barry was selected in the Colleges’ All-star team of 2000.
  • Corner-back Christopher Convery is also the second in his family to win a hurling All-star.  Older brother Ruairi was full-forward in 2002, won an All-Ireland Minor football medal a year later and has since represented Derry in both football and hurling.
  • Karl McKaigue also has an older brother who received All-star awards.  Christopher won a hurling award 3 years ago and back to back football awards in 2007-8.  All of these awards were in the half-back line – Karl is also selected in the half-back line.  Christopher is now plying his trade as a profession Aussie Rules’ player.
  • 10 of the team competed with their school side for the BT Mageean Cup, while 4 more were in competition for the BT Casement Cup (won by St Killian’s Garron Tower and their goalie Conor McAlister), while Conor McCann’s St Mary’s Magherafelt did not enter Senior competition – although two years ago Conor captained St Mary’s to the BT Kirk Cup.

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