Brendan Rogers (Derry)

Is there anything Brendan Rogers can’t do? He can hurl – he won our player of the year award at our annual Gaelic Life Club All-Star award; he can defend – he plays in full-back for the county footballers; and yes, he can kick the ball over the bar as evidenced by his phenomenal display as Derry ended 24 years of hurt in Sunday’s Ulster final, kicking three crucial points from play. To top it all off, he’s a nice guy to boot.

Shane Walsh (Galway)

Walsh is perceived as one of those elegant, naturally gifted times, but he revealed over the weekend that he works extremely hard on his game and tries to learn a few tricks of the trade from other footballers, namechecking Kerry star David Clifford. His hard work is obviously paying off and he lit up the Connacht final, racking up a personal tally of 1-6. Galway are going strong this year and could be on the verge of a breakthrough in the All-Ireland series, so it’ll be interesting to see if Walsh can continue his good form.

Con O’Callaghan (Dublin)

Dublin fans swear they wouldn’t swap Con O’Callaghan for another player in the country, and do you know what, I believe them. There was actually talk earlier in the year that the multiple All-Ireland winning forward had decided to throw his lot in with the Dublin hurlers, but that turned out to be a load of old bunkum. Only 26, he’s entering his prime years and was in brilliant form in their one-sided victory over Kildare at the weekend. Almost unstoppable when he’s on his game, and he’s a big reason why the Dubs are looking ominously good again.

Raymond Galligan (Cavan)

We were going to give Paddy Lynch a mention, but we’ve enough forwards on this list as it is, so we thought we’d give a mention to Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galliagan. He kicked SEVEN points in their opening day Tailteann Cup victory over Down, and saved two penalties as well. You don’t get much better than that. Still, at this early stage it’s hard to pick an All-Star goalkeeper – it’s usually reserved for fellas who line out on All-Ireland final day.

Peadar Mogan (Donegal)

It wasn’t Peadar Mogan’s fault that Donegal lost the Ulster final. He kept Donegal in the game with three first-half points, and he’s been in top form since their championship got underway. His versatility is a major effort, and while he acted as Donegal’s sweeper for most of the semi-final against Cavan, he also found time to go on the attack when Declan Bonner’s side got to grips with proceedings in the second-half. A lovely player to watch, and also an extremely hard worker.

David Clifford (Kerry)

Yes, David Clifford was injured for their Munster final clash against Limerick, and yes, Cork poured all their energies into stopping the Fossa maestro and limited him to only a single point from play in the previous round, but Clifford was still in red hot form during the league and it would be a major surprise indeed if he didn’t win yet more individual awards come the end of the season. Took Padraig O’Hora to the cleaners in the Division One final and is arguably the most talented player of his generation

Conor Meyler (Tyrone)

It hasn’t been a straightforward season for Tyrone so far to say the least, but one of the players who have maintained their very high standards is last year’s Footballer of the Year contender Conor Meyler. An incredibly disciplined and dedicated footballer, Meyler has been in great form this season and scored a fine individual goal against Fermanagh. While it was an epic systems failure against Derry, Meyler never threw in the white towel – and if Tyrone manage to get their act together and embark on another prolonged run, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he picks up a second All-Star.

Niall Kearns (Monaghan)

Jack McCarron ran riot in their Ulster Championship quarter-final win against Down, and Conor McManus showed he’s lost none of his old magic with an influential showing against Derry, but perhaps their most consistent performer has been Niall Kearns, an unsung hero of this Monaghan side. The Sean McDermott’s midfielder won plenty of breaking ball in both games, has a great attitude and does the simple things well.