Back-to-back All-Ireland champions Kerry lead the way in this year's Vodafone football All Stars nominations list with 10 players. Overall, there are 12 counties represented on the list from which this year's final All Stars selection will be made at the end of next month.
Dublin are the next most recognised county with seven and All-Ireland finalists Cork come in with six names, as do the semi-final opponents they defeated, Meath, whose revival this year under Colm Coyle sees the county threatening a first All Star since 2001.
Ulster champions and finalists Tyrone and Monaghan are next, although, maybe surprisingly, not in that order. The champions get three nominations, along with Derry, whereas the team they beat have been allocated four - a reflection of the strong All-Ireland campaign of Séamus McEneaney's team, culminating in a one-point quarter-final defeat to eventual champions Kerry, that gives the county a chance of a first All Star since Paddy Linden and Nudie Hughes in 1988.
But once again Tyrone's challenge was undermined with a litany of serious injuries and Mickey Harte's team exited after a disappointing performance against Meath in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Sligo's first Connacht title in 32 years is recognised with two nominations, both - Ross Donovan and Michael McNamara - in defence. There is just one nomination each for Connacht finalists Galway, NFL winners Donegal, Louth and Kildare.
Nine of last year's All Stars selection - Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Marc Ó Sé (Kerry), Karl Lacey (Donegal), Aidan O'Mahony (Kerry), Darragh Ó Sé (Kerry), Nicholas Murphy (Cork), Paul Galvin (Kerry), Alan Brogan (Dublin) and Kieran Donaghy (Kerry) - are in contention for awards this year, a sizeable contingent compared to the three who made it from the 2005 team on to last year's nominations list.
None of last year's All-Ireland finalists Mayo have been included - they received six 12 months ago - a reflection of the difficult season that the county and their new manager John O'Mahony endured in 2007.
Similarly, after a few years of close correlation between league and championship form, last season's first-time NFL winners Donegal receive only one nomination.
Fourteen of last year's nominations' list make it back for another shot at the awards: Cluxton, M Ó Sé, Lacey, Canty, O'Mahony, N Murphy, D Ó Sé, Whelan, Galvin, A Brogan, Donaghy, Cooper, Masters and Bradley.
Eighteen of the 45 nominations have already won awards: Stephen Cluxton, Diarmuid Murphy, Marc Ó Sé, Darren Fay, Conor Gormley, Karl Lacey, Tomás Ó Sé, Aidan O'Mahony, Darragh Ó Sé, Nicholas Murphy, Ciarán Whelan, Paul Galvin, Alan Brogan, Colm Cooper, Kieran Donaghy, James Masters, Seán Cavanagh and Graham Geraghty.
There are already a number of hard calls in prospect due to the provision introduced last year that limits flexibility with the stipulation that nominations have to be arranged according to the lines of the field and that no player can be switched from the line in which he is nominated.
This means that in the full-back line one of Marc Ó Sé, Kevin McCloy, Graham Canty and Conor Gormley will lose out. Centrefield will also be a difficult call with strong candidates in Ciarán Whelan, Darragh Ó Sé and Nicholas Murphy.
Yet, there was some recourse to flexibility with recognition of the strength of candidates in the full-forward line. This has led to Alan Brogan, who played an overwhelming amount of his football on the inside line, being nominated in the half-forwards.
The final selection will be made on October 17th with the awards banquet taking place two days later.
The hurling nominations will be announced today.
All Stars Football Nominations 2007
GOALKEEPER: Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Brendan Murphy (Meath), Diarmuid Murphy (Kerry).
FULL-BACK LINE: Marc Ó Sé (Kerry), Graham Canty (Cork), David Henry (Dublin), Darren Fay (Meath), Dessie Mone (Monaghan), Ross Donovan (Sligo), Kevin McCloy (Derry), Conor Gormley (Tyrone), Karl Lacey (Donegal).
HALF-BACK LINE: Tomás Ó Sé (Kerry), Aidan O'Mahony (Kerry), Killian Young (Kerry), Noel O'Leary (Cork), Barry Cahill (Dublin), Caoimhin King (Meath), Damien Freeman (Monaghan), Gary McQuaid (Monaghan), Michael McNamara (Sligo).
CENTREFIELD: Darragh Ó Sé (Kerry), Nicholas Murphy (Cork), Ciarán Whelan (Dublin), Fergal Doherty (Derry), Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone), Paddy Keenan (Louth).
HALF-FORWARD LINE: Paul Galvin (Kerry), Declan O'Sullivan (Kerry), Alan Brogan (Dublin), Bernard Brogan (Dublin), Stephen Bray (Meath), Anthony Moyles (Meath), Raymond Mulgrew (Tyrone), Nicky Joyce (Galway), John Doyle (Kildare).
FULL-FORWARD LINE: Colm Cooper (Kerry), Kieran Donaghy (Kerry), James Masters (Cork), Donnacha O'Connor (Cork), Michael Cussen (Cork), Mark Vaughan (Dublin), Graham Geraghty (Meath), Thomas Freeman (Monaghan), Paddy Bradley (Derry).
All Stars Selection Committee
Martin Breheny (Irish Independent), Jim O'Sullivan (Irish Examiner), Brian Carthy (RTÉ Radio), Michael Lyster (RTÉ TV), Eamon O'Hara (Irish News), Peter Sweeney (Irish Star), Martan Ó Ciadhra (RnaG), Seán Moran (The Irish Times), Adrian Logan (UTV, unable to attend), Alan Milton (Irish Sun), Keith Duggan (The Irish Times), Colm Keys (Irish Independent), Frank Roche (Evening Herald), Seán McGoldrick (Sunday World).
