GAA All-Star Game: Galway’s Conroy wins Footballer of the Year and Shane O’Donnell wins hurling trophy

Galway half-back Paul Conroy was named GAA Footballer of the Year and Clare forward Shane O’Donnell won the Hurler of the Year award.

Conroy beat out teammate John Maher and Armagh All-Ireland winner Barry McCambridge for the football prize.

This is the third time a Galway player has won GAA football’s top individual award after Jarlath Fallon (1998) and Declan Meehan (2001).

Conroy’s success follows confirmation on Thursday that he was one of five All-Star winners behind the All-Ireland runner-up.

All-Ireland winner Oisin Conaty took home the Young Footballer of the Year title ahead of Galway’s Johnny McGrath and Donegal’s Ciaran Moore.

Meanwhile, O’Donnell became the fourth Clare player to win the hurling title after Brian Lohan (1995), Jamesie O’Connor (1997) and Tony Kelly (2013).

The full forward played for Banner County as they won the All-Ireland hurling title for the first time since 2013, beating Cork in an epic final.

O’Donnell beat Cork midfielder Darragh Fitzgibbon and Limerick defender Kyle Hayes to become the first non-Limerick player to win since Tipperary’s Seamus Callanan in 2019.

His teammate Adam Hogan won the Young Hurler of the Year award, ahead of Cork’s Eoin Downey and Limerick’s Cathal O’Neill.

O’Donnell and Hogan are two of six Clare players named in the All-Star Hurling Team of the Season, with losing finalists Cork accounting for five players and Limerick four All-Star players.