There will always be some talk of winners and losers when it comes to an All Star selection – such as a Kieran Donaghy, and a Ryan McHugh. It’s all part of the selection process.

So it proves with the 2014 All Star football selection, announced this morning by the GAA/GPA – as Donaghy wins his third award with Kerry, rounding off his perfect fairytale season with the All-Ireland champions. Kerry receive five of the 15 awards in all, after claiming their 37th title.

But McHugh loses out on winning his first award, despite his man-of-the-match displays for Donegal in their Ulster final win over Monaghan, and semi-final win over Dublin, although he was more muted in the final. The beaten All-Ireland finalists still receive four awards, including a second All Star for captain Michael Murphy, who, given his versatility, is accommodated this year in the centre-forward position.

Some consolation

There may, however, be some consolation for McHugh in that he’s nominated for young footballer of the year, that winner being announced live at the All Star banquet in Dublin tomorrow night, along with the 2014 hurling selection, and the other individual winners.

Donaghy – who won his previous two All Stars awards in 2006, and 2008 – must rank as one of the more unlikely winners in recent years, given he played just two and a bit games for Kerry all summer (including extra-time). Yet he helped turn the course of the championship in Kerry’s favour, coming on for the last 10 minutes of the drawn All-Ireland semi-final against Mayo at Croke Park, and setting up James O’Donoghue for his crucial goal, which ultimately helped force the replay date in Limerick.

Then, after starring again in the replay, Donaghy hit a vital 1-2 in the final against Donegal, including his goal in the 52nd minute. Although gifted from Paul Durcan’s misjudged kick out, it effectively turned the game Kerry’s way, denying Donegal any easy way back. No player could be ignored after making an impact like that.

O’Donoghue wins his second successive All Star with Kerry, possibly the least surprising selection given his dazzling displays all summer, and despite being held scoreless in the All-Ireland final, he still ended up with a total scoring tally of 4-24.

Kerry defenders Paul Murphy and Peter Crowley both pick up their first awards, reflecting their rise in maturity and class all summer, as does midfielder David Moran, who joins the short list of father-and-son winners as his father Ogie, who won eight All-Irelands with Kerry, also won an All Star at centre forward, back in 1981.

Midfield pairing

Donegal’s other three winners are Durcan, full back Neil McGee and midfielder Neil Gallagher (that midfield pairing of Moran and Gallagher always looking obvious). Durcan’s goalkeeping mistake in the All-Ireland final certainly proved costly to Donegal, although it’s unlikely they would have got there without him, such was his influence all summer, particularly his kick-outs.

In winning his second award, having also been selected in 2012, Durcan also denied Dublin’s Stephen Cluxton a sixth All Star, as Cluxton was nominated along with Rory Beggan from Monaghan.

Only two other counties get a look in after Kerry and Donegal , both being the beaten All-Ireland semi-finalists. Leinster champions Dublin come away with three awards, in wing back James McCarthy, and wing forwards Paul Flynn and Diarmuid Connolly. For Flynn, it’s a fourth successive award, while it’s a first for both McCarthy, and Connolly, who lost out last year in a half-forward line of Colm Cavanagh, Colm “Gooch” Cooper, and Flynn

Connacht champions Mayo also receive three awards in defenders Keith Higgins and Colm Boyle, and forward Cillian O’Connor. Both Higgins (now on three) and Boyle (now on two) have won before, although it’s a first All Star for O’Connor, the former young footballer of the year, who also ended up as this year’s top championship scorer with his 5-36, and the highest average per game of 8.5 points.

Six of the 2014 football selection are first-time recipients: Murphy, McCarthy, Crowley, Moran, Connolly and O’Connor.

Midfield nomination

Other talk of possible losers might include Aidan O’Mahony, the Kerry veteran certainly enjoying one of his best summers in recent years, and also the Mayo brothers Séamus and Aidan O’Shea.

Séamus was certainly deserving of his midfield nomination, while Aidan, who partnered Dublin’s Michael Darragh Macauley in last season’s midfield, was among the nine half forward nominations, giving his driving role there for Mayo throughout the summer.

But again that’s part of the All Star selection process, which is often like trying to pour a litre of milk into a pint bottle. Once Donegal had Murphy nominated at centre forward, for example, it was clear it would be hard to find room for McHugh as well.

Still, he’s up for the young footballer of the year, along with Shane Walsh from Galway, and his Donegal team mate Paddy McBrearty.

Donegal’s McGee, Dublin’s Connolly and Kerry’s O’Donoghue are vying for footballer of the year, which again will be announced live tomorrow night, when the All Star banquet returns to the Convention Centre.

Those individual awards are voted on by the membership of the GPA, while the team selection is decided by a panel of 15 print, radio and television journalists, chaired by GAA president Liam O’Neill.