Football All Star nominations: In recognition of their first All-Ireland success, Tyrone have received 14 Vodafone football All Star nominations.

However, this year's beaten finalists, Armagh, are not far behind with nine of their players named.

Significantly, 13 of Tyrone's starting line-up from the final were selected, while Stephen O'Neill's huge impact off the bench in the latter rounds has been acknowledged. Goalkeeper John Devine and Gavin Devlin are the two omitted.

O'Neill came in for the injured Peter Canavan in the semi-final after just 14 minutes and kicked three points. Then, in the final, Mickey Harte introduced him just before half-time for Brian McGuigan and he duly landed two late scores, including the final point that left a goal between the sides. This isn't a new stage for the 22-year-old as he picked up an All Star in 2001.

Canavan is in line for his fifth award after being selected three years in a row from 1994-96 and again last year. Considering he topped the championship scoring charts, with 1-47, and was an inspirational leader throughout the campaign he will be a strong contender when the names are announced, live on RTÉ, at the All Star banquet on November 28th.

As expected, Ulster players dominate the list, with 28 of the 45 players. Just seven of last year's All Star team have been re-nominated, with six returning Ulster players, four from Armagh, and Dublin full back Paddy Christie.

Despite a large Armagh contingent, one notable absentee is Oisín McConville, a recipient in 2003. His absence has been offset by the presence of the Orchid county's most outstanding forward this year, Steven McDonnell.

McDonnell had a tremendous campaign which included an impressive 3-4 against Limerick in the quarter-final, before he tipped the scales with a well-taken goal against Donegal in the semi-final.

It's hardly a surprise that just one Kerry player, Tomás Ó Sé, has been named. The Munster champions can't have too many gripes over the poor representation, as their highly regarded forward line didn't live up to its potential this year. The only premier-level opposition they faced were Tyrone, when ultimately the star turns failed to shine.

The other defeated semi-finalists, Donegal, have been rewarded for a successful year with four selections, including a second successive nomination for Kevin Cassidy.

Some excellent performances in the qualifiers and against Armagh in the semi-final may well see the Gweedore clubman pick up another All Star.

Laois are the county with the third highest number of players, six, after they bridged a 57-year gap by winning the Leinster title. However, such is the stiff level of competition that whether these nominations transfer into All Stars is another matter.

Still, they will be expected to get some return, with Tom Kelly a strong contender for the centre-back berth, while two from Ross Munnelly, Pádraig Clancy, Fergal Byron and Joe Higgins have a decent chance of making the cut.

Despite a disappointing year, Galway still produced three players: captain Kevin Walsh and the Meehan brothers, Declan and Michael - the second set of brothers named alongside Donegal's Raymond and Adrian Sweeney.

The other county-by-county breakdown sees Roscommon with two, while Kildare, Tipperary, Dublin, Fermanagh, Offaly and Limerick all have one player included.

Of the minnows, big performances from Roscommon's Frankie Dolan and Muiris Gavin of Limerick would have been key factors in their selection.

Gavin put a dent in Cork's year with nine points in the opening round of the Munster championship, while Dolan's feat of 13 points against Kildare, including an injury-time equaliser in the fourth-round qualifier last July, helped ease the western men into the quarter-finals.

Despite these two stand-out displays, after a summer when so many of the country's top forwards hit the high notes, the scrap for the six forward positions will be the hardest to call. Canavan and McDonnell appear to have sown up two of the full-forward line slots, leaving only four positions left and plenty to debate over the coming weeks.