NIAMH Mallon has become the first Ulster player in 15 years to make the PwC Camogie All-Star team, announced at a Gala Dinner in Croke Park at the weekend.
The awards were first presented in 2004 to mark the centenary of the Camogie Association and Liatroim Fontenoys forward Máirín McAleenan made the initial team.
She was followed in 2007 by Derry’s Aisling Diamond, with Antrim’s Jane Adams slotting into the 2008 team. Another Derry player, Gráinne McGoldrick, made the cut in 2009.
Mallon, like all those mentioned, has been a prolific scoring forward who has been a regular on the Down inter-county team since making her debut in 2011, when she picked up one of the Soaring Stars awards, introduced that year to recognise players operating below the senior inter-county championship.
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Mallon picked up further Soaring Star awards in 2012 and in 2014, when Down collected the All-Ireland junior title. When the county reached the 2018 All-Ireland intermediate final, her scoring feats were once more highlighted with an intermediate award. Two years later she was intermediate Player of the Year after Down’s first All-Ireland win in 22 years.
An All-Star nomination followed for her in Down’s first season back in the O’Duffy Cup in 2021. Despite some eye-catching scoring over the next two seasons, however, she was overlooked for a nomination.
This season, following her transfer to Galway, she has continued her scoring feats, in the maroon jersey this time, and hit 1-21 over five games as Galway finished runners-up in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior title race last month. Some of those points were top drawer, while the goal was a superb individual effort in the Connacht side’s semi-final single-point win over Tipperary.
Cork, helped by a stand-out performance off the bench from Mallon’s former Down team-mate Sorcha McCartan, defeated Galway by three points in the All-Ireland final in August.
There is no surprise that the Leesiders picked up eight awards at the weekend, with Laura Hayes crowned the PwC GPA
Camogie Senior Player of the Year.
Including Mallon, Galway took five All-Stars, with Tipperary captain Karen Kennedy and Dublin’s defensive ace Claire Gannon completing the team.
Kilkenny’s Danielle Morrissey was named the PwC GPA Camogie Intermediate Player of the Year, while Laois’s Clodagh Tynan took the PwC GPA Camogie Premier Junior Player of the Year gong.
Cork’s Ger Manley was named PwC Camogie Manager of the Year. Manley was appointed in November, 2023 and helped the county to their 30th All-Ireland senior camogie title, their second-in -a-row.
PwC Camogie All-Star team
Goalkeeper Amy Lee (Cork)
Full-backs Dervla Higgins (Galway), Roisin Black (Galway), Pamela Mackey (Cork)
Half-backs Laura Hayes (Cork), Laura Treacy (Cork), Claire Gannon (Dublin); Midfielders Ashling Thompson (Cork), Aoife Donohue (Galway)
Half-forwards Saoirse McCarthy (Cork), Karen Kennedy (Tipperary), Carrie Dolan (Galway)
Full-forwards Niamh Mallon (Galway), Katrina Mackey (Cork), Amy O’Connor (Cork)
