By Daragh Ó Conchúir

The West was awake at Croke Park on Saturday night – and into the early hours of Sunday morning too – as Galway left the PwC Camogie All-Stars with eight individual awards as well as the PwC GPA Senior Player of the Year award in Aoife Donohue; while Cathal Murray scooped the Manager of the Year award.

Thirteen of the All-Stars went the way of the teams that provided one of the greatest All-Ireland finals in living memory, with Cork’s gallant bid to secure a famous three-in-a-row recognised by the naming of five of their personnel on the team of the year.

The two remaining awards went the way of the beaten semi-finalists, with former PwC GPA Player of the Year, Beth Carton of Waterford, picking up her fifth gong at centre-forward; and Tipp’s inspirational defender Mairéad Eviston making the walk to the stage for the first time having been selected at wing-back.

The indomitable Donohue was named PwC GPA Player of the Year for the second time, having previously earned the prestigious honour when Galway last won the All-Ireland in 2021. She secured her sixth All-Star, this time at midfield.

Murray was selected as PwC Manager of the Year for the third occasion, having become Galway’s most successful camogie manager ever by leading the westerners to a third All-Ireland senior title, and also stewarding the county to the inaugural U23A Championship.

Murray’s words gave a real insight into how Galway managed to bounce back from agonising defeat to Cork in the previous year’s All-Ireland final, despite losing another former POTY in Niamh Kilkenny, as well as Niamh Hanniffy, Áine Keane, and Niamh McPeake through either unavailability or injury.

He has been an ever-present since being appointed at the end of the 2018 National League campaign and has overseen unprecedented success while continuing to freshen up the squad. But he does not need any freshening up himself, insisting that he could not see himself anywhere else.

“The memories you have from it after the game and walking back into Clarinbridge, they will live for us forever,” Murray said of the homecoming the day after August’s All-Ireland final.

“Both teams in the final deserve huge credit. Cork were unbelievable champions and to be a puck of the ball away from winning three-in-a-row shows how good they are.

“The match itself has got such great recognition and rightly so. It was probably the best game of the four [senior GAA] finals this year and to come out on top of a game like that is really special.

“I’m really proud of the girls and the way they performed and as a manager, that’s what you want, for your players to go out and perform like that in an All-Ireland final.

“I’m really lucky to be involved in such a special group, backroom team, management and players, it’s really special.

“They just want the best. They challenge themselves all the time, they challenge us. I think this group have turned up on the big days. It’s very seldom, maybe one or two occasions in the last six or seven years, where we haven’t turned up as a team.

“We talked this year about making the right decisions coming down the track, having that composure, getting the scores that mattered and [captain] Carrie Dolan led by example with that free in the last minute.

“I struggle to see where I’d get to be in a better job than with Galway camogie. We’ve been up in Croke Park 14, 15 times in the last six or seven years. We’ve won three All-Irelands and three National Leagues. People always talk about the next step. I don’t see a next step. This is the best job I’ll ever have and I’m very lucky to have it.”

As if to emphasise the point, Donohue stressed the collective over the individual.

“I’m incredibly lucky and grateful to be part of a brilliant group of players with Galway camogie and I wouldn’t be up here only for them,” said Donohue, the 32-years-old school teacher who was Player of the Match in the All-Ireland final and has been a defiant and inspirational presence in the maroon jersey for more than a decade.

Donohue was joined on the podium by Dervla Higgins, who achieved a rare feat for a corner-back generally tasked with marking duties by being nominated for POTY honours.

The Athenry star picked up her second All-Star and was joined in the other corner by Shauna Healy, who made a spectacular return to the line-up this year after giving birth.

Healy was winning her fifth All-Star. Other Galwegians returning to the team were goalkeeper Sarah Healy (goalkeeper, 3rd award), Ailish O’Reilly (wing-forward, 6th), and Niamh Mallon (corner-forward, 2nd), but it was a first for Ciara Hickey, named at centre-back.

PwC Camogie All-Stars: Sarah Healy (Galway), Shauna Healy (Galway), Libby Coppinger (Cork), Dervla Higgins (Galway), Mairéad Eviston (Tipperary), Ciara Hickey (Galway), Laura Hayes (Cork), Aoife Donohue (Galway), Ashling Thompson (Cork), Saoirse McCarthy (Cork), Beth Carton (Waterford), Ailish O’Reilly (Galway), Niamh Mallon (Galway), Carrie Dolan (Galway), Amy O’Connor (Cork).

Senior Player of the Year: Aoife Donohue (Galway).

Manager of the Year: Cathal Murray (Galway).

Pictured: The eight Galway winners at the PwC Camogie All-Star Awards in Croke Park last weekend, from left: Ciara Hickey, Niamh Mallon, Shauna Healy, Dervla Higgins, Sarah Healy, Aoife Donohue, Carrie Dolan, and Ailish O’Reilly. Photos: INPHO/Dan Clohessy.