Peter Canavan: Six All-Stars

PETER Canavan is widely recognised as one of the greatest footballers of all-time and won six All-Stars in his career. He won three of those awards in successive years during the mid-nineties, when he was the most lethal full-forward in the country. In the twilight of his career, he was almost as good, winning further awards in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Some people questioned his selection in 2005, but at the same time, he probably would’ve won further individual honours only for Tyrone’s dip in fortunes in the late nineties.

Sean Cavanagh: Five All-Stars

IT’S a testament to Sean Cavanagh’s durability that he was still winning All-Star awards after many of his former All-Ireland winning colleagues had hung up the boots, winning his fifth and final award in 2013. Cavanagh was a hugely versatile player as well, winning three of his awards in midfield and two in the half-forward line as well. A rampaging attacking player, Cavanagh was only 20 years old when he won his first All-Star award in 2003. It’s also worth noting that he won the Player of the Year trophy in 2008, and there wasn’t exactly much debate about the decision either.

Philip Jordan: Four All-Stars

YET another Tyrone legend, Philip Jordan won four All-Stars between 2003 and 2010. He was an incredibly consistent wing half-back who always delivered on the biggest days, putting in especially impressive performances in the All-Ireland finals in 2005 and 2008. Injuries took his toll as he called it a day in 2011, but he won a fourth All-Star in his penultimate year in county colours, 2010. Arguably the finest half-back of his generation – though Kerry fans would say Tomás Ó Sé had the edge. It’s a close one, though.

Brian Dooher: Three All-Stars

BRIAN Dooher was already a Tyrone icon before managing the side to All-Ireland success alongside Feargal Logan this year. The Clann na nGael man won All-Star awards in 2003, 2005 and 2008 and memories of his all-action performances are still fresh in the memory – his first-half point against Kerry in the 2008 final is recognised as one of the greatest scores of all time, and he was also integral to the county’s maiden success in 2003. His sheer work-rate was unsurpassed, but he also had high skill levels – points with the outside of his boot were a particularly speciality.

Stephen O’Neill: Three All-Stars

TYRONE’S attacking wizard Stephen O’Neill won three All-Stars in his career. His first was all the way back in 2001, when he picked up an award even though Tyrone bowed out with a hugely disappointing All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Derry. In 2005 he was absolutely out of this world, finishing as the championship’s top scorer by a country mile (you may recall that he kicked 10 points in the Ulster final drawn encounter against Armagh), and he also won the Player of the Year award. He earned a further All-Star in 2009, following excellent displays in the quarter-final and semi-final against Kildare and Cork respectively.

Conor Gormley: Three All-Stars

Conor Gormley was a model of consistency throughout a long and successful career for Tyrone, and won All-Stars in each of Tyrone’s All-Ireland winning years. His block in the closing stages against Armagh in 2003 has gone down in history, but for our money he had possibly his finest season in 2008, negating a number of star forwards on opposition teams as Tyrone claimed their third All-Ireland in six years.

Eugene McKenna: Three All-Stars

PRIOR to the glory days of the noughties, Eugene McKenna was the only Tyrone man with more than one All-Star on the mantelpiece. A talented midfield player, he won his awards in 1984, 1986 (even though he had to leave the All-Ireland final early through injury) and 1989, where Tyrone reached the All-Ireland semi-finals but lost to Mayo. Notably, he won his All-Stars in three different positions: in 1984, it was at midfield, in 1986, when he captained Tyrone in their first All-Ireland final it was at centre forward, and in 1989 he was honoured at full-forward.

Mattie Donnelly: Two All-Stars

FOR sheer commitment alone, Mattie Donnelly was hugely deserving of winning an All-Ireland title with Tyrone. He first came to prominence as a minor star, hitting a late equaliser in the drawn encounter against Mayo in the 2008 All-Ireland final. The dynamic forward has won two All-Stars in his career to date. He picked up his first award in 2015, after giving particularly impressive displays in the Qualifier series, and he added another in 2016. He revealed late last year after Mickey Harte’s departure that his All-Stars are kept in the former Tyrone manager’s home.

Colm Cavanagh: Two All-Stars

CAVANAGH took a while to make a name for himself, but once he did there was no stopping him and he won two All-Stars in a very solid career for Tyrone. Won All-Stars in 2017 and 2018, and they were eminently well-deserved as he was a hugely effective sweeper for Tyrone. He was also an underrated midfielder, and it’s worth mentioning his Ulster Championship semi-final performance against Donegal in 2017, where he was simply phenomenal from start to finish.