Spring Stars: 2022 Football Team of the League

Colm Cooper and Colm O'Rourke pick the best footballers of the 2022 Allianz Football League campaign where nine counties are represented in the starting XV.

There is a player each from Tyrone, Limerick, Derry, Galway, Roscommon and Louth, a pair of Armagh representatives, three from Mayo and four from Division 1 champions Kerry.

The pundits give honourable mentions to Keith Beirne (Leitrim), Tom O'Sullivan (Kerry), Brian Stack (Roscommon), Gearóid McKiernan (Cavan) and Shane McGuigan (Derry), but here is the team they settled on.

1 Niall Morgan (Tyrone)

Colm O'Rourke: Behind a Tyrone defence that has been a bit shakier than normal, still as good as ever.

2 Lee Keegan (Mayo)

Colm O’Rourke: Lee Keegan had a great campaign, if not as prominent in the final

3 Jason Foley (Kerry)

Colm O’Rourke: Probably the most improved back of the year. Hadn’t a great year in 2021, but his man-marking duties this year have been fantastic.

4 Iain Corbett (Limerick)

Colm O’Rourke: We have taken liberties with Iain Corbett who is normally a centre-back. Has had a great year with Limerick and we put him in the corner because he has been so good.

5 Conor Glass (Derry)

Colm Cooper: He’s been brilliant since he came back from Australia, a revelation. A versatile player, can play in the middle of the field, we have selected him at wing-back.

6 Tadhg Morley (Kerry)

Colm Cooper: He has been a real find for Jack O’Connor at centre-back and has shored up a suspect Kerry defence.

7 Jarlath Og Burns (Armagh)

Colm Cooper: A versatile operator who can play in the middle of the field. A very strong carrier of the ball and has been really good for Armagh in Division 1.

8 Matthew Ruane (Mayo)

Colm Cooper: He’s had a very good league campaign, on the scoresheet every day for