It came as no surprise when Galway’s Paul Conroy was announced as PwC Footballer of the Year for 2024 at the All-Stars awards banquet held in the RDS, Dublin last Friday, November 1.
Paul scored 2-16 in the 2024 championship, and his long-range point taking was a highlight of the summer for many Galway supporters.
Acknowledged as one of the country’s leading footballers over the last decade, the St James’s clubman made his debut for Galway sixteen years ago, in 2008. Indeed, he played in Galway’s victory over Derry in the previous year’s All-Ireland minor final. Seventeen seasons is a long inter-county career by any standards and all Galwegians were relieved to hear Paul commit to another year in the maroon and white for 2025. Could a long awaited 2025 All-Ireland senior medal crown a career which will have seen Paul play senior football for his county for half of his entire life?
His 2024 season was capped by a superb All-Ireland final performance when he scored three spectacular points, only to see his All-Ireland dream denied by Armagh in a closely fought final.
The thirty-five-year-old school teacher has had to wait a long time for his first All-Star, but it is all the sweeter when accompanied by the ultimate individual player accolade. It was also the first All-Star for the St James’s club.
Paul’s teammate, John Maher (Salthill-Knocknacarra ) was also on the three man shortlist for Footballer of the Year, along with Armagh’s Barry McCambridge.
Three other Galwaymen received their first All-Stars, Dylan McHugh (Corofin ), Johnny McGrath (Caherlistrane ) and Rob Finnerty (Salthill-Knocknacarra ), to cap a very successful night for the Tribesmen.
