Ryan McHugh
The Allianz Football League returned this weekend after a three-week break. Which players impressed the most?
Dublin, Kerry, Donegal and Roscommon picked up points in Division I, while Cavan, Kildare and Louth all had good wins in the lower divisions. While there were many strong team displays, there were also some outstanding individual performances and now is your chance to vote for the GAA.ie Player of the Week.
Ryan McHugh (Donegal), Conor McManus (Monaghan) and Ciaráin Murtagh (Roscommon) are the three players nominated this week.
The voting process is simple: retweet the image of your chosen player on the GAA's official Twitter account (@officialgaa) or like their image on the GAA's official Facebook and Instagram pages.
Voting will close at 10am on Tuesday, March 1 and the winner will be announced on GAA.ie.
Ryan McHugh (Donegal)
Still just 21-years-old, Ryan McHugh has already established himself as one of Donegal's most important players. The Kilcar man has had a superb start to the season, and it continued on Sunday in Donegal's win over Mayo in Ballybofey, their third in a row in Division I. McHugh was up and down the field with the same energy as always. He hit two points and found himself regularly in advanced attacking positions, whilst also fulfilling his duties as an extremely hard-working member of Donegal's defence.
Conor McManus
Conor McManus (Monaghan)
Monaghan finished on the losing side at Croke Park on Saturday night against Dublin, but in Conor McManus they had the game's outstanding player. Monaghan came up just short against the All-Ireland champions but McManus did everything in his power to help his side to victory, scoring 0-12, three of which came from play. McManus' magic has become routine, but this display was a cut above. His free-taking was nerveless, while his taste and capacity for scoring for his team when they need it most is perhaps his most appealing attribute. On this form, he's the best forward in Ireland.
Ciarain Murtagh
Ciaráin Murtagh (Roscommon)
After their astonishing 18-point win over Cork, in which they scored 4-25, practically all the Roscommon players could have been nominated here. In the end, we give the nod to Ciaráin Murtagh, who scored 2-3 from centre-half-forward in a classy and commanding performance. Enda Smith, Fintan Cregg, Conor Devaney, Cathal Cregg and plenty of others could have been nominated but Murtagh's cool finishing, combined with his intelligent use of the ball throughout the game, saw him rise above.
Players of the Week are decided based on votes cast by followers of @officialgaa on Twitter, on the Official GAA Facebook Page and on the Official GAA Instagram page
