The Nationalist's Team of the Senior Football Championship
Rathvilly won the Nationalist Cup this year and dominate the Team of the Championship
It was Rathvilly who emerged as the winners but who were the individuals that caught the eye during the Michael Lyng Motors Senior Football Championship? Kieran Murphy is the man with the difficult task of narrowing it down to a team of 15.
The county has a surplus of good goalkeepers with little to choose between them. It wasn’t Éire Óg’s year but their goalkeeper, Johnny Furey, had a good championship. It has become the norm now across the country for the net-minder to come forward and Furey continues to give options to his colleagues.
While much of the focus comes on the scoring feats of his colleagues, this defender brings another dimension to his game. As well as doing his job well in defence he comes forward and attacks space which gives his forwards scoring opportunities.
He is definitely not the traditional style of defender where man-marking was once paramount but he loves to get forward as his goal against Éire Óg in the semi-final showed. He is still the type of defender who gets back quickly to shut out danger when the ball is lost.
He is not a player who gets the attention which others further up the field receive but he is very much part of the team who gives nothing away easily. Rathvilly have some high-scoring players but the corner back ensures that any score which the opposition gets is hard-earned.
A year for the ages for the Rathvilly captain. He is as tough as they come and completely solid in the centre of the defence. He leads by example, inspires those around him and was a popular recipient of the Nationalist Cup as his side beat Palatine in the replayed Carlow senior football final.
Someone has to wear them he says but the numbers 3 and 7 mean nothing for the talented and speedy ball carrier who inflicted damage on all opposition teams. His contribution of 3-6 from attacking from deep was huge for Rathvilly this year.
Just as he did last year, the right-half back attacked with aplomb again in 2024. He scored 2-4 in the championship and was very much part of an Old Leighlin team whose strength was hitting the opposition with speed on the turnover.
Two moments on the club scene stand out this year for the Carlow intercounty player. Against Old Leighlin in the semi-final he ran at the defence and buried the ball in the back of the net. In the replayed final, in a similar situation, he went forward but this time off-loaded to his team-mate, Kevin Murphy, who duly found the net. Iconic moments on the club scene for a player who is an automatic selection for club and county.
He may not be the force he once was but his contribution to the club is massive. He scored eight points in the championship but it is his ball fetching and off-loads which contributed so much to Rathvilly’s success this season.
If he can do it with such success at intercounty level then his club are only going to benefit. The Old Leighlin man may wear the number 11 jersey but he seems to patrol between the two 45 metre lines and when he gets the ball in space, he is unstoppable. He scored 3-7 in four championship games with some of his scores right out of the top drawer.
He may have only scored 1-5 in five championship games but he was one of Éire Óg’s key players this year. Used as a play-maker, it was an entirely different role for a player who has been a renowned forward for club and county this year. While Palatine edged them in the semi-final, he carried out his duties well and would be an automatic selection on any team in the county.
He is a former Man of the Match winner in a county senior final and this year the Palatine man who has had a couple of subdued years, pulled the strings for his club this season. He scored 1-16 in the championship and when nerves and guts were needed he knocked over match-winning scores particularly against Éire Óg in the semi-final.
The intercounty player scored 1-15 in the championship this year and was well-nigh unmarkable. The opposition knew he was a player to be watched and even then last year’s Player of the Year proved a handful for all defenders.
His total of 5-23 in the championship tells it all. He was unstoppable and was an automatic Man of the Match in the county final replay where he amassed 2-6 over the hour against Palatine. His two goals were classic strikes of a player who exuded confidence this year and his club benefitted.
His club may have disappointed at times but the forward scored 1-16 and was very much the go-to person with Bagenalstown Gaels. With his scoring ability, he lifted players around him and led the attack as if he had been doing it all his life.
Niall Quinlan of Éire Óg showed tremendous bottle when converting the winning penalty against Mount Leinster Rangers in the quarter-final. With limited appearances he scored 2-5 for his club. Old Leighlin’s Cathal Coughlan had an excellent season and as well as scoring 1-16 he showed tremendous leadership on the field. His younger team-mates, Sean Taylor and Darragh Fitzgerald had good seasons and are still learning their trade.
Oisin Doyle and Aaron Kelly scored 1-6 and 1-5 respectively for Clonmore and did all they could to keep their club out of the relegation play-off. It wasn’t to be but these are young players and should be around for quite some time.
Palatines Conor Doherty and Finbarr Kavanagh had super championships as did Brandon Kelly in Rathvilly.
The speed of Jamie Clarke from Bagenalstown Gaels threatens to open up opposition defences and his contribution of 2-4 was hard earned and fully deserved.
