The road to Sam: The sharpshooters of the season

Shaun Casey charts the top scorers in this year’s football championship

David Clifford – Kerry (7-50)

For the second season in a row, David Clifford finished the All-Ireland series as the competition’s top scorer. But 2026 may well be remembered for the one the missed, the two-point effort in the All-Ireland final that would have tied the game. Still, even on days when he wasn’t on top, he rattled off a notable score and netted in five games on the trot, including the All-Ireland final.

Ryan O’Donoghue – Mayo (2-56)

O’Donoghue’s season was defined by more than what he posted on the scoresheet, but he was still the go-to man in the Mayo forward line. His manic pressure and work rate in the All-Ireland final provided a performance that will live through the ages but up top, he made it count when the opportunity presented itself.

Steven Sherlock – Cork (0-43)

The king of the two-pointers, Steven Sherlock has excelled under the new rules at both club and county level. Cork will be disappointed with how their year unfolded, losing out in the Munster final to Kerry before exiting the All-Ireland series at the quarter-final juncture, but they did gain promotion to the top tier and Sherlock will be keen to showcase his skills against the best teams in the country.

Con O’Callaghan – Dublin (4-27)

Arguably, O’Callaghan wasn’t full fit throughout the 2026 campaign and yet he carried the fight superbly well for Dublin. It was an up and down year, but they came good towards the business end of the season by reaching the All-Ireland semi-finals and O’Callaghan’s scoring exploits from full-forward were key to that.

Conor Turbitt – Armagh (3-26)

The Clann Éireann ace isn’t always a guaranteed starter for Kieran McGeeney’s men, but one thing is for sure, when he’s on the pitch, he is a huge scoring threat. He finished the championship campaign as Armagh’s top scorer in a season where they ended 18 years of provincial heartache to finally capture the Anglo Celt Cup.

Conor Turbitt up against Paudi McGrogan

Brandon Kelly – Westmeath (4-23)

It was a historic year for Westmeath as they got their hands on the Leinster title for the second time in 22 years, and the second time in their history. Brandon Kelly was the key man up front for Mark McHugh’s men in maroon and their season came to an end in Clones as they lost out to Monaghan.

Cormac Costello – Dublin (0-41)

A rejuvenated Cormac Costello found his shooting boots when the Dubs needed them most. When it came to knockout football, and with Ger Brennan back on the sideline following his lengthy suspension, then Costello really kicked into gear and found the form reminiscent of Dublin’s glory days during Jim Gavin’s tenure.

Diarmuid Murtagh – Roscommon (1-28)

Looking back, Roscommon will probably be disappointed with how their season panned out in the end, but getting their hands on the Connacht title was a huge achievement. They played some absolutely scintillating football and Murtagh was the key to that as he was the one they looked to most of the time to finish off their attacks in style.

Paddy Small – Dublin (2-26)

Like O’Callaghan and Costello above him, Small also clicked into gear when the Dubs narrowed in on the business end of the season. He rattled the net against Donegal to knockout one of the favourites for the Sam Maguire crown and caused Galway plenty of problems in Croke Park at the quarter-final stage as well.

Jack McCarron – Monaghan (1-28)

Jack McCarron’s 2026 highlight reel is a thing of beauty. He played the super sub role in the Ulster Championship, kicking that wonderful sideline point against Derry and pulling Monaghan back from the dead against Armagh. After that, he was in the first team and that proved to be the correct decision by Gabriel Bannigan as the Scotstown sharpshooter tormented opposition defences.

Kobe McDonald – Mayo (1-28)

The boy wonder did it all in his very short stint as an intercounty footballer. With Mayo winning the All-Ireland, McDonald can now sail off into the sunset and enjoy whatever direction his career takes in Australia with the best wishes from not only the people of Mayo, but everyone across Ireland for the joy he brought to the 2026 summer.