Feature: Ulster’s front foot

Michael McMullan looks at the top scoring Ulster players from play across league and championship. Here is the team…

1 Niall Morgan (Tyrone)

MORGAN’S role as an outfield player with his club Edendork again raises the question if he could be a permanent fixture outfield for his county. An all-rounder, Morgan was level on 0-14 points with Antrim’s Michael Byrne but gets the nod with three points from play.

2 Niall Devlin (Tyrone)

WHEN Tyrone assemble their pieces for 2025, Devlin will be one of the big plus points from their 2022 All-Ireland u-20 winning team. He cemented a place in the senior side and managed to score 2-7 from play despite having a tough time off the field with the loss of his brother.

3 Eoin McEvoy (Derry)

MISSED a chunk of the season through injury but backed up his breakthrough season to make himself one of the key players in the Derry plan. His 3-4 tally squeezes clubmate Conor McCluskey out of the selection by the narrowest of margins.

4 Ceilum Doherty (Down)

THE Kilcoo man missed half of Down’s championship season but his 2-7 from the rest of the season was enough to secure a place in here. A forward by trade, he has been transferred into an attacking defender under Conor Laverty and will be a key player as they prepare for the Sam Maguire Cup next season.

5 Ryan McHugh (Donegal)

SMALL in stature but huge in impact. McHugh hit 1-13 for Donegal this season as the player who started many of their attacks. Often sitting back, he’d pick up a break in defence before piling up the centre to get on the end of things. One of their keys.

6 Daniel Guinness (Down)

THE fifth top scorer from play in this side, with 4-20, speaks volumes for how Conor Laverty set Down up. Guinness wore number six but popped up everywhere they needed as a link from defence to attack. It gave Down an extra weapon that needed watched.

7 Peadar Mogan (Donegal)

THE St Naul’s man picked up a host of individual awards as he led Donegal to team honours this season. He kicked 0-21 as Jim McGuinness handed him the role of attacking teams from deep. The fact Galway held him scoreless tells how much mileage they placed in him.

8 Michael Langan (Donegal)

PULLED Donegal to the shoulders of this year’s All-Ireland final with four points in the All-Ireland semi-final when they were in deep trouble. He hit 1-4 in the McKenna Cup before adding 16 points from play as Donegal secured promotion and the Ulster title.

9 Odhrán Murdock (Down)

THE Burren man tucked away three penalties but his 3-13 from play tells why Conor Laverty used him up front on occasions. He was everywhere in the Tailteann Cup final, winning ball in defence, linking the play and topping it off with three points.

10 Oisín Conaty (Armagh)

THIS time last year, Conaty was an unknown but is now one of the seasons why Armagh are back in an All-Ireland final day. His pace is electrifying and gives them a different dimension. All of his 0-29 came from open play but also put in a big performance tagging Ryan McHugh in the Ulster final.

11 Liam Kerr (Down)

PACE. That’s what Down tormented teams with this year and Liam Kerr was one of their key men with 2-20 to show for it from play. Used as an impact sub that nearly toppled Armagh in Ulster before turning on the heat in the Tailteann Cup.

12 Shane McGuigan (Derry)

McGUIGAN has scored 32 per cent of Derry’s tally. Only Ryan O’Donoghue, Sam Mulroy and Paddy Lynch figure higher in terms of reliance and the new Derry manager will need to find him more help. The Sleacht Néill man featured in every game with 1-32 from play as well as working elsewhere for the team.

13 Oisín Gallen (Donegal)

GALLEN has arrived as Donegal’s marquee forward and has the makings of being one of the county’s all-time sharpshooters. His 2-28 from play came from playing in every one of his side’s games in a season that ended just last weekend.

14 Darragh Canavan (Tyrone)

TYRONE may have made a premature exit but Canavan almost dragged the Red Hands out of the mire against Roscommon. His balance, passing, vision and footballing brain makes him an ideal playmaker but his finishing gives Tyrone the option of playing up top where he has amassed 3-28 from open play.

15 Conor Turbitt (Armagh)

THE Clann Éireann man has been shooting the lights out as Armagh came back from their Ulster final disappointment to book a place on the biggest Sunday of the year with 4-24 to his name from play. ‘Turbo’ burst through to finish the insurance score against Kerry. Hard to see him not named as an All-Star.