Ulster dominate Electric Ireland minor football team of the year

DERRY retained their All-Ireland minor title and beat Armagh in the final. It is the second year in a row two Ulster teams contested the final. Nine players from both counties have been selected.

1- Kacper Robak (Kerry and Dr Crokes)
While Kerry fell just a point short against Derry in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland MFC semi-final, that they remained in the hunt was down in large part to an inspired goalkeeping performance from Robak. Three top-class saves denied Derry goals that might surely have put them out of sight and underlined the quality he had shown throughout the campaign.

2 – Tom Hession (Mayo and Eastern Gaels)
Mayo’s captain, Hession led from the back with maturity and authority than translated into a series of excellent displays. Mayo’s last five matches of the campaign all included clean sheets, with Hession at the forefront of such defensive parsimony.

3 – Ronan Canavan (Derry and Steelstown)
Derry’s second straight Electric Ireland All-Ireland MFC title was based on an all-round effort from a well-balanced team. At the back, they were thankful to Canavan, who scarcely put a foot wrong as the Ulster title was claimed and then coming up with huge interventions when required in the All-Ireland semi-final and final.

4 – Conall Wilson (Armagh and St Peter’s)
With his father David having played for Armagh and his grandfather Mickey representing Down, Wilson’s genes were strong and he showed that the bloodline has carried through impressively. Constantly given important marking roles, he relished them and was just as adept at starting attacks from deep.

5 – Luke Grant (Derry and Greenlough)
Having beaten Armagh in the Electric Ireland Ulster MFC group stage and then again in the provincial final, it looked like being third-time unlucky for Derry when they trailed in the second half of the All-Ireland final. When they needed big moments, they got them, and Grant was to the fore, as he had been all year with his strong running from defence and superb point-scoring ability.

6 – Ben Murphy (Kerry and Austin Stacks)
A member of last year’s team of the year in his first year as a minor, Murphy was again immense, equally adept at midfield as centre-back. His superb performances in ensuring that Kerry retained the Electric Ireland Munster MFC were again of the highest order, not the least the 1-1 in the impressive final win over Cork. In a losing cause against Derry in the semi-final, he never gave less than his all.

7 – Diarmaid O’Rourke (Armagh and Dromintee)
While O’Rourke is a son of Armagh minor manager Aidan, there could be no accusations of nepotism as he shone in practically every game the Orchard County played. The essence of modern half-back play, his energy never ceased as he stopped attacks and created new ones almost in the same movement as well as getting on the end of more than a few scoring moves.

8 – James Sargent (Derry and Lavey)
In 2023, Sargent won an All-Ireland minor medal with Derry and was selected on the team of the year despite still being u-16. Another year on and the haul is the same, along with the privilege of having captained the Oakleaf boys to victory. A model of consistent excellence, Sargent scored a penalty goal in the first half of the All-Ireland final against Armagh and then led the second-half resurgence.

9 – Daithí O’Callaghan (Armagh and Carrickcruppen)
While Armagh might have let their Electric Ireland Ulster MFC defeat to Derry be a fatal blow, they bounced back impressively, seeing off Dublin and Mayo to return to the final. O’Callaghan was superb at midfield throughout the year, never more so than against Mayo, with his all-round performances worthy of a team that came so close to the ultimate glory.

10 – Eamon Young (Derry and Newbridge)
Finishing fourth place in the ranks of the championship’s top scorers with 1-23 shows just how influential Young was and the tally was made all the more impressive by the fact that all but six points came from open play. There was so much more to his game, though, never more seen in that Electric Ireland All-Ireland final fightback against Armagh.

11 – Kobe McDonald (Mayo and Crossmolina)
The son of Mayo legend Ciarán carries two names that could bring pressure with them but he channels that in the typically stylish way that one might expect. The highlight was a dashing display that yielded 1-6 in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland quarter-final win against Cork and he took the fight to Derry in the semi-final despite defeat. Showed his versatility with star turns at midfield, too.

12 – Gearóid White (Kerry and John Mitchels)
Ultra-consistent in the half-forward line for the Electric Ireland Munster MFC winners, White’s performances take on an extra level of praise given the fact he was only aged 15 for the duration of the championship. The maturity beyond his years was clearly visible in the tour de force against Roscommon in the All-Ireland quarter-final and, though Kerry narrowly lost to Derry in the semi-final, White still starred.

13 – Eoin Duffy (Armagh and Culloville)
While Armagh will regret coming up short against Derry in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland MFC final, they were fully deserving of their final spot, hugely impressive in beating Mayo in the semi-final. Duffy was the star turn in a superb full-forward line that day, landing four points, including one mark. A 1-4 haul against Monaghan also showed his class.

14 – Oisín Deane (Mayo and Crossmolina)
Seven games and a personal scoring haul of 4-12, with every single goal and point having come from open play. Deane was Mayo’s dangerman, as 2-3 against Cork in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland MFC quarter-final will attest to, and he still took Armagh’s mean defence for two points in the semi-final defeat.

15 – Dylan Rocks (Derry and Loup)
Often, life in a full-forward line can be about limited bouts of possession, meaning that efficiency is all-important. Dylan Rocks showed that with 1-2 against Tyrone in the Electric Ireland Ulster MFC semi-final and again with 0-3 in the two-point All-Ireland quarter-final win over Dublin. His goal was key in the semi-final against Kerry and, aside from his point in the final against Armagh, he set up the winning goal for his brother Cody.