Making an early mark

2023 Ethan Doherty

DYNAMIC Derry half-forward Ethan Doherty scooped last year’s Young Footballer of the Year award following an impressive showing all season with the Oakleafers. Doherty, who made his championship debut in 2020, has developed into a mainstay of the Derry team and made a particularly big impact in their run to last year’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kerry, where they gave it plenty but ultimately fell short on the day. Just a few months later, he starred as Glen claimed an unforgettable All-Ireland final win over St Brigid’s.

2014 Ryan McHugh

RYAN McHugh is still going strong for Donegal a full decade after he was unveiled as the Young Footballer of the Year. From footballing royalty in Kilcar, McHugh was drafted into the senior intercounty team ahead of the 2013 season. Donegal suffered something of a post-All-Ireland hangover that season, but they picked themselves up in 2014, making it to another All-Ireland final. They lost a grind of a match against Kerry but McHugh had a brilliant year on a personal level, scoring a 2-2 blitz in Donegal’s shock win over Dublin in a seminal All-Ireland semi-final clash.

2009 Michael Murphy

IT says all that needs to be said about Michael Murphy that he won the Young Footballer of the Year award in 2009 even though Donegal were dumped out at the quarter-final stage that year by a ravenous Cork outfit. Murphy, who had been earmarked for stardom since winning an Ulster minor title in 2006, was already in his third year on the senior set-up by the time 2009 rolled around. He scored 36 points from play in the championship that year, 16 of them from play. This was a period when Donegal football was in the doldrums but it wasn’t long before they were winning all around them in the Jim McGuinness era of 2011-14, with Murphy as captain of the ship.

2005 Aaron Kernan

ARMAGH fans will look back at 2005 and wonder what could’ve been as they missed out on a place in the All-Ireland due to Tyrone’s late, late show at the semi-final stage. They were a seasoned outfit at that stage with experienced All-Ireland winners right across the pitch, but that didn’t stop Crossmaglen star Aaron Kernan from establishing himself as a regular starter on the team. While they didn’t win the big one, they landed National League and Ulster Championship honours and Kernan was named Young Footballer of the Year at the annual awards’ ceremony.

2004 Niall Tinney

FERMANAGH reached the last four of the race for Sam for the first and only time in their history in 2004 and they weren’t exactly far away from going one step further, losing out after a replay to Mayo in a nail-biting All-Ireland semi-final. It was an incredible year to be a Fermanagh supporter and one of their own received the Young Footballer of the Year award, Irvinestown’s Niall Tinney. Then only 19 years of age, the young goalkeeper kept five clean sheets as Fermanagh plotted a path to the semi-finals, including their famous quarter-final win over red hot favourites Armagh.

2003 Sean Cavanagh

SEAN Cavanagh won the Young Footballer of the Year award – and his first All-Star – when he was 20 years old following a spectacular season with All-Ireland champions Tyrone. He won the man of the match award with a trademark performance against Derry in an Ulster Championship quarter-final replay, taking Anthony Tohill for three points from play. He also delivered further down the line in their surge to a first All-Ireland title, scoring a goal against Fermanagh in the last eight and giving Kerry plenty of bother in an era-defining All-Ireland semi-final. He ended his career with five All-Stars to his name and he also won the Footballer of the Year award in 2005.

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2001 Cormac McAnallen

THE late, great Cormac McAnallen was named Young Footballer of the Year in 2001, even though Tyrone’s campaign was cut short by rivals Derry at the quarter-final stage.

The young midfielder had already made a name for himself as a star of the future at that stage and represented Ireland in the International Rules series that year.

Cormac, who captained Tyrone to All-Ireland Minor honours in 1998 and back-to-back All-Ireland U-21 Champions in 2000 and 2001, was hugely commanding in midfield as Tyrone claimed their first Anglo Celt title since the mid-nineties era in 2001.