Northern lights: Our team of the Ulster SFC

Now that the Ulster Championship has been and gone, Michael McMullan looks at the key men on show. Here is his selection.

1 Ronan Burns (Down)

RONAN who? That’s what most people outside Down were asking when the u-20 ‘keeper stepped into the number one jersey. Hailed by manager Conor Laverty as the best shot stopper he’s ever seen, he paid him back with some brilliant saves over Down’s two games. A massive future.

2 Michael McKernan (Tyrone)

THE Coalisland man has been one of Tyrone’s most consistent performers and he carried his league form into Ulster. Showed both sides of his game against Cavan. When Armagh backed them into a corner, McKernan was one of their two-point men to shoot them into a winning position.

3 Brendan McCole (Donegal)

IN a team full of attacking defenders, McCole is Donegal’s pot of gold. A man you can task with marking anyone. A touch tight defender, he has got himself into even better shape this season and has been pulled outfield. Won some vital kick-outs in the final and made a telling interception in extra-time, seconds after being down with cramp.

4 Paddy Burns (Armagh)

GEEZER missed his ace marker against Antrim with illness but he shot back in for the Tyrone game. Straight in on Darragh Canavan who he held as well as anyone. Put straight onto McBrearty in the final before being moved across when Gallen was taking aim before keeping a lid on him too.

5 Ross McQuillan (Armagh)

LAST year’s impact man is now one of Armagh’s best, consistent and most important players. He has the pace to punch holes. He has kicked vital points and it was his vital interception on Darragh Canavan that stamped Armagh’s ticket for the final. He tore up the final too.

6 Ciarán Moore (Donegal)

MOORE’S goal changed the direction of the final, but he about so much more. Plucked from club football after Jim McGuinness noticed how he sniffs out danger. He ticks a lot of boxes. A kick-out target against Derry. Slotted into a central role when McGonagle was out. And can kick points. Every team needs a Ciarán Moore.

7 Jarly Óg Burns (Armagh)

YOU could cut and paste McQuillan’s entry here. His performance in the final was excellent. Involved in everything that led to Armagh’s two goal chances. A kick-out target. Won the ball that let to the winner against Tyrone and even followed physio advice to recover back in his own half to allow Ethan Rafferty to play a hand in the winning point.

8 Michael Langan (Donegal)

THE big St Michael’s man was in brilliant form last year and timed his run back from injury to pull Donegal’s campaign into shape. Four monster points against Monaghan and again vital in the Down win. Kicked two points in the final but made the two key scored. Moore’s goal and Niall O’Donnell’s winner.

9 Ciarán Thompson (Donegal) – PLAYER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP

WHEN he boomed over those two-point scores in the final, Armagh were always chasing the game from then on. A monster under kick-outs all season and was even back digging his side out in decent. Hearing the amount of instructions McGuinness directs at him from the line tells of his importance. A massive championship. His all-round game edges player of the competition from Dáire Ó Baoill. A tight call.

10 Dáire Ó Baoill (Donegal)

HE had the final kick of the championship, that thumped ball on the buzzer. His two-pointers broke Derry and he has been a consistent thorn in most teams. While he may have had a quiet final, his input when he came back in was vital. The composure to turn down a pot shot to make Niall O’Donnell’s equaliser at the end of half time in extra-time in the final was just what they needed.

11 Andrew Murnin (Armagh)

THE man managers in the country would love to have in their team. He always chips in with a score and was a major link in the middle third when Armagh were short some of their key men. The kick-out be won in the Tyrone game summed him up. The same with the first one of the final. A brilliant leap. The ideal full-forward in a kicking game if Armagh could afford to leave him in there.

12 Eugene Branagan (Down)

DOWN’S game is all about energy and the Kilcoo running machine ticked that box in Down’s two games. Looked to be the man tagging Peadar Mogan at stages of the Donegal game, yet got through for scores. His deft kick-pass made the goal chance they failed to take. His incisive play was kept Down ticking in their Brewster Park win.

13 Oisin Conaty (Armagh)

A GREAT man for finals. If last summer’s All-Ireland performance was great, then this was even letter. Kicked 0-6 and unlucky not to add another. The right man to get hands on the leather when Armagh needed a score to force extra time. The fact he was forced off was another factor in Armagh not ended their Ulster famine. The player of the final.

14 Michael Murphy (Donegal)

HE didn’t come back for a spin on the bus or for more Donegal gear. Murphy was back to win. His performances in Ulster tell you why McGuinness was on the blower. He is a kick-out target when Doengal are ever under the pump. He is superbly accurate and kicks points when points need kicked. Then there is the vision to link everything together. The shape he has got himself into is a credit. Age is only a number.

15 Darren McCurry (Tyrone)

ONE of the hardest working players away from team training and you can see it. Accurate. Strong. Agile. His form in Tyrone’s games was right out of the top drawer and Malachy O’Rourke will hope he is only getting started. A defender’s nightmare and still one of the top forwards in the game.