When Armagh wrapped up their league campaign with an important win over Derry, to stay in Division 1, they started just seven of their All-Ireland final winning team. Injuries will, of course, clear up but Rian O’Neill is out for the season and opportunity is generally knocking for Orchard County panellists.
Kieran McGeeney clearly fancies McMullen to make the step up this summer because he used the Madden man twice as a substitute in last year’s championship, against Down and Derry. Naturally fit and athletic, the 2022 and 2023 Armagh U-20 was one of four players to start all seven of Armagh’s Division 1 ties this term.
He scored in four of those games, including goals against Donegal and Derry. His three-pointer against Donegal was a cracker. Tomas McCormack, in his debut season, set that score up with a terrific back-door cut and is another talented rookie, along with Gareth Murphy and current U20 Callum O’Neill.
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2. Theo Clancy (Dublin)
Hands up on this one, the Kilmacud Crokes full-back isn’t exactly a newcomer in blue. But it was only last year that he made his National League debut and he has yet to start a senior Championship game for Dublin. The retirement of Michael Fitzsimons has clearly nudged him up the pecking order. Eoin Murchan hasn’t played for Dublin since Round 1 of this year’s league either.
So Dublin are down to the bare bones at the back. Partly for that reason, and partly because of his immense talent as a full-back, Clancy started every single Division 1 league game for Dublin this season and looks set to make his full Championship debut against Wicklow or Longford on April 13.
He comes to the position with significant top level experience as an All-Ireland club SFC winner with Crokes, in 2023. He also started two Leinster club final wins.
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3. Dylan Byrne (Monaghan)
For a tiny county, Monaghan have a habit of maxing out their potential and mining out gems. Byrne, an Ulster U20 semi-finalist with Monaghan in 2023, is the latest big talent to emerge. He starred for Magheracloone last season when they won the Monaghan intermediate championship, breaking hearts as a sticky defender capable of picking off important points too.
But the pace of the left-footer’s development has been a surprise with new manager Gabriel Bannigan surprisingly starting him in every single one of their Division 2 games this season. Remarkably, he wasn’t taken off once.
He capped a brilliant debut campaign with the man-of-the-match award in last Saturday evening’s Division 2 final defeat of Roscommon at Croke Park, snuffing out Ben O’Carroll. “It didn’t feel real at first,” said Byrne of the whole Croke Park experience. We don’t doubt him though he may get used to it.
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4. Dylan Geaney (Kerry)
Kerry aren’t exactly falling down with bright young prospects banging on Jack O’Connor’s door for Championship inclusion. Legion’s Darragh Lyne made his league debut against Dublin in Round 3 and started three games. But when it came to last weekend’s Division 1 final, Geaney, at 22, was the youngest player in Kerry’s team.
An All-Ireland minor winner as far back as 2018, and semi-finalist in 2019, he made his senior championship debut in 2024 but has yet to start in Munster or beyond. It’s a notoriously difficult forward line to break into and his All-Star cousin, Paul, 12 years his senior, is one of those in the way.
But Dylan will be a hard man to leave on the sidelines after starting seven of their eight league games this spring and registering 2-13. Dylan’s brother, Conor, is also vying for a spot and started Kerry’s first three league games.
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5. Callum Bolton (Kildare)
Kildare under Brian Flanagan remain a work in progress. They used 33 players in their Division 3 league campaign and a dozen of those featured in either the 2022 or 2023 All-Ireland U20 finals under Flanagan.
Kildare's Callum Bolton. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Bolton played in the 2023 U-20 final win over Sligo and made his full league debut against Fermanagh in Round 1 this year, scoring two points. He is a powerful presence either at midfield or in the half-forward line and was picked out for special mention by the RTÉ TV analysts last weekend after the Division 3 final.
Kildare lost to Offaly but Bolton’s high fielding and accurate distribution caught the eye. He struck 1-2 in the Sigerson Cup final for UCD and could be the spark that drives Kildare to a Leinster final appearance, securing them Sam Maguire Cup football.
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6. Sam and Jack O’Neill (Galway)
This is moreso a players, plural, to watch segment as siblings Sam and Jack both made their full league debuts for Galway at different stages of this season’s Division 1 campaign. Sam started the Round 1 grudge encounter against Armagh and lined out three more times in attack, while Jack made a solitary start against Tyrone in Round 5, sniping two points.
Galway's Sam O'Neill. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
The pair are St James’ clubmates of Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy and come from good stock – their grandfather Billy O’Neill was an All-Ireland SFC winner in 1956. A 2022 and 2023 U20 with Galway, Sam has been troubled by injuries but is a live option now for Padraic Joyce in attack this summer. Jack previously played twice for Galway in the 2024 FBD League.
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7 young footballers to watch in this summer's All-Ireland senior championship
1. Darragh McMullen (Armagh)
When Armagh wrapped up their league campaign with an important win over Derry, to stay in Division 1, they started just seven of their All-Ireland final winning team. Injuries will, of course, clear up but Rian O’Neill is out for the season and opportunity is generally knocking for Orchard County panellists.
Kieran McGeeney clearly fancies McMullen to make the step up this summer because he used the Madden man twice as a substitute in last year’s championship, against Down and Derry. Naturally fit and athletic, the 2022 and 2023 Armagh U-20 was one of four players to start all seven of Armagh’s Division 1 ties this term.
He scored in four of those games, including goals against Donegal and Derry. His three-pointer against Donegal was a cracker. Tomas McCormack, in his debut season, set that score up with a terrific back-door cut and is another talented rookie, along with Gareth Murphy and current U20 Callum O’Neill.
=====
2. Theo Clancy (Dublin)
Hands up on this one, the Kilmacud Crokes full-back isn’t exactly a newcomer in blue. But it was only last year that he made his National League debut and he has yet to start a senior Championship game for Dublin. The retirement of Michael Fitzsimons has clearly nudged him up the pecking order. Eoin Murchan hasn’t played for Dublin since Round 1 of this year’s league either.
So Dublin are down to the bare bones at the back. Partly for that reason, and partly because of his immense talent as a full-back, Clancy started every single Division 1 league game for Dublin this season and looks set to make his full Championship debut against Wicklow or Longford on April 13.
He comes to the position with significant top level experience as an All-Ireland club SFC winner with Crokes, in 2023. He also started two Leinster club final wins.
=====
3. Dylan Byrne (Monaghan)
For a tiny county, Monaghan have a habit of maxing out their potential and mining out gems. Byrne, an Ulster U20 semi-finalist with Monaghan in 2023, is the latest big talent to emerge. He starred for Magheracloone last season when they won the Monaghan intermediate championship, breaking hearts as a sticky defender capable of picking off important points too.
But the pace of the left-footer’s development has been a surprise with new manager Gabriel Bannigan surprisingly starting him in every single one of their Division 2 games this season. Remarkably, he wasn’t taken off once.
He capped a brilliant debut campaign with the man-of-the-match award in last Saturday evening’s Division 2 final defeat of Roscommon at Croke Park, snuffing out Ben O’Carroll. “It didn’t feel real at first,” said Byrne of the whole Croke Park experience. We don’t doubt him though he may get used to it.
=====
4. Dylan Geaney (Kerry)
Kerry aren’t exactly falling down with bright young prospects banging on Jack O’Connor’s door for Championship inclusion. Legion’s Darragh Lyne made his league debut against Dublin in Round 3 and started three games. But when it came to last weekend’s Division 1 final, Geaney, at 22, was the youngest player in Kerry’s team.
An All-Ireland minor winner as far back as 2018, and semi-finalist in 2019, he made his senior championship debut in 2024 but has yet to start in Munster or beyond. It’s a notoriously difficult forward line to break into and his All-Star cousin, Paul, 12 years his senior, is one of those in the way.
But Dylan will be a hard man to leave on the sidelines after starting seven of their eight league games this spring and registering 2-13. Dylan’s brother, Conor, is also vying for a spot and started Kerry’s first three league games.
=====
5. Callum Bolton (Kildare)
Kildare under Brian Flanagan remain a work in progress. They used 33 players in their Division 3 league campaign and a dozen of those featured in either the 2022 or 2023 All-Ireland U20 finals under Flanagan.
Bolton played in the 2023 U-20 final win over Sligo and made his full league debut against Fermanagh in Round 1 this year, scoring two points. He is a powerful presence either at midfield or in the half-forward line and was picked out for special mention by the RTÉ TV analysts last weekend after the Division 3 final.
Kildare lost to Offaly but Bolton’s high fielding and accurate distribution caught the eye. He struck 1-2 in the Sigerson Cup final for UCD and could be the spark that drives Kildare to a Leinster final appearance, securing them Sam Maguire Cup football.
=====
6. Sam and Jack O’Neill (Galway)
This is moreso a players, plural, to watch segment as siblings Sam and Jack both made their full league debuts for Galway at different stages of this season’s Division 1 campaign. Sam started the Round 1 grudge encounter against Armagh and lined out three more times in attack, while Jack made a solitary start against Tyrone in Round 5, sniping two points.
The pair are St James’ clubmates of Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy and come from good stock – their grandfather Billy O’Neill was an All-Ireland SFC winner in 1956. A 2022 and 2023 U20 with Galway, Sam has been troubled by injuries but is a live option now for Padraic Joyce in attack this summer. Jack previously played twice for Galway in the 2024 FBD League.
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