This year has been a mixed bag for Ulster hurling, top side Antrim only amassed two wins all year and yet maintained their Liam McCarthy status for next season.
Eslewhere, the lower division finals were peppered with Ulster teams, with Fermanagh winning the Lory Meagher Cup, Donegal winning the Nicky Rackard Cup and Derry making the Christy Ring final but coming up short against Kildare.
Down also impressed this year making it to the Division 2A semi-final but losing to Joe McDonagh cup finalists Laois.
Goalkeeper
Ryan Elliott (Antrim)
The Dunloy ‘keeper may have missed Antrim’s League campaign – but he returned for the Leinster series and offered calmness and composure to the back-line.
Elliott was key to how Antrim initiated attacks with his pinpoint accuracy from short to medium puck-outs.
He’s such a reliable shot-stopper too and he made a crucial save in the make-or-break Championship clash with Carlow two minutes after the restart which enabled Antrim to go on and retain their place in Leinster for 2025.
Undisputed number one in Antrim and in Ulster.
Full-backs
Paddy Burke (Antrim)
In a testing League and Championship campaign, Burke was a leading light for Antrim.
A consummate man-marker with the unerring ability to break forward and grab important scores, inspiring those around him by his actions on the field.
Over the past number of seasons, his insatiable pursuit of excellence has provided the Antrim defence with strong, confident foundations – and new manager Davy Fitzgerald will regard him as an essential element of his Antrim senior team in 2025.
He is a role model for the next generation of hurlers in the county and has some of the best years of his career still ahead of him.
Rory McCloskey (Antrim)
When Antrim were shorn of the established Dunloy players during the league, boss Darren Gleeson needed others to step into the void.
Rory McCloskey was one of them and he grew with each passing game.
Given his form for Loughgiel Shamrocks the previous season made it a no-brainer to throw him into the heart of the Antrim defence.
Even though Antrim’s league was a difficult time for the group, it was the making of McCloskey who quickly nailed down a starting slot at full-back.
Sweeper or man-marker, McCloskey was a man for all seasons.
Gerard Walsh (Antrim)
The O’Donovan Rossa clubman reached remarkably high standards in the Leinster series with Antrim despite missing the entire NHL campaign through injury.
The big defender with the big presence hadn’t played a competitive game since the previous September and was a man-of-the-match contender in Antrim’s brilliant win over Wexford at Corrigan Park.
He chipped in with some important scores that day and posted a couple more in the decisive win over Carlow.
Walsh has got better with each passing year with club and county.
Half-backs
Ryan McGarry (Antrim)
Once upon a time, Antrim’s full-back line was their Achilles heel. But once Ryan McGarry slotted in there two seasons ago, the foundations were dug and the team were much more secure.
He was playing midfield for Dunloy until injuries forced him to drop back to fill the void.
In 2024, McGarry continued where he left off in ‘23 and despite a harsh suspension ruling him out of the Carlow game, he still managed to set a brilliant standard of defending and passing.
Steven McBride (Donegal)
In Donegal, he is regarded as one of the finest defenders in the province.
Tall, strong and mobile, the youthful McBride sets high standards for himself and others.
Despite his relative youth, this member of the Defence Forces is one of Setanta’s real leaders and he also played a huge role in Donegal regaining the Nicky Rackard Cup in Croke Park, playing a starring role in their final win over Mayo.
Looks to have a long and distinguished career in front of him.
Eoghan Campbell (Antrim)
Antrim’s captain was a steadying force all year, whether at midfield or the half-back line.
After playing a key role in Cushendall winning their first county and Ulster titles in five years, as well as coming within a whisker of reaching the All-Ireland final, the Ruairi Og stalwart was his usual dependable self in county colours.
His strength in the air and ability to act as a pressure valve in defence, either to take a pass or find a yard of space and move the ball on, kept Antrim ticking over when they needed it most in 2024.
Midfield
Cormac O’Doherty (Derry)
DERRY went all the way to the Christy Ring Cup final and O’Doherty was their ace in front of the posts.
The Slaughtneil man mixed the role of playmaker with their top marksman and notched 1-89 in all competitions this season.
Of this 1-11 haul in the final, his penalty gave Derry a chance of a comeback before Kildare pulled away again.
His stickwork, vision and accuracy make him one of the top players in Ulster and he has once again been key for his club in both codes.
Niall O’Connor (Antrim)
O’Connor was a versatile cog in Darren Gleeson’s Antrim machine, lining throughout the season in the centre, corner and wings of defence, as well as midfield, where he is honoured with an Irish News Ulster Allstar.
The St Enda’s man started every game of League and Championship for the Saffrons and, apart from the last five minutes of the final League game against Tipperary, didn’t miss a minute of action.
He was particularly impressive in the crucial Leinster Championship win over Carlow when he chipped in with two points.
Half-forwards
Seaan Elliott (Antrim)
Quick, elusive and able to get a shot off from a myriad of launch angles, the Dunloy star picked his moments perfectly to make maximum impact for Antrim in 2024.
His 1-3 from play against Wexford included a couple of mammoth efforts from out the field, as well as Antrim’s second goal to put them ahead in the dying moments of the Corrigan Park clash.
His run through the heart of the Carlow defence ended in a converted penalty and black card, both huge moments as Antrim staved off Championship relegation.
James McNaughton (Antrim)
Antrim won just two matches across the League in Championship in 2024 but both were memorable, crucial victories.
The wins over Wexford and Carlow saw the Saffrons hold onto to their Liam MacCarthy status and both were marked by brilliant, timely, defining contributions from the Loughgiel man.
Against Wexford, he created two goals with scything solo runs, while against Carlow in what was effectively a relegation play-off, he made a goal for Conal Cunning and scored two himself.
The last thing any defence in Ireland wants to see is James McNaughton running at it.
Ruairí Ó Mianáin (Derry)
WHEN Derry won the All-Ireland U20 B title, Ó Mianáin was their magician in attack and it wasn’t long before the senior call came.
While he played in many roles at club level, Oak Leaf manager Johnny McGarvey handed in a role as an inside forward as Derry reshaped their attack.
All but three points of his 3-30 season tally came from play but it’s his hurling brain, speed of thought and pristine touch that make him one of the players to watch for years to come.
Full-forwards
Sean Corrigan (Fermanagh)
An ounce of breeding is worth a ton of feeding.
Sean Corrigan’s uncle Benny, was one of Fermanagh’s most gifted hurlers and his father Kevin and another uncle Aidy Corrigan were Erne stalwarts.
Sean Corrigan has now won three Lory Meagher Cup titles and the modest Lisbellaw man has been one of the county’s greatest ash artists over the past decade.
He played a huge role in this year’s success, scoring 0-4 in the final win over Longford at Croke Park.
Conal Cunning (Antrim)
While a number of his Dunloy club-mates took a break from county hurling for the duration of the League after an arduous 2023 campaign, Cunning lined out in Thurles for the opening match against Limerick at the start of February and was Antrim’s top scorer in 2024.
A superb 1-10 wasn’t quite enough to help Antrim to victory in their best League performance, the one-point loss to Dublin, but Cunning’s 2-7 against Carlow and his seven frees against Wexford did go a huge way to putting the Saffrons in the win column in those two Championship clashes.
Daithí Sands (Down)
After a mixed bag last year when work commitments took him to America for the first few months of the year, Daithi Sands showed once more what how important he is to the Mourne County cause.
Quick, intuitive, inventive and with an eye for goal, the Portaferry forward is Down’s danger man up top - often stepping up when needed most.
That included bagging a spectacular 3-3 against Meath to help Ronan Sheehan’s side secure a place in the Division 2A semi-final, then putting the Royals to the sword again in the Joe McDonagh Cup opener a few weeks later.
An impressive championship came to an end as Down pushed eventual McDonagh Cup champions Offaly all the way in Ballycran - Sands scoring 3-2 against the Faithful in a rip-roaring final group game at McKenna Park.
