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2nd April 2024
01:00pm BST
Derry have won the Allianz National League Division One title, but other counties will feel that they have had successful campaigns purely because of the young talent that they have unearthed.
There is no denying that championship is where it it is at, but how do you know if a young talent is ready for the fever pitch that is knockout football, unless they have been tried and tested? - Well, that's where the league comes in.
Managers would have assessed their last season, mulled it over, highlighted what went well, what didn't, and then identify their weaknesses before setting out to find young talent that could fix this gaps in the team.
In Division One there have been loads of brilliant youngsters that grabbed the opportunity with both hands, however, five in particular stand out above the rest.
After a fantastic season with Trillick, Seanie O'Donnell was deemed to be ready to become a mainstay in the Tyrone team, and his versatility is the reason behind Brian Dooher's decision to do so.
All last season one of the criticisms of Tyrone was that they had no scorers in the half forward line, too many defensive-minded players were occupying that role, and not enough people were chipping in with points to help out the men on the inside.
The problem was that half forward needs to be flying fit, defensively sound, and able to get up and down the pitch, so the role suited O'Donnell perfectly as he is a bundle of energy, a menace when near goal, and more than capable of hounding the opposition.
Half back, half forward, or corner forward, the Trillick trickster has been a great find for the Red Hand county.
Okay, not exactly a young talent, more of a late-bloomer, but a player like Fergal Boland is exactly what Kevin McStay was hoping to unearth in this campaign and he did just that.
Left in the wilderness last year by not even making the panel, Boland went away, focused on his club with both football and hurling, and when the opportunity came to represent Mayo once again, he was more than ready this time.
At centre half forward Boland often pulled the strings for the Connacht side, linking up playing, spraying passes, and more than often chipped in with two or three scores in the process.
You could argue that outside of Ryan O'Donoghue, he was their most important player throughout the league and a wonderful advertisement for players who found themselves on the peripheral of a team as he proved with discipline, hard work, and patience, your time will come again.
The hardest team to break on to is always going to be the reigning All-Ireland champions, because the year before obviously went perfectly, the players on that squad have earned their stripes, and a trust has been built between them and the manager.
However, any good manager knows that to stay on top you need to create competition for places, blood new players in, and at the very least, keep the experienced lads on their toes, and the introduction of Killian McGinnis as a regular will have done that.
The 23-year-old is a big presence in the half forward line, can kick a variety of scores, is physical, fit, well able to track back, and has a no-nonsense style that makes it look like it all comes in his stride.
The biggest compliment that you can give this young man is that if Dublin were to make another All-Ireland final, as things stand, he would definitely have a big role to play in that game, either as a starter or someone who can impact the match from the bench.
Anyone who watched Galway throughout the league campaign would have a heart of stone to not feel a little bit sorry for them, because the amount of injuries that they had was surreal.
Shane Walsh, Damien Comer, Matthew Tierney, Sean Kelly, and multiple other superstars were missing for most of the games, and the lack of firepower up front made it seem like they would be doomed for relegation.
However, when problems arise, so do opportunities, and the young full forward Cillian O Curraoin was given a chance he maybe wouldn't have got if the likes of Walsh and Comer were available, and it was a chance that he grabbed.
An excellent free kick taker, the former u20 star wasn't phased in the slightest about taking dead-ball responsibilities, and he grew in stature as the league progressed, even kicking eight points against Dublin, a feat that not too many have achieved.
If all of their stars do return for the Connacht championship, and O Curraoin is relegated to the bench, what an asset he will be to bring on when games are in the melting pot, but we wouldn't be surprised if he keeps that starting jersey throughout the summer.
Derry have been a coming force in recent years, but it was clear to see that their weakness was a lack of squad depth up front, and an over reliance on Shane McGuigan to get the scores.
Thankfully for the Oakleafers, Mickey Harte has addressed this problem by bringing on the likes of Cormac Murphy, and Lachlan Murray, but one area of the pitch that didn't look weak at all was the full back line.
So for Diarmuid Baker to not only break into that line during the McKenna Cup and then proceed to play every single game in the league in that position, is so impressive, and he deserves huge credit for doing so.
The Steelstown man has been a rock at the back, and definitely the find of the league as he played a hugely important role in helping Derry become Division One champions.
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