Cream of the crop
O’Toole and Hughes picked on TOTY
KILTEGAN’S Padraig O’Toole and former Coláiste Bhríde Carnew student Niall Hughes were rewarded for superb showings for IT Carlow in this season’s Sigerson Cup campaign with coveted places on the Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Rising Stars Football Team of the Year announced last week.
O’Toole, a dual player with his club and a current member of the Wicklow senior squad, enjoyed a superb campaign for his college and, indeed, a positive season as a whole across both codes, and although defeat in the final against DCU DÉ was the ultimate result in the Sigerson Cup decider he and Niall Hughes will no doubt look back on the campaign as a memorable and satisfying one where they competed with and more than matches some of the top names of the modern day game and all under the tutelage of the legendary Pat Critchley of Laois.
O’Toole, a former student of Coláiste Eoin in Hacketstown, will very likely meet Niall Hughes on the playing fields over the course of what will hopefully be two very long and distinguished county careers.
Hughes certainly has all the makings of a county man. With the Carnew school and under the guidance of Pat Nolan and subsequently Kevin Morris the Kilanerin man won two senior county titles, a Leinster senior hurling crown, two junior county titles, an under-14 South Leinster ‘C’ title while playing corner-forward and came up short in the Wicklow first-year final and a Leinster under-14 ‘B’ decider.
DCU’s David Garland was revealed as the Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Rising Stars Football Player of the Year. The DCU DÉ forward was also joined by five of his teammates on the Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Rising Stars 2020 Football Team of the Year.
Garland was outstanding throughout DCU DÉ’s journey to Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup glory in 2020. The Donaghmoyne forward scored a total of 1-14 across all games, finishing off with four magnificent points from play and a man of the match performance as he led DCU DÉ to victory in this year’s final over IT Carlow. Garland’s efforts in the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup have resulted in him being recalled to the Monaghan Senior Intercounty panel for 2020.
The country’s top footballing talent was on display during this year’s Higher Education Football season with DCU DÉ claiming their fifth Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup crown while Cork Institute of Technology gained promotion from the Electric Ireland Trench Cup following their victory in the final over Mary Immaculate College.
In this year’s Football Team of the Year, Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup Champions, DCU DÉ lead the way with six Rising Stars while beaten finalists IT Carlow have four representatives on the team. Letterkenny Institute of Technology, who reached the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup Semi-Final for the first time, and UCD have two representatives each. There is also one representative from Electric Ireland Trench Cup Champions, CIT.
Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Rising Stars 2020 Football Team of the Year:
Evan Comerford - DCU DÉ, Ballymun Kickhams, Dublin.
Brendan McCole - DCU DÉ, Naomh Naille, Donegal.
Mike Breen - UCD, Beaufort, Kerry.
Niall Hughes - IT Carlow, Kilanerin-Ballyfad, Wexford.
Ray Connellan - UCD, Athlone, Westmeath.
Jordan Morrissey - DCU DÉ, Éire Óg, Carlow.
Trevor Collins - IT Carlow, Graiguecullen, Laois.
Shane Carthy - DCU DÉ, Naomh Mearnóg, Dublin.
Michael Langan - LYIT, Naomh Mícheál, Donegal.
Padraig O’Toole - IT Carlow, Kiltegan, Wicklow.
Mícheál Bannigan - DCU DÉ, Aughnamullen, Monaghan.
Peadar Morgan - LYIT, Naomh Naille, Donegal.
David Garland - DCU DÉ, Donaghmoyne Fotenoys, Monaghan.
Gavin O’Brien - CIT, Kerins O’Rahillys, Kerry.
Cian Farrell - IT Carlow, Edenderry, Offaly.
Uachtarán CLG, John Horan said: ‘Congratulations to the Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Rising Stars Football Team of the Year 2020 who played such a prominent role in this year’s Higher Education Football season.
‘I would especially like to congratulate David Garland and Shane Kingston who have been named Football Player of the Year and Hurling Player of the Year respectively.
‘It is a tremendous honour to be recognised for your achievements on the pitch and many of these men are the rising stars of our great games.’