YEAR OF THE ROOKIE From Kerry to Kildare and Monaghan to Mayo, a tidal wave of fresh talent is poised to light up the football summer
THEY will start out this summer as bright young things but, by the season’s end, they will seek to be part of the established roster.
One of the great curiosities of the GAA summer is how the outrageously gifted underage star makes the step up to the big league.
You also get the late developers coming so far from left field that they were never tracked before arriving onto centre stage.
The GAA does not do rookie awards as such; the closest it gets is a young player of the year award — limited to Under 21 players — which is not necessarily the same thing.
That gong was contested by two outrageous talents in Kerry’s David Clifford and Brian Howard last year but who will follow in their footsteps this summer?
Sportsmail ranks 10 of the brightest and best for 2019.
1 MATTHEW RUANE (MAYO)
MORE than the League title, it was the transformative impact which Ruane had on the team that was the biggest prize James Horan gleaned from the competition.
Midfield was an obvious source of concern, given Tom Parson’s absence and Seamie O’Shea’s constant battle for fitness, and yet they finished the spring with the strongest centre-field partnership in the game.
Ruane has the brought the best out of his fellow Breaffy clubman Aidan O’Shea; his mobility providing the perfect foil for the latter’s physical presence, while it has also allowed Diarmuid O’Connor to thrive in the half-forward line.
He has the full skill-set — something that was obvious when he was named man of the match in Mayo’s 2016 All-Ireland Under 21 win over Cork — which he underlined when scoring match-changing goals against Kerry twice this spring.
And he is only going to get better.
2 FIONN McDONAGH (MAYO)
JAMES HORAN’S time as Westport manager will be viewed as well spent on the grounds it gave him a close up view of McDonagh’s potential.
The 21-year-old’s long stride and composure in front of goal saw him mark his debut against Tyrone with a man-of-the-match performance.
Even more impressive, despite his team’s no-show in the defeat by Dublin, was the way he performed that evening.
McDonagh brings a new dimension to the Mayo attack and could have a profound impact by the end of the year.
3 DARA MOYNIHAN (KERRY)
ONE of the Kingdom’s highly rated All-Ireland minor winners but, even so, the manner he has adapted to the senior game will have come as a pleasant surprise to Peter Keane.
One of the reasons Kerry’s half–forward line has lacked balance in recent seasons is that they have not had a player who is as comfortable in the trenches as with ball-in-hand in front of the posts.
Moynihan — and his withdrawal at half-time because of injury only accentuated his value in the League final — is that player.
4 CONOR COX (ROSCOMMON)
HIS transfer from Kerry was unnecessarily complicated but it has proved to be well worth the effort.
One of the late developers — he played seven League games for the Kingdom between 2013 and 2016 before transferring to his father’s home county — he has thrived this spring, scoring 1-25 in six games. That should not come as a surprise given his pedigree — he was top scorer in UCC’s 2014 Sigerson Cup success — and will be one of the first names on Anthony Cunningham’s teamsheet come the Championship.
5 AINTAINE Ó LAOI (GALWAY)
THE latest attacking talent to roll off the Galway production line, O’Laoi brings the pace and trickery which saw him dabble in a semiprofessional soccer career with Galway United.
He has made quite the impression on Kevin Walsh, who started him in the last five League games, during which he racked up 0-9.
He was particularly good against Roscommon, scoring 0-4, and he is almost certain to make his Championship bow this summer.
6 OISIN GALLEN (DONEGAL)
THE 18-year-old has been in sensational form in his last two games, scoring 0-4 against both Kildare and Meath — the latter in Croke Park showing that he is not going to be fazed by the big occasion.
It is no flash in the pan either with Donegal boss Declan Bonner starting him in his last five league games.
With Paddy McBrearty back to full fitness, he is unlikely to start come the Championship but Gallen’s impact from the bench could be critical.
7 JIMMY HYLAND (KILDARE)
THE great Lilywhite hope (right) is still adjusting to life in the senior grade, and one stat neatly underlines the scale of that challenge.
In seven League appearances, Hyland amassed 0-12 — which is just two points more than his tally in last year’s All-Ireland Under 20 win over Mayo.
But this is a special talent; he showed nerve to kick the equalising free in the opening round against Armagh, and sparkled when kicking three from open play in the win over Clare.
And, in Daniel Flynn’s continued absence, he will be given the opportunity to shine on a stage he will hardly be fazed by.
8 STEPHEN O’HANLON (MONAGHAN)
HE made a sensational debut back in January, when, with his very first touch in intercounty football, he outfielded and outsprinted two-time All-Star Jonny Cooper to fire to the back of the net.
It was no freak either, even though his League campaign was disrupted by indiscipline — he was sent off against Mayo — and injury, he continued to dazzle on the pitch, not least against Kerry when he gave Brian Ó Béaglaoich a torrid afternoon.
O’Hanlon’s basketball skills — he has been capped by Ireland — serve him well and he offers something different and dangerous to Monaghan’s inside line.
9 SHANE RYAN (KERRY)
EVER since the retirement of Diarmuid Murphy a decade ago, goalkeeper has been a problem for the Kingdom.
Ryan, who started in the breakthrough minor team of 2014, has long been lined up for the position, but his desire to play outfield for his club Rathmore delayed his promotion.
However, Ryan is clearly Peter Keane’s number one choice – he started in seven of their eight League games – with his longrange kicking an obvious attraction. He can attend to core duties as well as he showed in the League when making two point-blank saves.
10 DARRAGH CANAVAN (TYRONE)
THE only reason he is this far down the list is more a reflection of timing than his talent. After all the pre-season hype, the outrageously gifted son of Peter the Great, saw just 18 minutes of game-time in the League – and that was coming off the bench in the opening round defeat by Kerry.
He is unquestionably one of the most talented players in the game and could be a gamechanging option from the bench — if you want to put a wager on early for young player of the year 2020, Canavan is the man.