Paraic Smith

MANY Wee County supporters probably felt that Paraic Smith’s inter-county time had passed - but how wrong they were as the Dreadnots man emerged as Louth’s leading performer in their run to a second successive promotion in the National Football League.

The popular forward hit the ground running at the start of the Reds’ league campaign when plundering 1-4 in the hugely impressive 12-point rout of Laois away from home and went on to score an impressive 1-13 from seven appearances.

That made him a clear second in Louth’s scoring charts behind free-taker Ryan Burns, yet it was Paraic’s play-making contribution which really caught the eye as Colin Kelly’s team earned a shot at Division 2 football next season.