As passionate a hurling man as you could meet, former Rossa, Belfast clubman Mickey McCullough enjoyed a successful playing career before turning to coaching and management. A year of much success for Ulster hurling counties gives him plenty to ponder in his 2020 Irish News Ulster All-Star selections...
1 Stephen Keith (Down)
Ballycran's Stephen Keith has proven himself consistently over the last number of years to be the best keeper in the province.
Combining great reflexes with a bullet like puck out that more often than not sets Down on the attack.
This was capped by Christy Ring Cup semi-final heroics in a penalty shoot-out where he saved three and then scored the decisive one to send Down to another Ring final.
2 John McManus (Down)
John McManus has been one of the top hurlers in Ulster for some time.
This year, McManus operated between midfield and corner back.
But it’s in the full-back line he gets selected due to his ability to cover ground, win 50/50 and even 70/30 battles and then show the composure once in possession to come out and use the ball.
McManus would hold his own with any corner back currently in the game. Due to his versatility he can perform a job to a high standard on nearly any line on the pitch.
3 Caolan Taggart (Down)
Caolan Taggart edges out a very unlucky Matthew Donnelly simply because he consistently delivered high-class performances every time he stepped on the pitch.
Taggart was outstanding in every one of Down's games.
Solid, dependable, great reader of the game and terrific use of the ball.
Never allows the forward to win it clean and never wastes a ball in possession.
Scored vital penalty in the shoot-out to send Down to the Christy Ring final.
4 Stevie Rooney (Antrim)
Stevie Rooney went about his work in a quiet effective manner.
Nothing was last-ditch as he had read the situations so well and more often than not was out in front of his man.
Rooney’s aggression and strength saw him get the better of all opponents and his use of the ball improved as the competition went on.
His presence and willingness to get out in front provided confidence to his half back line allowing them to attack the ball knowing Rooney was protecting in behind.
A very solid year.
5 Gerard Walsh (Antrim)
Gerard Walsh has matured into a certain starter for Antrim this year.
Walsh often picked up opposition danger men.
While his main job was closing them down he was also the launch pad for many Antrim attacks as well as registering from play himself in games.
Strong in the air and extremely athletic Walsh was able to cover huge distances during games and simply out-worked his opponents.
Terrific striking ability was a huge benefit to the Antrim forward line as the delivery was always of a high standard.
6 Paddy Burke (Antrim)
Paddy Burke was the fulcrum Antrim built everything around.
Reading ability allowed him to drop and sweep in his own defence providing the out ball more often than not.
Aided both wing backs when they pushed forward while protecting his full-back line constantly.
Burke also provided an attacking edge from half-back providing much of the ammunition for the Antrim forwards to work off.
7 Joe Boyle (Donegal)
Joe Boyle has everything a coach would want in a half-back.
Aggressive in the air, strong in possession and a fantastic engine to support his defensive team-mates.
Joe’s use of the ball set Donegal on the front foot constantly throughout their Nicky Rackard campaign.
Boyle even popped up with 1-1 in the Nicky Rackard final that helped swing the game in their favour.
8 Danny Cullen (Donegal)
Danny Cullen went about his work in the middle of the park with quiet efficiency, always on hand to break up the opposition or link Donegal’s attacks.
Cullen mixed game intelligence with a real knack of being in the right place at the right time.
Strong under the dropping ball and extremely clever in possession.
Cullen gets the nod over some of the other midfielders due to his habit of registering key scores at vital times such as his three points in the Nicky Rackard final.
9 Keelan Molloy (Antrim)
Keelan Molloy was a constant thorn in opposition sides throughout the year despite carrying an injury.
A live-wire player that timed his attacking runs to perfection.
Often arriving on to the last pass to get the score, he left opposition defenders completely confused as to whether to press on him or sit off.
Nine points from play throughout the championship is testament to his attacking prowess.
A fully-fit Molloy will be a test for any midfielder in Division 1 next year.
10 Niall McKenna (Antrim)
Niall McKenna added much needed strength and power to Antrim’s half-forward line.
A great hand made him a viable puck out option but it was driving at defences where McKenna was most damaging to the opposition.
His ability to attract defenders in while off-loading for colleagues to score became a very potent weapon in the Antrim armoury.
A total of 1-10 contributed from play during the campaign is no poor return from the Sarsfields man.
11 Pearse Og McCrickard (Down)
Pearse Og McCrickard provided a constant outlet for Down the whole way through the Christy Ring competition.
McCrickard roamed from centre forward to great effect, constantly getting on possession to either get on the score sheet himself or set up team-mates for scores.
He hit four points in the final including an incredible sideline, marking the Liatroim man out as an extremely influential player in the Down attack.
12 Michael Bradley (Antrim)
Michael Bradley’s willingness to play a team game was a vital factor in Antrim’s march to Joe McDonagh Cup glory.
The versatility in Bradley’s game has been overlooked in the past but he is currently flourishing in this current set up.
Scoring 0-8 against Meath was sacrificed for a foraging, ball-winning, space-creating performance in the final.
That allowed other forwards to shine but it was in no small part to the work undertaken out the field by the St John’s man.
13 Ciaren Clarke (Antrim)
Ciaren Clarke was arguably the stand out attacker on show this year.
Antrim have missed him in previous campaigns but he returned with a bang this year to help them secure a first ever Joe McDonagh Cup triumph.
Registering 4-47 over the five games will surely have him a marked man on Antrim’s return to the top level.
But with ability like the Ballycastle man has there is no doubt he will be able to handle it.
14 Conor McCann (Antrim)
Conor McCann was a colossus for Antrim this year.
The captain led from the front all year with some crucial goals at vital times.
His physical presence brought a whole new dimension to the Antrim forward line that allowed some of their smaller faster forwards room to express themselves.
The captain still did his fair share on the score board too with 4-10 to his name throughout the competition.
15 Declan Coulter (Donegal)
Declan Coulter was the scoring hero for Donegal when they needed.
Nine points in the final was a huge contributing factor in Donegal turning Mayo's lead around and coming out on top.
While age may now be playing a part in Coulter’s playing minutes he is still the go-to-man for scores when chips are down.
Oisin McManus very unfortunate to miss out here also deserves a mention.
