Unsung heroes: 10 of the most underrated GAA Footballers in Ulster

With just eight teams remaining in the hunt for the Sam Maguire, the debate about who should and should not be included in the All-Stars will gather pace in the coming days.

The Tailteann Cup Team of the Year will also feature several Ulster players with Down set to contest the final for the second year in a row while Antrim fell short at the semi-final stage against Laois.

Not all teams and end the year with silverware and only a handful will walk away with individual honours, but what about the remainder?

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Every team has their stars, some more prominent than others. Yet, there's a cohort of players who still fly below the radar.

Here’s our list of 10 of the most underrated Gaelic Footballers in Ulster at present. . .

Rory Grugan (Armagh)

One of the most talented and, crucially, one of Armagh’s most consistent performers of the Kieran McGeeney era.

Rory Grugan won an All-Ireland Minor title with the Orchard County back in 2009, but success at senior level continues to elude the current squad. At 32, the Ballymacnab clubman won’t have any more chances to win an Ulster title. In sport, you don’t always get what you deserve, but Grugan remains one of the classiest footballers in the province.

Marc Jordan (Antrim)

Antrim fans understand Marc Jordan’s importance to their team and opposition managers are starting to realise it too. In their two meetings this year, Conor Laverty has paid Jordan the ultimate compliment of tasking Ceilum Doherty with man-marking the Lámh Dhearg clubman.

His pace helped set up Ruairi McCann for Antrim’s vital late goal in their recent win over London and he covered every blade of grass at Croke Park last weekend as the Saffrons lost to Laois. Jordan is up there with the best wing-backs in Ulster.

Peter Harte (Tyrone)

Although Peter Harte is a two-time All-Star and an All-Ireland winner, he is perhaps underrated in the sense that he ought to be considered an all-time great within the county.

The Errigal Ciaran clubman was on the 2008 All-Ireland winning minor team and broke through to the senior squad just as the great Tyrone team of the noughties, managed by his uncle Mickey, was breaking up. Harte could have graced any of Tyrone’s previous three All-Ireland-winning teams, but deservedly got his hands on a Celtic Cross in 2021.

Ryan McEvoy (Down)

Like several players on the list, Ryan McEvoy’s importance to his team is overlooked largely because of the position he plays. Now the first choice full-back for Down under Conor Laverty, the Kilcoo ace has been Down’s most consistent performer in a season when they’ve struggled for consistency.

McEvoy is also more than capable of landing big scores. He landed the equaliser in the League clash with Westmeath in Mullingar and also landed two points in the extra-time win over Sligo in last Sunday’s Tailteann Cup semi-final.

Ethan Doherty (Derry)

The 2023 Young Footballer of the Year might not be an obvious pick for an underrated list, but Ethan Doherty is absolutely integral to the Derry team. Conor Glass, Shane McGuigan and Brendan Rogers might get most of the headlines, but Doherty is the one pulling the strings for the Oak Leafers.

His form might have dipped ever so slightly in recent outings and that’s hardly surprising even his exploits for club and county. However, the Glen star returned to his brilliant best as Derry defeated Mayo on penalties last weekend.

Darren Hughes (Monaghan)

An absolute warrior, Darren Hughes has been an amazing servant to Monaghan football for more than a decade. It would be a real shame if a serious knee injury forces his inter-county retirement after he sustained a season-ending medial collateral ligament tear in the Ulster SFC loss to Cavan.

The Scotstown clubman is highly regarded in Ulster GAA circles, but perhaps not so much outside of the province. Yet, few players have delivered on a consistent basis for so long for club and county.

Peadar Mogan (Donegal)

A two-time GAA.ie player of the week, Peadar Mogan is well on course for a first All-Star award and beginning to make a real name for himself.

Even when Donegal have struggled for consistency in recent campaigns, Mogan has been outstanding.

Seems to have taken his game to a new level with the return of Jim McGuinness and is one of the best footballers in Ireland on current form.

Aaron McKay (Armagh)

Armagh have had a tendency to chop and change at their starting 15 with Kieran McGeeney often struggling to name the same 15 for more than a few games running.

However, Aaron McKay has made the number three jersey his own in recent seasons and his reliability in the role has allowed McGeeney to push Aidan Forker further forward.

The Orchard County only conceded two goals, both against Down, in the Ulster Championship and they kept clean sheets against Westmeath, Derry and Galway in the group stages.

Michael McKernan (Tyrone)

Tyrone endured another Championship season to forget following last weekend’s shock exit to Roscommon.

It is hard to pick positives from Tyrone’s 2024 campaign, but the return to form of Michael McKernan is certainly one of them.

Along with Niall Morgan and Darragh Canavan, McKernan was one of Tyrone’s best players and took some wonderful long-range scores in the League and Championship.

Indeed, he was part of an all Coalisland full-back line by the end of the season with Niall Devlin joining McKernan and Padraig Hampsey.

Padraig Faulkner (Cavan)

Cavan’s season might have ended with a disappointing run in the All-Ireland SFC series, but Raymond Galligan’s side had an otherside solid campaign.

A third-placed finish in Division Two and a win over rivals Monaghan in the Ulster Championship leaves plenty to build on for 2025.

During the course of the season Padraig Faulkner demonstrated why he is one of the best defenders in Ulster. He also plundered two classy goals against Monaghan and Tyrone and was also selected on our Ulster Team of the Year for 2024 .

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