NT&DL’s top performers recognised on eve of return to the Oscar Traynor Trophy
By Gary Culbert
Long gone are the days of managers in the North Tipperary & District League being unaware of opposition players. This is largely down to the introduction of the FAI Connect app, which allows everyone and anyone to keep up to date with most junior soccer leagues in the country. But increased media coverage has also played a part, be it in this publication or online.
Whatever the reason, Premier Division managers are now more clued in than ever, so there was no surprise that the same names kept coming up when they were asked to select who the top performers were in the first half of the season. To be named among the top performers in the Premier Division will come at a good time for any players looking to break into the new NT&DL representative squad.
It has been over twenty years since a squad of North Tipp’s best soccer players took part in the Oscar Traynor Trophy – an inter-league competition which sees representative squads from different leagues around the country go head-to-head.
According to the Nenagh Guardian archives, the last involvement of a NT&DL representative squad in the Oscar Traynor Trophy was in December 2004, when North Tipperary were unlucky to leave Limerick empty-handed, going down 1-0 away to tournament favourites Limerick.
The report concludes that “the overall performance of the North Tipp side was very encouraging and great credit must go to team managers Richard Fogarty and Michael Taylor, who put in tremendous work in organising and preparing this team and with better luck might have progressed further”.
The manager of the team back in 2004, Richard Fogarty, had previously played on the team in 1991 and is now the chairperson of the NT&DL committee. At this year’s AGM, he was part of a discussion that the league committee had with clubs about the possibility of the NT&DL forming a representative squad in 2026.
Over the past few years, there had been suggestions from some of the more progressive clubs within the league that the NT&DL should enter a team into the Oscar Traynor Trophy. And so, in November, expressions of interest were sought from clubs to nominate a management team consisting of a head coach and two assistant coaches. It is understood that multiple candidates have expressed interest in coaching the team, leaving the league committee with a decision to make in the new year.
Buy-in from players will be essential if the representative squad is to get off the ground; indeed, there are many logistical and financial hurdles to overcome, but the quality of players is not an issue.
For example, BT Harps Sean Paddy Geurins has recently been called up for Munster trials, with the final squad announcement due in the new year.
Having clinched the Premier Division Shield, made it through to the last 16 of the Munster Junior Cup, and put themselves in a great league position, BT Harps are well represented amongst the top performers from the first half of the 2025/26 season.
Henry Newman called young Cormac Foy up for his debut last season, and he has not looked back since. The fairly unassuming attacker started life in the NT&DL as a wide forward, but was always ghosting from his position to receive the ball, so perhaps there should be no surprise to see Foy lining up in central midfield at times this season, as he can affect the game more from those areas. The youngster has been the standout player so far this season, with his passing range in particular catching the eye on BT’s new bigger pitch.
His teammate, Eanna McBride, has 13 goals in seven games across all competitions this season, making the big striker impossible to leave out.
In terms of impact on a team, the signing of the season has to be Kevin Shinners at Ardcroney; the league leaders simply would not be top at Christmas without the giant of a keeper, whose shot-stopping qualities and commanding vocal presence at the back have helped Ardcroney mount the most unlikely of title challenges.
The Shinrone United duo in the team have lifted the average age considerably, but despite this, both bring incredible athleticism to their respective positions.
At 43 years of age, Michael Cordial continues to outjump opposition players in both defending and attacking situations. At 35, Paul Lake is still one of the most feared wingers in the league and arguably the quickest off the mark in a foot race. Both veterans would bring incredible intensity, passion, and determination to the North Tipperary representative squad.
Rearcross frontman Cillian Kennedy goes about his business nice and quietly; there are no fancy tricks or wild celebrations, but the numbers don’t lie. With nine goals and eight assists in 14 games in all competitions this season, the pacy striker will have one eye on the golden boot in the new year.
Kennedy’s teammate, Paul Nolan, was moved from centre half to centre midfield this season by new manager Paul Graham Carey, and the result is an extremely energetic Rearcross midfield that does not give the opposition any breathing space.
Ballymackey’s Aidan White has promised to be one of the best finishers in the NT&DL for many years, but the numbers never quite matched eye test.
However, this year is a different story, as the 25-year-old has found the net eight times in his last six games, and was one of the most mentioned names from opposition managers during voting.
There have been standout performers within the bottom three, too. Sallypark’s Sean Ryan caught the eye of numerous opposition managers, and his pace in behind would be a great weapon on the counter-attack for the North Tipperary representative squad.
Arra Rovers Jack Moloney has been a shining light in an otherwise debilitating campaign, whilst Callum O’Connor has impressed for Holycross despite multiple defeats.
Whichever management team gets selected to help bring the project forward, one thing is for sure: they will have plenty of late nights trying to decide who, from the three divisions, should be called up to the North Tipperary representative squad.