North Tipperary & District League Team of the Season 2025/26

By Gary Culbert

With the dust having finally settled on a captivating title race in the NT&DL Premier Division, and with BT Harps’ quadruple celebrations now complete, it is time to look back on the season that was in 2025/26, and to celebrate the top performers and their clubs.

Kuba Beben – BT Harps

Having joined Harps from St Michael’s at the start of the season, Kuba Beben solved a big problem for the team.

Beben will also be recognised as the signing of the season. Another member of the goalkeeper’s union - Kevin Shinnors - had been a contender for that title for much of the season, but the commanding presence – both vocally and physically - which Beben brought to Harps, paired with big moments in big games, ensured that the goalkeeper position was the easiest decision in the entire team.

Beben’s heroics in goal during the Premier Cup semi-final ensured that Harps had a shot at the quadruple instead of a treble. He was unbeatable that night in Rearcross, but there were many other key moments throughout the season where the big man needed all of his 6’2” frame to deny the opposition. One of these moments came in the Tipperary Cup final when he extended a huge right hand to deny Aidan White a certain goal, which would have forced extra time. Another came in Shinrone on the final day of the season to deny Rian McLoughlin an opening goal on the counter-attack.

Jack Kennedy – BT Harps

Despite Jack Kennedy’s successes this season, detractors of BT Harps will state that anyone could look good beside the captain of Munster, however, whenever Kennedy was without his usual centre half pairing, he always stepped up to the mark, often putting in player of the match displays. One such example of this came in the aforementioned Premier Cup semi-final away to Rearcross, where the smaller in stature of the two centre halves stood up to be counted.

Sean Paddy Guerins – BT Harps

It would be almost impossible to overstate the influence that Sean Paddy Guerins has had not only on raising the standards at BT Harps, but also in raising the standards of the entire NT&DL.

Aside from his endless defensive qualities - such as unrivalled arial dominance, rapid recovery pace, and great positional awareness in organising both himself and his teammates – Guerins dictates play from centre half, often deciding the point of attack for BT Harps through long, pin-point cross-field diagonals over the opposition defence.

With eight goals in all competitions, scoring direct from free kicks or getting on the end of set-pieces, the skipper has come up with big goals in big games to help Harps over the line. A perfect example being when the Templemore side travelled to Moneygall in the Premier Cup having been defeated by Billy Hayes young physical side in all of their last three meetings. Guerins has since admitted that prior to the game, Harps “didn’t know how to get around beating Moneygall,” but he single handedly provided the solution that day, scoring two headers from corners in a 2-0 win.

The former Treaty United and St Michael’s man has also single handedly brought the profile of the league up through his captaining of Munster to FAI Amateur Inter-Provincial glory in March. The 31-year-old’s performances on the field and how he carries himself off of it are top class; he wins the right way, setting a good example for the many younger players in the Harps squad.

Dylan Hogan - Moneygall

Having conceded only eight goals across the entire league campaign of 16 games, Moneygall’s mean defence simply had to be represented.

A large part of their effectiveness at locking teams out was the fact that Moneygall conceded no goals from set-pieces in their league campaign, with Dylan Hogan’s height and arial ability proving key to clearing the danger posed from corners, free kicks, and long throws alike.

However, despite there being clear rationale for the inclusion of all three of the aforementioned centre halves, it will raise a few eyebrows that Michael Cordial has not made the cut, especially considering there are no Shinrone United players in the team.

In the end there was only a hair’s breadth between Cordial and Hogan, and in truth it could have gone either way.

Sean Purcell – BT Harps

The most improved player of the season is without a doubt. The attacking full-back started the season with a bang, scoring two goals in the shield to nail down his place in the starting eleven. Purcell shines when the pressure is on; he is a big game player.

With his slight frame, slick playstyle, and even slicker hair, opposition forwards might think that they could bully the young full-back. However, when you run into Sean Purcell, you might just come out the worse for wear, as Cian Galvin quickly found out in the Premier Cup final.

As adept in defence as attack, the 19-year-old is certainly in the running for young player of the year. To have a Premier Division quadruple at a young age is the stuff that dreams are made of, and it would not have been possible for the return of head coach Johnny Coleman to the club two years ago.

Purcell might not have known it at the time, but he had a big part to play in Coleman’s return, as the head coach explained: “I was out of soccer for a good few years with my back, I had spinal surgery and had gone away from even watching games. I’ll always remember the first game I went to after 2 years out. I saw Sean Purcell running down the right wing and scoring a goal, the hair stood up on the back of my neck and I thought, yeah, I’d like a bit of this. That was the turning point for me to get back involved in soccer.”

Paul Molloy - Ardcroney

The inclusion of Ardcroney winger Paul Molloy will come as a surprise for some, but those who have watched Ardcroney over the course of the season – particularly in big games - will be well aware that this youngster does not back down easily.

Having plied his trade with Ardcroney ‘B,’ Molloy’s promotion to the ‘A’ team was not always a certainty. However, it quickly became clear this season that Paul Molloy had the mental attributes of a top player; he loves to be aggressive and get in the face of his opponent, mostly keeping the right side of the referee.

It was well documented throughout the season that Ardcroney struggled to score from open play, but despite the drought, with Molloy on the wing there was always a pacy threat down the left flank. The challenge next season for Molloy, and indeed Ardcroney, is adding more goals to their game.

Dean Lawlor – BT Harps

Having joined BT Harps in the January transfer window, Dean Lawlor only took part in half of the season, which makes his inclusion in the Team of the Season all the more impressive.

Lawlor slowly forced himself into Henry Newman’s plans and by March his beastly physical presence was a constant feature at the base of the quadruple winning club’s midfield.

The 24-year-old proved impossible to beat in the air, meaning opposition goal kicks were sent right back the way they came. But Lawlor’s positive traits are not simply limited to his intimidating size; it would be an injustice to gloss over the midfielder’s ability on the ball.

Overall, many will point to the signing of Lawlor as a turning point in Harps season and one of the main reasons that they finally got the better of Moneygall at the fourth time of asking, in the Premier Cup.

Cathal Delaney - Ballymackey

When it comes to physicality, there aren’t many who can match Cathal Delaney who has enjoyed a breakthrough season as Ballymackey’s enforcer at the heart of midfield.

The big man’s most impressive characteristic on the pitch is his ability to take games by the scruff of the neck, inspiring others around him to put their shoulder to the wheel. Delaney’s passion and drive will surely be traits that Henry Newman will look to harness in the NT&DL Oscar Traynor squad.

Cormac Foy – BT Harps

At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Henry Newman gave a chance to an unknown, unassuming kid in attacking midfield for BT Harps. On the surface, Cormac Foy looked too slight and too quiet to make it in the NT&DL – surely, he would drop out of the side as the season progressed?

Foy would not only stay in the team, but he would go on to become one of the most feared players in the NT&DL. He still goes about his work quietly and without any showboating, dictating play and notching up countless assists, but this season he has added relentless pressing and physicality to his game. A perfect example of this was when the 20-year-old came out on top in the physical exchanges with Matthew Moyles during a top of the table clash in November against Ardcroney.

The young attacking midfielder has also come up with crucial goals in big games this season, often slipping free during set piece situations to find the net, with his equaliser in March against Ardcroney proving absolutely priceless when all was said and done.

Eanna McBride – BT Harps

This has been a breakout season for BT’s first choice number nine. Compared to the previous season, the 26-year-old has tripled his scoring output in the league, netting 19 goals in 13 games.

His inclusion in the Team of the Season however was not a straightforward decision due to the fact that a large proportion of his goals came against the relegation threatened sides. In the end though, McBride’s 26 goals in 17 games across all competitions saw the big striker make the cut.

Aidan White - Ballymackey

The Golden Boot winner with 32 goals in all competitions completes the 2025/26 Team of the Season. The fact that White has been so prolific in a mid-table side is even more impressive. Throughout the season the 26-year-old has turned half chances into emphatic goals. He was unlucky to end the season without picking up silverware with Ballymackey, however, his goalscoring exploits have not gone unnoticed around the county, not least of which from the management of the new NT&DL Oscar Traynor management team.