Check out my teams, players and games of the year!

IT’S the week of Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even baby Jerry!

In a rare moment of calm after a hectic 2025 we can take a few moments to look back at what has been a hectic year, both on and off the pitch. I won’t bore you with any of my own life stories, we’ll stick entirely to the football in these pages today.

My first thoughts when I look back at 2025? Football came back – and back with a roar. It’s been a long time since we could say it, but by far the most entertainment across the year from the major sports in this country came from Gaelic football, and that applies at both club and inter-county level.

It was not a vintage All-Ireland hurling championship this year, unless you are from Tipperary. The second-half collapse of the Cork hurlers certainly ranks high in my list of sporting disappointments for the year, along with the relegation of Carbery Rangers.

While the All-Ireland championships did provide great entertainment, it ended with familiar champions in our neighbours in Kerry. To their credit, they are a fine team to watch with the Cliffords, Seanie O’Shea and Joe O’Connor in full flow, however the biggest problem with the inter-county game is the lack of variety in the winners of Sam Maguire.

Since our success in 2010, Dublin and Kerry have claimed all but three of the 15 titles since. Three Ulster teams have broken the stranglehold in that time – Donegal in 2012, Tyrone in 2021 and Armagh in 2024, however there are not enough teams outside of the big two and the occasional disruptor from Ulster looking capable of challenging for the biggest prize in our sport.

Traditional contenders like Cork, Meath and to a lesser extent Galway and Mayo, don’t look capable of providing the championship shake-up that so many of us would love to see. I’d love to see a return to the championships of the 1990s when, brilliantly, eight different teams claimed the Sam Maguire, while the likes of Offaly, Clare and Wexford shook up the old hurling world order.

Focusing on Cork, we have stagnated as a mid-table Division 2 team and a championship also-ran. It is 13 years since our last Munster title and All-Ireland semi-final, and few outside the Cork camp will be expecting that to change in 2026. After a mediocre league campaign, Cork almost toppled Kerry in Munster before succumbing after extra-time. One win in the group stages against Roscommon was enough to see Cork qualify for a preliminary quarter-final where another creditable performance against a championship big gun in Dublin fell just short.

The buzzword around Cork football for several years now is consistency, or a perceived lack thereof, but I would argue the opposite. We have been consistent – fourth or fifth in Division 2, scrape through the group stage before being knocked out in the last 12 or 8. We have even been consistent in our perceived inconsistencies – commendable but ultimately unsuccessful efforts against the best (think Kerry, Dublin and Tyrone in recent years).

On the club scene, it was another season of thrills and spills. The club championships in Cork and beyond are truly a consistent joy to behold, with the certainty of games now in late summer and Autumn, combined with the evening out of standards across the grades, providing a multitude of close, exciting contests with outstanding regularity. Some of the county finals in recent years have been exceptional, and playing on the quality surface in Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a huge factor in that.

While it was always a great buzz to play in the old venue, it is now an even better experience given the improvements in the stadium, the dressing-rooms and even the pitch itself. There is nothing wrong with playing big games at this time of year as long as the weather is reasonable and the pitch is good. I’ve said it before, investment in quality pitches and a week or two wiggle room for weather delays will bear rich fruit for the club scene.

In summation, before I get to some of my personal highlights for 2025, it’s been a hugely positive year for Gaelic Football on the whole. The new rules have been a raging success as the game has opened up for attacking players to express themselves once again.

We can argue about plenty, whether it be the split-season, Cork’s best options for 2026 or even foot blocks, but one thing is clear – we have our game back. That is a good year’s work in anyone’s book. Heck, I think most of us are even looking forward to watching more football again in the new year. It’s been a long time since we could say that.

Here are some of my thoughts on the best teams, players and games in Cork over the last 12 months.

TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. St Finbarr’s – Division 1 champions, county champions and a hair’s breadth from a provincial title and place in the top four teams in the country. Hard to argue against those facts for the Cork team of the year.

2. Knocknagree – As for the Barrs above, read Knocknagree for Division 2 Football League and Senior A championship. Given the disparity in playing population and resources and given their rise from junior ranks in Cork over the last decade, I strongly considered the Duhallow men for the top spot. I look forward to watching them against Castlehaven, Clonakilty and Ballincollig next year.

3. Kilmacabea – Division 7 runners-up, achieving promotion in the process, before going one better in both the Carbery and County junior championships. A year to remember for the people of Leap.

St Finbarr's Steven Sherlock kicked 1-13.

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PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. Ian Maguire/Steven Sherlock – The twin totems for St Finbarrs, it’s a toss of a coin as to who is more important for the Blues and I can’t separate them. Sherlock gets the scores and the headlines, but Maguire is the engine. In addition to solid defenders, these two are the primary reason the Barrs have three county titles since 2018.

2. Daniel O’Mahony – One of Cork’s most dependable players and one of the few players willing and able to go toe to toe with David Clifford and win his fair share. Eoghan MacSweeney might be the football brain for Knocknagree, but O’Mahony is the lock in the centre of defence.

3. David Buckley – Barely used by Cork this year, Buckley took his anger out on the club defenders in Cork. His performance, after a quiet opening, against Nemo in the county semi-final nearly brought Newcestown to an unexpected county final. We are looking forward to seeing more of David Buckley in 2026.

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GAME OF THE YEAR

1. St Finbarr’s vs An Daingean – A football thriller in the home of hurling (Thurles) to put an exclamation point on the success of Gaelic Football 2.0. The scores taken by Sherlock and the Geaneys were top drawer, while Mark O’Connor and Ian Maguire had a duel to savour at midfield. Add in the late drama and controversy, and it’s a heady mix. The Barrs, though, will still be kicking themselves.

2. Ballinora vs Ilen Rovers (x2) – Two county (intermediate A) final classics to add to the expanding collection in Cork in recent years, the pendulum swung one way to the other time and again in both games. Ballinora prevailed with a very late goal in extra-time of the replay when Rovers finally thought they had it in their grasp. Joy and despair, the epitome of sport as it is intended to be.

3. Newcestown vs Nemo Rangers – The county senior semi-final also went to extra-time, and this time it was the West Cork outfit who had cause for regret. Nemo looked to have way too much for the semi-final debutants in the early stages, before Buckely, Luke Meade and Co roared into the game. Newcestown outscored the kings of Cork football 14 points to one over a glorious 30-minute spell, before a couple of goals for Nemo and a lack of execution and composure with late chances cost Newcestown a famous win.

2026 has a lot to live up to on the football front. Happy Xmas and happy new year to all.