The All-Ireland U21 football championship is a gem.
We’re not fans of the GAA plans to get rid of it, and especially because the games and players we have seen over the last 15 years have been exceptional.
The competition is still the best launching pad for a senior inter-county career, and ahead of this weekend’s All-Ireland semi-finals where Monaghan face Cork and Mayo play Dublin, we’ve taken a look back at eight players who made it big at U21 and followed it up at senior level.
Tyrone 2000 – Stephen O’Neill/Owen Mulligan
Tyrone’s golden generation was only halted by Dublin in 2003 from a triple header of All-Ireland titles, but greater things were to come from the young men of the Red Hand.
O’Neill and Mulligan were the finishers in a team that also contained the likes of Kevin Hughes, Philip Jordan, and the late, and greatly missed, Cormac McAnallen.
Without a doubt one of the best ever U21 football sides, many of the team would go on to lift three All-Ireland senior titles in the subsequent years.
Galway 2002 – Kieran Fitzgerald
Unusually, Fitzgerald had claimed an All-Ireland senior title in 2001 before adding the U21 crown in 2002, but was integral to both.
The Corofin club man benefited from the guidance of John O’Mahony at both grades, and along with Joe Bergin, and the two Comer brothers, the defender would go on to become a club and county legend.
That Galway side’s win was made all the more remarkable considering the star-studded Dublin side they overcame in that 2002 decider.
Dublin 2003 – Alan Brogan
This Tommy Lyons side may have endured heartbreak to Galway in 2002, but they saw off Tyrone by five points the following season thanks to players who would go on to become household names in the capital and beyond.
Captain Alan Brogan was ably assisted by Conal Keaney and Declan O’Mahony, and would have expected to taste more All-Ireland glory with a Dublin team bridging a 39-year gap at U21 level in 2003.
However, it would be a full eight years until he would add to his All-Ireland medal collection, winning the All-Ireland in 2011 and being crowned Footballer of the Year.
Mayo 2006 – Keith Higgins
The U21 captain ended Mayo’s 23 year wait for an All-Ireland title in 2006, as the Connacht champions beat Cork by two points in Ennis.
Higgins gave a wonderful disciplined display in Cusack Park against a formidable Cork outfit, and at least ten of the successful team went on played senior football for Mayo at some in the intervening years such as Seamus O’Shea, Ger Cafferkey, Enda Varley and Michael Conroy.
Ten years on, Higgins is still waiting to add to his All-Ireland tally despite several near-misses.
Cork 2007 – Colm O’Neill
Success may have dried up at this grade in recent years, but Cork still lead the roll of honour with 11 titles, one ahead of Kerry, with the 2007 success being one of their most famous.
The team was backboned with players who would lift the senior All-Ireland title in 2010, with chief score getter Colm O’Neill proving crucial against a determined Laois outfit who led for long spells in the All-Ireland final
His late goal got Cork back into the game and he finished with 1-1. Daniel Goulding scored 1-6 of his team’s total, but O’Neill, despite several injuries, he has gone to become a more accomplished finisher at senior level.
Kerry 2008 – David Moran
Being the son of a Kerry legend brings its own pressure, but Moran has broad shoulders. The Kerins O’Rahilly’s man was a key member of the Kingdom side that ended a U21 famine in 2008, as he scored 0-2 in the final victory over Kildare in Thurles.
A few months later and Moran would make his senior debut as a late sub in an All-Ireland semi-final clash with Cork, famously putting his hand up for a kick-out just moments after coming on, and setting up a game-winning goal for Colm Cooper.
That 2008 team also contained future senior All-Ireland winners in Killian Young, Shane Enright, Killian Young, Johnny Buckley and Tommy Walsh.
Dublin 2012 – Ciaran Kilkenny
Jim Gavin made his name as Dublin boss at U21 level and the 2012 title would be followed by further success in 2014.
Kilkenny started the 2012 decider as a corner-forward, and scored 0-4 in the success against Roscommon with team-mates that included future senior stars Paul Mannion, Jack McCaffrey and Mark Schutte.
Injury in 2014 robbed him of an entire season, but the break perhaps may have done him some good, as he looks sharper than ever in a half-forward role under Gavin and is looking for a third senior All-Ireland title this summer.
