The National Football League has once again thrown up plenty of standout performers across all four divisions, with players from every corner of the country making their mark over the past few months.
Picking a Team of the League is never straightforward, but to make things a little more interesting, there’s one key rule here: only one player per county is allowed.
That means no stacking the side with stars from the top teams and the promoted sides.
With that in mind, here is a one-per-county Team of the 2026 National Football League.
1. Mark Jackson (Wicklow)
With fifteen minutes to go in the final round of Division 4 Wicklow led Longford by 10 points and looked certainties for promotion. A late comeback from Longford managed to wrestle promotion back from OisÃn McConville’s side but Mark Jackson’s performances should not be forgotten. He remarkably finished the campaign as Wicklow’s top scorer with 0-31 to his credit and in this year’s league and pre-season has sixteen two-pointers (credit to @thenumbersgael on Twitter) setting him well ahead of any other contender. A truly unique weapon in goal.
2. Dara Curran (Carlow)
Carlow started the league with 4 wins from 4 and despite a little wobble near the end they emphatically dispatched Leitrim on the final day to secure promotion. Rathvilly’s Dara Curran was a rock in the full-back line starting every game and featuring prominently in them all. Capable of playing in the full-back line and the half-back line he offers Carlow manager Joe Murphy a level of versatility that makes him one of the first names on this team.
3. Dermot Campbell (Louth)
One of the unsung heroes of this Louth team. Campbell always does his job with a minimal level of fuss and never attracts any undue attention to himself. Really played his part as Louth narrowly missed out on promotion to Division 1. Will have some big jobs ahead of him in this year’s championship if Louth are to go back to back in Leinster and if he keeps this form up they’ll have a chance.
4. Finbarr Roarty (Donegal)
A player that looks wise beyond his years. Roarty was excellent last year but seems to have added a scoring element to his game which makes him a problem for teams going the other way now. His running power and ability to glide up the field on Donegal’s fast breaks is a sight to behold. A nightmare for any opposition forward and hard to believe he’s still eligible to play U20 football.
5. Dessie Reynolds (Longford)
A stalwart of Longford football with over 100 appearances for the county. Reynolds was excellent throughout Longford’s promotion campaign kicking numerous valuable scores and setting up lots of attacks. The Seán Connollys player scored 1-15 across his 7 starts as Longford broke Wicklow hearts on the final day to set up a league final meeting with Carlow. A player more than capable of lining out in Division 3 and higher.
6. Dessie Ward (Monaghan)
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Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan spoke often of how depleted his side were and how tough they were finding it in Division 1 but one of his men stood out way above his other players. Ballybay’s Dessie Ward was nominated for an All-Star in 2025 and he continued on his form, as he did his best 2010/11 Scott Parker impression trying to drag Monaghan out of relegation trouble. A neatly taken goal against Galway and 0-4 from play against Dublin were the highlights but he proved a good man in a storm as Monaghan suffered a swift relegation to Division 2.
7. Matthew Whittaker (Westmeath)
Westmeath, like Wicklow snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in round 7 of Division 3 but Whittaker’s form throughout the campaign will have given manager Mark McHugh a lot of heart. An attacking wing-back from Tubberclair, the TUS Midlands student has given excellent performances at U20 level for Westmeath and at Sigerson level already and really came of age in this league. 1-12 from play across seven games is a very tidy return and we can expect plenty more from him.
8. Odhran Murdock (Down)
Odhran Murdock is just really good at football, he wins kickouts, he kicks scores, he sets up his teammates and he is a monster of a man. Pound for pound he is one of the best midfielders in the country and deserves to be back in Division 2 with Down. A lot of what is good about Conor Laverty’s side stems from this man and it’s easy to forget he is only 23 years of age. Plenty more room to grow for the man from The Burren.
9. Niall Hughes (Wexford)
Wexford were the surprise packet of the National League. Recently promoted from Division 4, nobody gave them a chance of being in the promotion race and they arguably gave us the moment of the league when Seán Ryan found the net with 30 seconds to go to defeat Westmeath. Central to this promotion run was towering midfielder Niall Hughes, fetching ball at midfield, chipping in with scores and driving forward at every opportunity. One to watch in this weekend’s league finals.
10. Jordan Flynn (Mayo)
Another really consistent league campaign from Jordan Flynn. He is one of the first names on Andy Moran’s team sheet and always delivers. Almost guarantees at least 0-2 from play every week and loves to kick the ball to his inside line. Brings a level of power and aggression to the middle third of the field that Mayo need and will be extremely important if they are to topple Roscommon and Galway in Connacht. An honourable mention to Down’s Daniel Guinness who only misses out by virtue of the quality shown by his teammate Odhran Murdock.
11. Seán O’Shea (Kerry)
Seán O’Shea is a footballers footballer. He has that old school thickness that great players have, he showed a level of defiance in Kerry’s away defeat to Donegal that reminded people of the ability he possesses. His 2 pointer from the deck against Mayo was a sight to behold but a fantastic campaign overall from the Kenmare Shamrocks man and he is showing signs that he is approaching an extremely elite level that will worry defenders nationwide.
12. OisÃn Conaty (Armagh)
One of the players we probably could have put in the team before the league started. Even when Armagh were struggling in Division 1 Conaty was at his brilliant best and will only get harder to mark when the ground hardens up. His goal against Dublin was a thing of beauty and showed exactly what makes him so tough to mark one on one. Kerry detailed Tom O’Sullivan to mark him in the Athletic Grounds on Sunday and hopefully we get a chance to see those two face off again in the height of summer.
13. Stephen Sherlock (Cork)
A player that is just a joy to watch, possibly the cleanest striker of a ball in Ireland and can do it from the hands or the ground. A warning for any team who is sitting on the arc, Sherlock will just kick it over you while you mind your zones. The St Finbarr’s man was absolutely excellent as Cork proved a lot of people wrong including this writer and made the return to Division 1 for the first time since 2016. If Sherlock catches fire in championship time, who knows where Cork could go. A very honourable mention must go to Galway’s Rob Finnerty who narrowly missed out.
14. Jordan Morris (Meath)
Jordan Morris is a footballer that belongs in Division 1 and now he’ll get his chance thanks to Meath’s promotion. His ability to square up a defender, drop a shoulder and just leave him in his wake is a glorious sight. Throwing out dummy solos to beat the band, Morris excelled in Division 2 and there’ll be no defender sorry to see him go and plenty in Division 1 who’ll be looking to pass him off to somebody else.
15. Diarmuid Murtagh (Roscommon)
Last but definitely not least we have Diarmuid Murtagh. One of the very best performers across all 4 divisions in this season’s league. Murtagh notched 4-30 in six games, Mark Dowd deservedly let him put his feet up for the final round against Mayo. Murtagh is a classy forward who has never once looked out of place at the very top level of the game. Tipped for relegation, Roscommon were one of the stories of the league and with an attacking trio of Enda Smith, Daire Cregg and Murtagh, they’ll be quietly confident of overturning Mayo in a Connacht semi-final if Andy Moran’s men navigate London.
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