Young Player of the Year

[twohands!!!]

I thought I'd post up the candidates for the Young Player of the Year.

These are the current Paddypower odds.

Also a player has to be under 21 this year to be eligible.

Cormac Costello 9/4
Ryan McHugh 8/1
Diarmuid Murtagh 9/1
Damien Comer 9/1
Brian O'Driscoll 10/1
Colin O'Riordan 11/1
Eamon Wallace 14/1
Ethan Rafferty 14/1
Cathal McShane 16/1
Ryan Wylie 16/1
Enda Smith 20/1
Liam Silke 20/1
Stephen O'Brien 66/1
Ian Maguire 25/1
Ciaran O'Hanlon 25/1
Stephen Coen 33/1
Diarmuid O'Connor 33/1
Ryan McAnespie 40/1
David Hyland 40/1
Hugh McFadden 50/1
Darach O'Connor 50/1
Ciaran McFaul 50/1
Adam Flanagan 50/1
Conor McAtamney 66/1
Stephen O'Brien 66/1
Niall Kelly 66/1
Eoin McHugh 80/1
Padraic Harnan 80/1
Paul Kingston 80/1
Terence O'Brien 100/1
Shane Dempsey 125/1
Neil Flynn 125/1
Ryan Burns 125/1
Cian Breheny 125/1
Eoin Carroll 125/1
Jamie Malone 150/1

A key issue for Young Player of the Year is getting sufficient game time to make an impression ; also the further the team goes in the championship the better a player's chance

List of past winners - Pretty decent strike rate looking back

2014   Ryan McHugh
2013   Jack McCaffrey
2012   Cillian O'Connor
2011   Cillian O'Connor
2010   Aidan Walsh
2009   Michael Murphy
2008   Tommy Walsh
2007   Killian Young
2006   Keith Higgins
2005   Aaron Kernan
2004   Niall Tinney
2003   Sean Cavanagh
2002   Ronan Clarke
2001   Cormac McAnallen
2000   Joe Bergin
1999   Phillip Clifford
1998   Michael Donnellan
1997   Mike Frank Russell

[Syferus]

I think it matters far more about how far a team goes. Young Murtagh or Smith could tear teams apart for us but if we weren't to reach an AISF it's hard to see how they'd win YPotY, for example. Favours the big boys rather than the talent of individual players, like all these awards do.

[twohands!!!]

I think it matters far more about how far a team goes. Young Murtagh or Smith could tear teams apart for us but if we weren't to reach an AISF it's hard to seem how they'd win YPotY, for example. Favours the big boys rather than the talent of individual talent of players, like all these awards do.

Yeah you are probably right but it will be interesting to see how much game time the various candidates for the stronger teams get - there's no Kerry player there and Costello is the only Dublin player there.

[tippabu]

Its all about a player going deep into the championship whist playing for the majority of it. For me cormac costello looks abit slim at them prices, wouldnt be guaranteed a starting spot with the dubs being so strong. Ryan mchugh for me looks probably the best bet at this stage seeing as he is playing with a team that should go far. Murtagh and smith look good too if Roscommon do well, Theyve an easy run in connaught and are both scoring players and like motm awards its easy to pick out the scorers for these awards. O'Riordan is after have a ton of exposure from the under 21 championship and has an all star nomination from last year already, will all depend on how far tipp go as to weather hes considered though. Stephen O'Brien is massive value at 66/1, hes right up there with o'riordan in terms of importance to the team, just hasnt the same profile. Ian mcguire also is an outstanding player but his back injury would have him as a major doubt

[Zulu]

Murtagh and O'Riordan are the value bets for me. Costello may feature very little for the Dubs so I think Murtagh has a great chance if Roscommon deliver in championship.

[twohands!!!]

Its all about a player going deep into the championship whist playing for the majority of it. For me cormac costello looks abit slim at them prices, wouldnt be guaranteed a starting spot with the dubs being so strong. Ryan mchugh for me looks probably the best bet at this stage seeing as he is playing with a team that should go far. Murtagh and smith look good too if Roscommon do well, Theyve an easy run in connaught and are both scoring players and like motm awards its easy to pick out the scorers for these awards. O'Riordan is after have a ton of exposure from the under 21 championship and has an all star nomination from last year already, will all depend on how far tipp go as to weather hes considered though. Stephen O'Brien is massive value at 66/1, hes right up there with o'riordan in terms of importance to the team, just hasnt the same profile. Ian mcguire also is an outstanding player but his back injury would have him as a major doubt

Wouldnt disagree with any of that - I'd imagine you've heard the same talk from Cork about Maguire and his back injury (doubts about him  managing to feature at all in the championship and ever play any sort of serious ball in the long term ; horrible to see a talent that young look like he's burned out with injury at such a young age)

R McHugh is up against in a sense in that he is the past years winner - remember talking to a lad from Kerry and he was full sure he would be completely shut down in the final - "not a hope in hell he'll get 2-2 ever again in his intercounty career" were his words and I thought of them as he was subbed off in the final.

In terms of O'Riordan I can see him having a serious championship impact - seriously talented balller (up against Kerry is a bet to nothing in a sense) and I can see Tipp going deep in the qualifiers as long as they get any sort of decent draw [and stop conceding cheap goals]

Not sure if O'Brien is as eye-catching as is necessary to catch the eye of the pundits [the pundits nominate and then the players vote, is the way it works]

The Rossie lads are in a solid position to get nods if they perform adequately but I just can't see them getting home (far more likely to pick up uncoverted All-Star noms imo)

Personally I think Ryan Wylie at 16/1 possibly looks a bit valueish (however he's up against the fact that it will be other intercounty players voting on it and he wouldn't be the sort to win any sort of favour with opposition teams)

Right now gun to my head I'd be plumping for O'Riordan as I can see Tipp having a decent campaign through the qualifiers and he's undoubtedly a peach of a footballer ( the fact that he turned his back on hurling in Tipp is sure to find favour with a lot of footballers in other counties)

[manfromdelmonte]

No pressure on the young players then

[J70]

McHugh ' s game is not about getting 2-2. He's a runner and "box to box" player,  to borrow a soccer term, same as his brother. Besides,  I honestly thought Oran MacNiallais was as deserving last year. The Dublin game swung it for McHugh, but he was marked out of it in the final.

[Shrewdness]

If Roscommon had a good run this year, the name of Ultan Harney could be on a lot of people's lips. His biggest obstacle could be starting enough games. He'd be in my starting team, a very talented young player.