9.
9: Midfield - Cillian Bourke (Tullamore)Cillian Bourke is another man who has to make the cut here and he was a huge performer for Tullamore. One of the most exciting emerging talents in Offaly, he could possibly be lost to professional football in Australia – if this happens, everyone Offaly supporter will wish him the very best of luck but not one person will be disappointed if his future is at home. He is the type of player Offaly has been crying out for, he has infectious drive and his quality means that we have opted for an all Tullamore midfield pairing.
10.
10: Right half forward – Shane O'Toole-Greene (Shamrocks)Shamrocks' emergence into potential title challengers would be a great thing for Offaly football. They aren't there yet and still have road to travel but are moving in the right direction and now have a solid foundation to build on. They were very unlucky to lose out to Ferbane in a controversial quarter-final and in the wake of Ferbane's semi-final demolition of Edenderry, they feel they would have got to the final. They probably shouldn't be as certain of that as some people are there but it is good that they can at least talk this way once again and they have to have a representative on this team. In fact you could justify two of their players on it but there is a lot of competition for places and Shane O'Toole-Greene is my selection from Shamrocks. Jack Bryant and Nigel Dunne had excellent games in attack but also had quiet ones while David O'Rourke has a lot of the ingredients to be an Offaly defender. Shane O'Toole-Greene was their most consistently good player in 2025, playing in both defence and attack. He is in good physical shape, has a good engine and carries the ball well.
11.
11: Centre half forward – Cathal Flynn (Ferbane)One of the first names pencilled in on this team was Ferbane's Cathal Flynn. The quality of his play just took the breath away in 2025, his ball carrying, his vision, the way he dictated the flow of games. There will be questions asked about some of the calls on this team but Cathal Flynn's selection won't be one of them. A natural centre half forward, he spent so much time carrying ball from his half back line deep into enemy territory, spending most of his time in the middle third of the field.
12.
12: Left half forward – Ruari McNamee (Rhode)His county career may have come to an end but Ruari McNamee showed his quality for Rhode in 2025. One of the most naturally gifted ball players in Offaly, he oozed class in possession. He teased and he probed, he got scores, set up scores and was very good for a Rhode team who are drifting over the hill but working with such drive to stay in the top four and keep the flame lit for the younger emerging players in the next couple of years.