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6: Centre half back - Cillian Kiely (Kilcormac-Killoughey) Cillian Kiely missed the final with a broken thumb and in normal circumstances, this would rule a player out of a team like this. It is different with Kiely, however, and it just couldn't be picked without him. For the last two years, he has been playing the best hurling of his life. Very controlled, rock solid, he is arguably K-K's most important player – and that is saying something considering the outstanding young talent they have throughout the field. He gave some power house performances, scoring some breathtaking points. Kinnitty's Paddy Delaney was strongly considered for here. Delaney was brilliant for Kinnitty as they almost made the quarter-finals. Their displays added a great touch of romance to the championship and Delaney was an inspirational figure for them.
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7: Left half back – Brecon Kavanagh (Kilcormac-Killoughey) Brecon Kavanagh was one of the few completely automatic selections on the team. Sam Bourke did some wonderful work for Ballinamere but Kavanagh is a real force of nature. Forwards such as Adam Screeney and Dan Bourke may capture the limelight but Kavanagh is as promising as anyone on the Offaly U-20 team this year, and make no mistake about that. He was exceptional in most games, reading play very well and displaying an ability to be in the right place at the right time and then to do the right thing.
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8: Midfield – Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey) There was plenty of competition for midfield places but Colin Spain had to be selected before anyone else. He is such a tidy, efficient hurler and the way he runs games from midfield is instrumental to K-K's success story. He crops up all over the place and very rarely gives a bad ball or misplaces a pass. He was brilliant in the county final and only for Adam Screeney being so exceptional, he could have been man of the match.
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9: Midfield – Ross Ravenhill (Ballinamere) One of the toughest calls was for the second midfield position with Ballinamere's Kevin McDermott and Kilcormac-Killoughey's Damien Kilmartin neck and neck and we opted to select a player slightly out of position in Ballinamere's Ross Ravenhill. Ravenhill is no stranger to midfield and was an unsung hero for Ballinamere. He is not a flair player in the way that Dan Bourke and Brian Duignan are, he doesn't stand out in the way Ciaran Burke and Mark Troy do but his importance to Ballinamere is considerable. Playing mainly at centre half back, he does what he is asked to do almost every day, winning breaking ball, giving simple passes and marking his man. A hugely effective hurler and very important to Ballinamere. Some people may give out at Kilmartin not making it and it is easy to see where they are coming from. One of K-K's most experienced players, he is playing some of the best hurling of his long career, is clearly doing what is required to get every last ounce out of his hurling and was almost flawless this year.Kevin McDermott was very close. He was not as good in the knockout stages as the group ones – an injury sustained for Durrow footballers limited his influence in the semi-final against St Rynagh's and while he worked hard in the final, K-K did take the midfield honours overall. Without him being so good, Ballinamere could have been in trouble in the group. It took them a while to settle and McDermott drove them on powerfully. He scored 1-2 and was man of the match in the season changing win over Shinrone. He scored three points against Kinnitty, four against Birr and was close to man of the match in both those games.