It was another busy Intermediate Championship campaign.

Naomh Columba came out on top, defeating Malin in the final.

Ryan Ferry selects the players that stood out over the course of the championship.

1. Luke Kelly (Red Hughs)

Kelly is one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the county and he had a strong championship campaign. His kick-outs were solid and he kept three clean sheets across six matches.

2. Eric Carr (Naomh Columba)

Such is Carr’s versatility, he played in the full-forward line in Naomh Columba’s opener with Milford, and was in the last line of defence at times in the final against Malin. Carr is always up for the battle and had a particularly good showing against Buncrana at the Burn Road.

3. Conor Cannon (Naomh Muire)

Cannon has developed considerably as a defender in recent years and is often asked by his manager Danny O’Donnell to tie down one of the opposition’s star players. He impressed on Liam Carlin of Red Hughs, had a solid outing against Milford at the Bridge, and then did a fine marking job on Malin’s Josh Conlon in the semi-final.

4. Paul O’Hare (Naomh Columba)

O’Hare had an outstanding championship and was one of the best players in the Intermediate this season. He wore the number four shirt and looked after his defensive responsibilities diligently but it was his driving runs up the field which really caught the eye.

5. Stephen McMenamin (Red Hughs)

McMenamin set the tone for his side’s fine run through to the Intermediate semi-final and he delivered one of the best displays of the entire campaign against Naomh Muire at the Banks. He was then man-of-the-match against Bundoran and scored a wonderful goal in the last-four defeat to Naomh Columba.

6. Oisin McGonagle (Malin)

With some of the elder statesmen moving on, McGonagle has become a huge leader for the Malin side. He drives forward from centre half-back and provides inspirational scores while also supplying some much-needed steel in the backline.

7. Philip Doherty (Naomh Columba)

Doherty, pictured above, didn’t play in the league at all as he recovered from an ACL injury but he was superb when he returned to the Naomh Columba half-back line. He has strong defensive instincts and also showed a penchant for scoring goals this season in each of his team’s three knock-out matches.

8. Padraig Byrne (Naomh Columba)

Byrne played most of the league in goals for his club but Shane O’Gara’s return released him to play in midfield and that switch worked a treat. Byrne ticked most of the boxes for his team as he was strong in the aerial exchanges, landed placed balls from range and scored four goals over the course of the championship, including a vital one against Buncrana in the quarter-finals.

9. Ciaran O’Kane (Malin)

The teenage midfielder was terrific for Malin throughout the championship and made a real impression in the centre of the field. He delivered big performances in the wins over Naomh Pádraig and Naomh Muire, and while the final didn’t go to plan, he still contributed two goals.

10. Sean O’Neill (Malin)

O’Neill was only a sub for Malin’s first two matches but soon established himself and put in a string of good displays, most notably against Naomh Pádraig in the quarter-finals when he hit some brilliant two-pointers. He was also one of the Connolly Park residents best players in the final.

11. Christy McLaughlin (Malin)

McLaughlin is arguably the best player from Inishowen that wasn’t in the county squad in 2025 and he performs consistently for Malin despite being closely marked. He came up with important scores throughout the championship for his team.

12. Caolan McColgan (Naomh Pádraig, Uisce Chaoin)

McColgan picked up an injury in his first match with Buncrana but bounced back to put in a series of superb performances. The county defender once again showed how dangerous he is in attack and caused a lot of bother to Malin (twice) and Buncrana, while he scored a brace of two-pointers against Burt.

13. Shane Callaghan (Naomh Columba)

Callaghan’s development has played a major part in Naomh Columba’s success this season. He scored heavilty throughout the championship and was particularly to the fore in the semi-final against Red Hughs, and in the second half of the win over Buncrana.

14. Donnachadh Ó Baoighill (Cloughaneely)

It was an underwhelming campaign for Cloughaneely as they lost five games on the trot before beating Na Rossa in the Relegation final. However, the displays of Donnachadh Ó Baoighill shouldn’t be overlooked. He led the line despite playing his first year of adult football and contributed 4-34 to his team.

15. Eoin Martin (Naomh Muire)

Another excellent campaign from Martin, who has developed into a top end forward. He scored 2-52 over the course of his six matches, including a nine point salvo against Milford, 2-8 in the triumph over Naomh Columba and ten points against Malin in the semi-final.