Five Brilliant Gaelic Football Stars Who Never Made Their County Minor Team

There is a long list of GAA stars who never played for their county minor team but went on to have a glittering career in the senior ranks.

Dublin's Bernard Brogan is arguably the greatest forward that the county has ever produced, but even he couldn't find his way into the Dublin minor team, and was actually 23 before he played for the senior side, although he made sure to make up for lost time.

Bernard's older Alan Brogan however, played for all of the Dublin development squads all the way up, and also enjoyed a fantastic career that saw him reach the pinnacle of Gaelic football time and time again, so there is no one right way to make it.

Even now, the scouting system in some of the top counties still overlook future stars, and when you read the following list you will scratch your head and wonder why.

When you see the husky, powerful figure of Damien Comer circling his prey up front for Galway, waiting patiently for a ball to be kicked in so he can pounce, and bulldoze his way through the opposition, then it's hard to believe that he was once deemed as "too small" for the top level of Gaelic football.

Not only did the flying full forward not make the Galway minor team, but was also in the stands of Croke Park, watching from afar as his school team St Jarlath’s College in Tuam lost the Hogan Cup final back in 2011.

So from not being able to make the bench for the school team, Comer still went on to become one of the very top forwards in Gaelic football.

Derry midfielder Brendan Rogers has won two Ulster titles, and an All-Star, as one of the Oakleafer's key men in their most successful team since the 1993 All-Ireland winning side.

A Derry team without Rogers in it would be a much weaker side as the Slaughtneil man brings so much energy, drive, passion and creativity to the panel, but somehow, was never picked for the county's minor team.

A big reason for that is actually because Rogers' is a multitalented athlete, and at underage in particular, he was more known for his ability with a hurl, than a football.

Still a dual star for the club's hurling and football team, he eventually put all of his eggs in the one basket at senior county level, and Derry football fans are delighted that he did.

From never playing for the minor or u21 teams, to going on to captain the county, pick up four All-Stars and play a leading role in winning All-Irelands, Paudie Clifford's story is one of resilience and determination.

When your younger brother is David Clifford, who was picked for the senior team before he even had a chance to represent the u21 squad, it's crazy to see how different their paths have been, but ultimately they both lead to being the county's two key men.

The older Clifford brother refused to give up, and when he started to shine for East Kerry, fans and management began to take notice, and now he is one of the first names on the team-sheet for Jack O'Connor's panel.

Seven All-Ireland titles, 10 Leinster titles, six All-Stars, and two Player of the Year awards - Brian Fenton has won all of this as an inter-county footballer for Dublin, but never made his minor team.

Former Dublin boss Dessie Farrell was actually the minor manager at the time, and was the person who broke the bad news to the young midfielder.

What Fenton has since described as "an innate stubbornness" drove him on to be an even better footballer, and whatever success he missed out on at minor level, has been long forgotten about with his bulging trophy cabinet at senior level.

This one is by far the most remarkable when you consider that he is undoubtedly the county's greatest ever player, but wasn't good enough to make the minor squad.

You can almost see how some players slip through the net in counties like Kerry and Dublin where the catchment area is so enormous, but Monaghan has one of the smallest playing populations in the country, so far a talent like McManus to go unnoticed, is crazy to comprehend.

However that is what happened, and it was largely down to his size, as the skilful forward was very skinny as a teenager, and needed time to put on some strength and mass.

It's fair to say that he did just that as he became one of the most athletic and powerful forwards in the game, allowing his talent and shooting prowess to really shine.