Nine Kilkenny Players named in Team of the Year

The 2026 Minor Championship will go down as one of the most competitive and skilful in recent memory. Following a pair of high-stakes semi-finals which saw Kilkenny dig deep to edge past a resolute Cork team and Galway secure their final berth in a shootout with Tipperary. The season culminated in a showdown at UPMC Nowlan Park. There, defending champions Kilkenny put on a masterclass, overcoming a determined Galway side 3-17 to 1-8 to secure their ninth All-Ireland Minor title.

This year’s Electric Ireland Minor Star Camogie Player of the Year award goes to Emily Phelan of Kilkenny. The lively corner forward contributed to her team’s success throughout the season with scores coming at crucial times, including a Player of the Match performance in the final with six points from play. It was well-known that Kilkenny had a potent full forward line, with two of the Team of the Year inside line coming from the Cats, but Phelan still stood out among this impressive cohort, hitting 1-4 in the early rounds of the Championships against Tipperary.