1: Barry Owens

OWENS made his Fermanagh debut in an All-Ireland B Championship match in 2000, and although it took him a while to nail down his place, once he put his mind to it he soon established himself as one of the country’s finest full-backs of his generation. He won All-Stars in 2004 and 2006, a Fermanagh record, but was arguably just as good in 2003. Remarkably, he returned from open heart surgery to play his part in Fermanagh’s impressive Ulster Championship run in 2008, scoring a last-ditch winning goal against Derry at the semi-final stage. A real colossus of a player – a tigerish defender, yes, but he had plenty of poise and was a great sportsman as well.

2: Martin McGrath

WHO needs Superman or Batman when you have Martin McGrath knocking about the place?  Finally got his hands on a Senior Championship with Ederney last year, and it’s hard to believe  he’s still playing at all when you consider all he’s been through. He fractured his skull in a freak accident involving a digger in 2007, has had heart surgery twice, has recovered from testicular cancer, and that’s not to mention all the other bumps and bruises he’s picked up along the way while playing for Ederney and Fermanagh. The lion-hearted midfielder won an All-Star in 2004 and has also represented Ireland twice in the International Rules series.

3: Shane McDermott

Shane McDermott gave 10  years of solid service to Fermanagh, captained the side in the mid-noughties, and was quite simply one of the best defenders in Ireland for much of his playing career. He shied away from the media and was somewhat underrated as a result, but he was one of the first men on the team-sheet throughout the noughties. He was a rock-solid centre half-back who rarely missed a game, and his progression was all the more remarkable as he didn’t really feature at underage level.

4: Ryan McCluskey

McCluskey’s longevity alone was quite remarkable – when he finally hung up the boots in 2018 after 19 years of service, he was the longest-serving intercounty player in the game. He was an outstanding defender who enjoyed mammoth@ tussles with the likes of Armagh legend Stevie McDonnell in the noughties. ‘Clucker’ was also a great teammate whose leadership qualities were hailed by the likes of Martin O’Brien when he retired. McCluskey also enjoyed great success with Enniskillen Gaels, winning seven Senior Championship medals.

5: Eamon Maguire

Maguire is one of the Fermanagh players who lit    up the summer in their run to the All-Ireland semi-final back in 2004. If nothing else, his raw enthusiasm was a major asset to the team as they knocked out heavy-hitters Armagh before taking Mayo to a replay in the semi-final, but he was worth so much more to the cause than just enthusiasm. An intelligent, pacey wing-forward, he played a full role on some of Fermanagh football’s biggest ever days. Retired in 2014 but came back for another intercounty spell in 2018.

6: Tom Brewster

Brewster kicked the most famous point in Fermanagh’s history when he calmly (at least from an exterior point of view) hit the winner in their All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Armagh in 2004. He was a key part of the Enniskillen Gaels team which won six championships in-a-row, but as with Fermanagh, provincial success wasn’t forthcoming as they lost two Ulster finals. He was at the tail-end of his intercounty career in 2008 but came off the bench in the replayed Ulster Championship final against Armagh and knocked over a couple of great scores.

7: Stephen Maguire

MAGUIRE called it a day at the end of the 2005 season when he was only 28 years old, but he’d still been one of the best full-forwards in the game for quite some time. His breakthrough year was 2000, and he won the Man of the Match award when Fermanagh overcame Monaghan in the Ulster Championship. One of his finest performances was against Armagh in the 2004 All-Ireland quarter-final, when he won his battle with Francie Bellew. He was a real handful, and one wonders if it could’ve been different for Fermanagh in 2008 had he still been around.

8: Rory Gallagher

GALLAGHER would be higher up this list if he hadn’t quit the Fermanagh panel in 2002. It’s no exaggeration to say he’s possibly the most talented forward to ever emerge from Fermanagh, and some of his attacking performances are legendary – for example, he scored 3-9 against Monaghan in 2002, setting an Ulster Championship scoring record which is yet to be surpassed. He left the panel later that year and made a brief return in 2010.

9: Tommy McElroy

McElroy’s Fermanagh career started in 2006, and he was one of their most important players until he decided to hang up the boots in 2014 after struggling with injury. He was a tenacious wing-back who rarely missed a game and regularly popped up for a point or two. Despite that he was underrated outside the county. McElroy was one of three Fermanagh players nominated for an All-Star in 2008 having played a big role in their run to the Ulster Championship final.

10: Mark Little

MARK Little will always be associated in my mind with Fermanagh’s thrilling championship run in 2004. He wasn’t the biggest or tallest, but his elusiveness and trickery more than compensated as he delivered time-after-time for Fermanagh. He had some other really good years, but 2004 was the definitely the peak. It’s also worth mentioning that he won an All-Ireland Intermediate title with Lisnaskea in 2011, an unprecedented achievement for a Fermanagh club.