Cream of the crop
Awards winners announced after busy season in 2019
A stunning season for St Patrick’s sharpshooter Tommy Kelly earned him the Club Player of the Year award at next month’s Garden GAA awards night in the Arklow Bay Hotel.
The talented full-forward blasted his way through the Senior championship until he came face to face with Ciaran Hyland but even with the superb defending of the experienced AGB star Kelly was still able to cause damage as Casey O’Brien’s men secured a magical two in a row of Senior crowns.
Bray Emmets’ return to the summit of Wicklow club hurling was brought about to some extent by the excellence of Christy Moorehouse who exploded into life in the early stages of the final against Glenealy and inspired his colleagues to storm to a wonderful victory.
A disappointing season for the Wicklow Senior footballers shouldn’t take from some fine individual performances over the season and Ballymanus man Mark Kenny was one of the players who maintained a high standard of showing throughout a difficult league and championship.
The class of Bray’s John Henderson shone through when he donned the county jersey in 2019 as he drove his county to league promotion and a competitive but ultimately disappointing Christy Ring campaign.
Dunlavin’s story in 2019 was a marvelous one as the men from the Kildare border rejoiced as captain Sean Phelan lifted the cup after a resounding win over Kilmac in Aughrim. Key to that campaign was the performance of the lively spark of footballing brilliance, Cian O’Sullivan. Always popping up for significant scores, always a threat, always a force to be reckoned with, O’Sullivan is a very worthy winner of this award.
You want dedication, devotion, honesty, integrity, absolute effort and unending loyalty then you need look no further than Carnew’s Nick Skelton who was announced as the IHC Player of the Year award. The intelligent Skelton has toiled for many a day in the Carnew jersey, good ones and bad ones and his role in their Intermediate hurling success of 2019 was both vital and expected given the standards he sets for himself and his colleagues.
All dangermen from all clubs in the Intermediate grade had better learn the name of Stephen O’Connor from An Tochar. This athletic, tussle-haired Adonis is on the way to ruin your lives and you had better prepare yourself for one of the tightest marking defenders in the county since the likes of Ciaran Hyland. A class act of many in a wonderful year for the
Roundwood men.
Aughrim’s resurgence in the small ball game on the field came down to the vision of dedicated mentors and the hurling ability of a band of committed brothers with Robert Lambert epitomising everything that was positive and wholesome about the Granite City’s amazing return season.
Enniskerry’s superb achievement in winning the Junior ‘B’ football championship was rewarded with the announcement that the unendingly impressive and constantly competent Gavin Barton was the winner of the Junior B Football award for 2019.
After shocking red hot favourites Éire Óg in the semi-final and getting the better of Kilcoole in the decider, the men of St Patrick’s Junior ‘C’ team returned home to Dunbur with the championship crown in hand with the performance of club legend John Connors being key to that sweet victory.
Utter dominance might be an accurate way to describe the performances of Kilavaney star Matthew Ging throughout the under-20 football championship that culminated with the amalgamated team defeating Éire Óg in the final. The Tinahely man will hopefully light up the Senior championship for many years to come as well as donning the Wicklow jersey in a future that looks bright for the Garden County.
Rathnew’s Eoin Doyle was in inspirational form in this year’s Minor football championship. Of the multitude of scores he bagged, perhaps that last point in the final will be the one that will be remembered for the pure class it exuded.
Eoin Byrne’s superb performances for Michael Dwyers in this year’s Minor hurling championship secured him the fully deserved Minor hurler of the Year award.
His five points from play and his sweet stick work and savage workrate in the final against defending champions Carnew stood him apart from a squad of fully committed and confident young men.
Donard-The Glen’s triumph over Knockananna in the Senor camogie final was recognised with the announcement that captain Katie Daynes will collect the Camogie Player of the Year award in January. Daynes was immense in the final and led by example.
Jill Heatley Fadian was revealed as the Ladies football award winner while Dunlavin’s Myles Carroll scooped the handball award.
Rathnew stalwart Bobby Dignam was selected as the club person of the year while Blessington’s John McGee and Kilbride’s Tommy Clarke will pick up the Lifetime Achievement awards.
The full list of award winners: SFC player of the year: Tommy Kelly (St. Patricks)
SHC player of the year: Christy Moorehouse (Bray Emmets)
County Footballer of the Year: Mark Kenny (Ballymanus)
County Hurler of the Year: John Henderson (Bray)
IFC Player of the Year: Cian O’Sullivan (Dunlavin)
IHC Player of the Year: Nick Skelton (Carnew)
JAFC Player of the Year: Stephen O’Connor (An Tochar)
JHC Player of the Year: Robert Lambert (Aughrim)
JBFC Player of the Year: Gavin Barton (Enniskerry)
JCFC Player of the Year: John Connors (St. Pat’s)
U20 Player of the Year: Matthew Ging (Kilavaney)
MFC Player of the Year: Eoin Doyle (Rathnew)
MHC Player of the Year: Eoin Byrne (Michael Dwyers)
Clubperson of the Year: Bobby Dignam (Rathnew)
Lifetime Achievement awards: John McGee (Blessington) Tommy Clarke (Kilbride)
Ladies Football: Jill Heatley Fadian (St. Nicholas’)
Camogie: Katie Daynes (Donard-The Glen)
Handball: Myles Carroll (Dunlavin)
Special guest on the night of Saturday, January 18, in the Arklow Bay Hotel will be Sean Kelly, former president of the GAA.