Players Of The Year

[gunnerman]

I see the awards night is on the 13th of Jamuary. The winners are usually announced before christmas so I'm sure this year will be no different. Anyone any views on the likely recipiants. The awards run with senior, intermediate, junior, U21 and minor for each code. Should be interesting. Out of the whole lot, Richie Dalton (senior football) looks to be the only shoe in.

[puzzled]

Winners were announced last night
Senior football Richie Dalton,Senior hurling Damien Murray,Intermediate football Jack Kilmurray,Intermediate hurling Chris Mcdonald,Junior football Noel Andrew Graham,Junior hurling Eunan Martin,U21 football Cian Donohue,U21 hurling David Magner,Minor football Joe Maher,Minor hurling Peter Geraghty,Ladies Football Orlagh Heavey,Camoige Elaine Dermody,Football referee Damien Brazil,Hurling referee Brian Gavin,Football hall of fame Paddy Mccormack,Hurling hall of fame Pad Joe Whelehan,Club of the year Coolderry!

Congrats to all winners!

[bazza]

Scoring about 4-20 from play as Coolderry won the County Senior and an Offaly representatives first provincial title in four years mustn't be enough to get U-21 hurler of the year any more! Not to mention the fact that he dragged Roscrea vocational school to and All-Final.

[llkj]

I don't agree with you Bazza. The Under21 award is for the best player in the U21 Championship matches - what someone did in a different grade should not count for the award in question.

Well done to all of the winners - a nice one for the mantlepiece!

[thekid]

agree 100% llkj, it is very unfair to say that about u21 award. Magner was outstanding for both ballinamere gaels and offaly in the u21 championship and fully deserves this award. it is wrong to take from the young mans achievment. almost all young lads come on this forum and read it and its time some of you took this into account. well done to all winners

[townman]

Eoin Ryan is unlucky i would have gave him it to. as for senior hurler i though Trevor Corcoran has been outstanding this year in the 5 games i
have seen him in, if you went by their Leinster run Cathal Parlon was on fire, also Damien Murray has been on top form.

[Lone Shark]

My understanding is that the award is based partially on achievements at county level at the appropriate age, partially on club at that age, and while performances at senior level might be taken into account for underage players, it would probably be given the least weight of all the factors involved.

Equally performances in county jerseys tend to be taken more seriously when the county team makes some real achievements. If your representative team has an underwhelming year, it will almost certainly be based on club performances.

In terms of players, I think we'd all have some different views - but I don't think any of the winners here would have been too far off the mark by anyone's measure. Certainly congratulations to all concerned.

[kingscounty]

i think alot of these awards are based on how well a player plays in the final or is given to a player from the winning team. who picks the players of the year anyway?

[jimbob17]

I think that all who are receiving awards are always worthy of them. of course there are always others who are in contention that may feel hard done by but such is life. As always in sport, people get disappointed. This is not the place however to come on and knock a lad who has given his best and acquitted himself very well during the year to big another lad up. It smells of sour grapes and doesnt reflect well on any individual. To my mind Magner was the best hurler on the pitch for OY U 21's the evening they hurled dublin and had a great year for the gaels as they won their first ever 21 title. I am sure he is fully deserving of his award and anyone that thinks otherwise has alterior motives and should keep it off this forum. I dont know the makeup of the selection committee but i am nearly sure it is made up of county selectors at the given level and local journalists.

[durra1]

“almost all young lads come on this forum and read it and its time some of you took this into account.”

Well said the kid.

Although I don’t think Bazza was trying to take from Magner’s gong in this instance. Any underage hurling recognition for the wrong end of the county at any time is hard earned.

Nice to see Euanan Martin getting an award .. a panellist in ’98.

Worthy award for Pad Joe too. Mick Duignan in his book heaps the praise on Pad Joe for breaking the Birr / Banagher divide and instilling confidence and tactics in a dressing room which was according to himself, non-existent at minor level before he took charge.

[gunnerman]

who picks the players of the year anyway?

Its the local journalists who pick them. Football was picked by Kevin Corrigan, Damian Moran and Mary Dunne while the hurling was picked by Alan Walsh and Brian Lowry.

That's the way its been for the past number of years with Brian Lowry taking over from John O'Callaghan this year.

Every one will have their opinions but I think they are fairly spot on. Maybe Tony McTague should have got the football hall of fame as he captained All-Ireland winning team. I'm sure his time will come though

[Jack The Lad]

I think all the selections are fairly spot on to be honest. David Magners selection shouldn't be up for debate. Anyone in Parnell Park that seen our under 21s play Dublin would agree he was by some distance our best player.He was also outstanding for balinamere gales in there successful u21 campaign. How anyone could question his selection I don't know. The senior hurler of the year was by far the hardest one to call with the Brady brothers and Trevor Corcoran all in serious contention but nobody could argue with Damien Murray's selection. Well done to all the hurlers and footballers that won the awards.

[The Biff]

..... This is not the place however to come on and knock a lad who has given his best and acquitted himself very well during the year to big another lad up. It smells of sour grapes and doesnt reflect well on any individual. ..... and anyone that thinks otherwise has alterior motives and should keep it off this forum. ....

I'd suggest otherwise that this Forum would be damn boring if anyone didn't show up their dissenting voice now and again. This is a perfect example; one poster is unhappy with one particular selection. This posting has resulted in 5 or 6 replies completely vindicating and supporting the very same selection. Conclusion - if young Magner did happen to read this Forum, he can feel quite satisfied that a majority of Offaly fans probably feel he was the right choice.

Keep arguements and criticisms ON this forum. What was that much-loved poster of a few years ago called - Offaly's Future ? Few of us agreed with what he/she posted, but it was compulsive reading. So (to the air of "Paddy Reilly") ... Come back Offaly's Future to uibhfhaili.com, come home ....

[ballinamereman1]

yea good man gunnerman. il take you on outside the brewery tap..