LIMERICK’S Richie English has been named as the Bord Gáis Energy Player of the Year at the U21 Team of the Year Awards which were held at Dublin’s Marker Hotel on Saturday night. The Limerick defender was rewarded for his individual exploits as he helped his county claim this year’s All-Ireland title. He follows in the footsteps of Clare’s Colm Galvin who was the 2014 winner.
The Player of the Year award recognises the overall stand-out player of the 2015 Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U21 All-Ireland Championship.
There was good news too for Wicklow’s Anthony Byrne. The centre-forward picked up the Player of the Year award for the ‘B’ championship following his man-of-the-match display in the final at Semple Stadium. He scored four points in the decider against Meath.
Commenting on the selection of Richie English and Anthony Byrne for their respective awards, Bord Gáis Energy Sports Ambassador Ger Cunningham said; “It’s a credit to these two individuals that they have been picked to receive these prestigious awards. It is the icing on the cake for both following their teams’ victories in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ championships.
“In a year where Limerick were outstanding they had a number of exceptional individual performers. There was consensus among the committee that Richie was the best of an excellent bunch. He narrowly got the nod ahead of his teammate Diarmaid Byrnes and Wexford’s Conor McDonald who both also had seasons to remember at the U21 grade.
“Anthony was Wicklow’s star performer in the ‘B’ championship final against Meath. His display that day make him a very worthy winner of this accolade and cap off a memorable year for the Garden County”.
The 2015 Bord Gáis Energy Score of the Year was also revealed on the night. Wexford’s remarkable team goal, which was finished off by Cathal Dunbar, in their Leinster semi-final win against Offaly was voted by fans of the championship as the deserving winner.
Speaking ahead of the awards Chief Operations Officer at Bord Gáis Energy Dave Kirwan said: “The Bord Gáis Energy Team of the Year Awards are a fitting way to bring the curtain down on the U21 season in hurling. 2015 has seen more outstanding games, skill and individual performances. I want to thank all the players, managers and their back room teams for all the work that they put in to bring us such an excellent competition.
“Congratulations to all the players who made the cut on the Team of the Year. Congratulations too to our overall Player of the Year winners, Richie and Anthony.
“Finally a quick word of thanks to Ger Cunningham and his selection committee for their efforts all through the season to ensure they selected a worthy set of winners. Also to Off the Ball with whom we’ve worked closely in 2015 and who revealed the team this year in a fresh and novel way”.
The Team of the Year and Player of the Year winners were picked by a panel of judges chaired by Bord Gáis Energy Sports Ambassador Ger Cunningham. The selection committee also included Galway hurler Joe Canning, Waterford great Ken McGrath, TG4’s Micheál Ó Domhnaill and Newstalk’s Óisin Langan.
