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Holden in action during January's All-Ireland club final. Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
Honours

Holden and Cunningham scoop GAA Club Player of the Year awards

The announcements were made at an awards ceremony at Croke Park on Friday evening.

JOEY HOLDEN of Ballyhale Shamrocks and Shane Cunningham of Kilmacud Crokes have won the AIB GAA Club Player of the Year awards for hurling and football respectively.

Holden played a starring role in defence for the Kilkenny club, as they reclaimed the Tommy Moore Cup after final heartache the previous season. The full-back’s All-Ireland semi-final display in which he kept tabs on Dessie Hutchinson came in for particular praise. And he backed up the performance in the final win over Dunloy of Antrim.

He follows in the footsteps of previous winners Hutchinson (Ballygunner), Brendan Maher (Borris–Ileigh), Adrian Mullen (Ballyhale Shamrocks) and Seán Moran (Cuala).

Meanwhile, Cunningham has scooped the football crown. The Kilmacud captain thrived in attack all season, as the Stillorgan club claimed the Andy Merrigan Cup. Following the controversy of Crokes having 16 men on the field for the final play of the game, their triumph was eventually confirmed off the field, more than two weeks after the final took place.

Cunningham’s performances all year were eye-catching, as the team stormed to Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland titles.

Eugene Branagan (Kilcoo), Ronan Steede, Kieran Molloy and Liam Silke (all Corofin) are the past recipients of the football gong.

The awards were announced at a ceremony on Friday night. Holden was absent due to travels, but managed to send a video message from a beach in Mexico to accept the prize.

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