COLIN O’RIORDAN MAY not have lifted the All-Ireland U21 football trophy this year but he has been crowned the best U21 player in the 2015 championship.
O’Riordan was yesterday honoured as the EirGrid U21 Player of the Year for 2015 after winning the public vote ahead of the other nominees, the Tyrone duo of Cathal McShane and Lee Brennan.
O’Riordan was inspirational for the Tipperary U21 side, captaining them to win the Munster title before they suffered a narrow defeat in the final against Tyrone.
He’ll be a key figure next Sunday for the Tipperary senior side against Kerry and O’Riordan doesn’t plan on that football clash being the end of his U21 exploits for 2015 as he has one eye on the Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21 hurling semi-final between Tipperary and Limerick on 16 July.
“We’re in there at the moment anyway, myself and Stephen (O’Brien), and hopefully we’ll give (the) U21 hurling a rattle.
“I suppose with the football it’s hard enough to get in there but TJ (Connolly) and the lads have been great. Whenever they see us they’re sort of happy enough. They’re not flogging us.
“They’re not expecting us to be there the whole time. If you can be there and if you can show up they’re happy to have you.”
O’Riordan is the second award-winning Tipperary footballer this week after Steven O’Brien was honoured as the Opel GAA-GPA player of the month for football for May yesterday.
