GALWAY STAR CONOR Whelan and Tyrone’s Darragh Canavan have won the PwC GAA-GPA player of the month awards for June.
Whelan came close to securing Galway Leinster glory with an outstanding performance against eventual winners Kilkenny in the Leinster hurling final.
The Tribesmen got their season back on track with Whelan putting in an impressive display against Tipperary, scoring 1-4 at the Gaelic Grounds, as they qualified for Saturday’s semi-final against Limerick.
Darragh Canavan played an integral role in securing Tyrone a place in the final eight of this year’s All-Ireland championship. June saw Canavan score eight points across two games against Donegal and Armagh. His five-point haul at MacCumhaill Park against Donegal sealed Tyrone’s quarter-final berth.
Antrim’s Caitrin Dobbin and Galway’s Nicola Ward won the women’s player of the month awards in camogie and ladies football.
Dobbin starred for the Antrim camogie team as they made it two wins from two against Offaly in a gripping game to book their place in the knockout stages. Her clinical ground strike finishing and array of passing stood out.
In football, two impressive performances from defensive rock Nicola Ward relieved the pressure for Galway as they overwhelmed Tipperary and Cork in the first two rounds of the All-Ireland championship. Her dominant defensive displays in June highlighted Ward’s leadership and influence on this Galway side.
GPA chief executive Tom Parsons said “Congratulations to each of the players on being selected as the winners of these awards by your peers. There is something really special in being recognised in this way by your teammates and opponents who know exactly what it takes to perform at the highest level.”
