JAMES RYAN IS the Leinster Players’ Player of the Year for 2018/19.
Ryan was presented with the award at the Leinster Awards Ball last night, and it caps his meteoric rise with the province having won the Young Player of the Year award only last season.
That gong went Max Deegan’s way this time around.
Elsewhere, Sene Naoupu won the Women’s Rugby award, St Michael’s College were given the School of the Year award and the Supporters’ award was given to Sean Cronin.
The Try of the Year award went to Dave Kearney, for his score against Toulouse in the fifth round of the Heineken Champions Cup group stages.
Former St. Mary’s College, Leinster, Ireland and British & Irish Lion Paul Dean was inducted into the Leinster Rugby Hall of Fame.
Dean, who is now the Ireland Team Manager, won 32 caps for Ireland but was also hugely influential off the field with Leinster as an Assistant Coach to the first-ever professional team to play in the Heineken Cup and in more recent times as a key member of the Professional Games Board.
The club also paid tribute to departing players, with Seán O’Brien, Jack McGrath, Noel Reid, Mick Kearney, Nick McCarthy, Ian Nagle, and Tom Daly celebrated for all they had achieved with Leinster over the years.
With Nagle and Daly on loan at Ulster and Connacht respectively and thus unable to attend, the other five players were presented with their official Leinster Rugby caps by President Lorcan Balfe.
The full list of winners is below.
LAYA HEALTHCARE YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Winner: – Max Deegan
DEEP RIVER ROCK SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Winner: – St. Michael’s College, accepted by Tim Kelleher
BEAUCHAMPS CONTRIBUTION TO LEINSTER RUGBY AWARD
Winner: – Larry Halpin, Terenure College
CITYJET SENIOR CLUB OF THE YEAR AWARD
Winner: – Naas RFC accepted by President, Phil Kiely
LIFE STYLE SPORTS SUPPORTERS PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Winner: – Seán Cronin
ENERGIA WOMEN’S RUGBY AWARD
Winner: Sene Naoupu
GUINNESS HALL OF FAME AWARD
Winner: – Paul Dean
IRISH INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL AWARD
Winner: Patrician Secondary School Newbridge, accepted by Andrew Burke and Ailleen Langton
BEARINGPOINT TACKLE OF THE YEAR
Winner: – Luke McGrath
BANK OF IRELAND JUNIOR CLUB OF THE YEAR AWARD
Winner: – Suttonians RFC, accepted by John Hughes, President
IRISH INDEPENDENT TRY OF THE YEAR
Winner: – Dave Kearney (try vs. Toulouse in the RDS in Rd. 5 of the Heineken Champions Cup)
BANK OF IRELAND PLAYER’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Winner: James Ryan
