Senior Hurler & Manager of the Year – Munster GAA Awards 2019
Limerick All-Star Defender Sean Finn has been selected as the 2019 Munster Senior Hurler of the Year. Liam Sheedy has been selected as Manager of the Year for the second time for leading Tipperary to the All-Ireland title back in August.
Other awards announced were the Camogie Player of the Year Beth Carton (Waterford) and Under 20 Hurler of the Year Conor Bowe (Tipperary).
The awards will be presented on Saturday night at a gala dinner in the Castletroy Park Hotel where all the award winners for 2019 will be honoured.
Senior Hurler of the Year – Sean Finn (Limerick)
It was another good year for the tenacious corner-back from Bruff. Following on from winning an All-Star and All-Ireland medal in 2018, Sean Finn’s form throughout the League and Championship saw him solidify his position as one of the top defenders in the game.
A League medal in April was followed by a Munster Championship campaign during which Sean Finn was outstanding, winning man of the match against Clare and securing his first Munster Senior Hurling Championship medal with a win over Tipperary on home soil back in June. Finn deservedly won his second consecutive All-Star Award last month at corner-back.
Finn’s list of medals won with Club and County includes County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship 2014, numerous medals at underage level. Two Munster MHC Medals 2013 and 2014, Under 21 Medals in 2015 and 2017, All-Ireland SHC Medal 2018, Allianz Hurling League 2019 and a Munster SHC Medal 2019.
Manager of the Year – Liam Sheedy (Tipperary)
With the spotlight of the nation focused on his every managerial move, 2019 proved to be a defining year for Munster’s Manager of the Year. When news of his second coming was announced it opened a chapter on unfinished business and with it much analysis of the pros and cons of such a move. Unperturbed, he laid out his plans.
The news also heralded great excitement as the ante would surely be raised in the weeks and months ahead. And so, it was. The core principle of building and creating for the future underpinned his sides League campaign, the Championship is where the ultimate test would lay. A blistering Munster Championship League campaign had the pulses racing as his side hurled with a huge amount of expression and belief. What was being professed was now being delivered. Though a dip in proceedings arrived on Munster’s golden day, the wheels quickly found traction and once again purred and spun to the maestro’s rhythm, August’s holy grail being the ultimate reward for a manger and team at the height of their powers.
Camogie Player of the Year – Beth Carton (Waterford)
Coming from De La Salle Club and from a family steeped in the GAA, Beth Carton has been synonymous with progress of Waterford Senior Camogie of late. An exceptionally talented player, she holds Under 16 B, Minor B and Intermediate All-Ireland medals and was the recipient of a Soaring Star award in 2015. She became the first ever Waterford player to be awarded an All-Star in 2018 and again in 2019 after finishing as the top scorer in the 2019 Liberty Insurance Senior Championship and recently visited New York with the All-Star touring party.
Local recognition includes her being awarded the WLR/Granville GAA overall winner for 2018 and July 2019 monthly award. Beth is currently a final year PE student in UL and joint Captain this year. Holder of three Ashbourne medals Beth was named as the 2019 Ashbourne player of the tournament. She featured prominently this year when her club won the Kilmacud 7’s for the first time in Waterford history.
Under 20 Hurler of the Year – Conor Bowe (Tipperary)
Two appearances in the Bord Gáis Energy Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship and two Man of the Match performances catapulted our next recipient to the forefront of the underage limelight this Summer. Though his side were sluggish in the first half in the semi-final, they motored better in the second half to secure safe passage to the Munster Final aided by two goals from this exciting young player.
In that Final, the sun shone gloriously on Semple Stadium where Tipperary and Cork produced an absolute thriller of a contest, with the Premier men emerging victorious after an often frantic and titanic battle. It was end to end throughout, where once again this player contributed 1-4 of his side’s tally.
He kept his form through the campaign and is sure to have an exciting career ahead of him.
The full list of Munster GAA Awards 2019 winners are –
| Cathal O’Neill | Limerick | Munster GAA Minor Hurler of the Year 2019 |
| Shane Meehan | Clare | Munster GAA Minor Footballer of the Year 2019 |
| Beth Carton | Waterford | Munster Camogie Player of the Year 2019 |
| Melissa Duggan | Cork | Munster Ladies Footballer of the Year 2019 |
| Cathail O’Mahony | Cork | Munster GAA Under 20 Footballer of the Year 2019 |
| Stephen O’Brien | Kerry | Munster GAA Senior Footballer of the Year 2019 |
| Muiris (Monnie) Hallahan | Waterford | Munster GAA Distinguished Service Award 2019 |
| Borris-Ileigh | Tipperary | Munster GAA Club of the Year 2019 |
| Christy Philpott | Clare | Munster GAA Handball Person of the Year 2019 |
| Tony Wall | Tipperary | Munster GAA Hall of Fame in Hurling 2019 |
| Donie O’Sullivan | Kerry | Munster GAA Hall of Fame in Football 2019 |
| Conor Bowe | Tipperary | Munster GAA Under 20 Hurler of the Year 2019 |
| Sean Finn | Limerick | Munster GAA Senior Hurler of the Year 2019 |
| Liam Sheedy | Tipperary | Munster GAA Manager of the Year 2019 |
