Pat Havern, a forward player from Down, has been honoured as the Tailteann Footballer of the Year in recognition of his outstanding performances that played a vital role in securing the county’s championship win this year. Already distinguished as a member of the championship team as a left corner forward, Havern proved his versatility by effectively playing in the centre of the field. This role drew praise from his manager, Conor Laverty, particularly after the Tailteann semi-final triumph over Sligo, during which Havern scored 0-7, with three from play. The manager acknowledged that greater freedom on the pitch has led to Havern facing increased man marking due to his considered threat as a scorer. However, he is highly commended for his resilience and consistent dedication to training and game performance. Havern reportedly never misses training sessions and has played in every McKenna Cup and league game.
In hurling, Offaly’s Charlie Mitchell was declared the winner of the equivalent award. He was named Man of the Match in the McDonagh Cup final, scoring 0-4 from play in a critical contribution to his team’s victory against Laois. Subsequently, Mitchell was chosen to be the right corner forward on the championship team.
The Ring, Mackey and Meagher awards were respectively presented to Jack Goulding of London, Donegal’s Liam McKinney and Cian Darcy from Longford. The awards were deliberated by a GAA media selection committee and announced at a special ceremony held at Croke Park on Friday evening. The event was also streamed on the GAA’s YouTube channel.
The PwC All-Stars and Players of the Year for both the Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cup championships will be presented on Friday, November 1st, at the RDS. The prestigious Players of the Year awards went to Pat Havern (Tailteann Cup), Charlie Mitchell (Joe McDonagh), Jack Goulding (Christy Ring Cup), Liam McKinney (Nickey Rackard), and Cian Darcy (Lory Meagher).