Kerry’s Emma Costello and Galway’s Niamh McPeake have been named as the June winners of the PwC GPA Women’s Player of the Month awards for Ladies Football and Camogie.
They are joined in the monthly roll of honour by Kerry’s Dylan Geaney and Limerick goalkeeper Nickie Quaid, who have been named as the PwC GAA/GPA Footballer and Hurler of the Month.
The June awards recognise standout performances across a month in which the Gaelic Games championships moved through provincial finals, All-Ireland group stages and quarter-final action, with places in the closing stages of the summer beginning to take shape.
For Kerry defender Emma Costello, the recognition comes after a series of important contributions as the Kingdom moved into an All-Ireland quarter-final against Meath. Her display against Kildare was singled out for the strength of her defending, while she also contributed at the other end of the field with a point.
Galway’s Niamh McPeake was equally central to her side’s response after defeat to Cork. The reigning All-Ireland champions bounced back with two wins, with McPeake leading the charge and scoring two impressive goals in the victory over Tipperary that helped secure Galway a direct route into the All-Ireland semi-finals.
In men’s football, Dylan Geaney’s form for Kerry through June earned him the PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Month award. The forward scored 17 points across three championship victories, including a Player of the Match performance in Kerry’s win over Tyrone.
Nickie Quaid’s latest award is recognition of another major moment in an exceptional career. The Limerick goalkeeper produced two remarkable saves in the Munster Hurling Final against Cork, interventions that proved critical as Limerick once again found a way to claim provincial silverware.
PwC is one of the longest-standing commercial supporters of excellence recognition within Gaelic Games. The company has supported the GAA/GPA since 2012, became title sponsor of the PwC All-Stars in 2017, and added title sponsorship of the PwC Camogie All-Stars in 2022. Its support now spans the PwC All-Stars, PwC Camogie All-Stars, PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month, and PwC GPA Women’s Player of the Month awards.
Enda McDonagh, Managing Partner, PwC Ireland, said: “June brought another month of exceptional performances across all four codes as teams battled for provincial honours and crucial All-Ireland Championship victories. On behalf of everyone at PwC, congratulations to Emma Costello, Niamh McPeake, Dylan Geaney, and Nickie Quaid on being recognised as the Players of the Month for June.”
GAA President Jarlath Burns said the winners reflected rising standards as the championship intensified.
“As the Championships ratcheted up their intensity, so too did the calibre of the performances that decided some incredible games, and our four winners reflect that. Dylan, Nickie, Emma and Niamh are worthy ambassadors for all of the stellar individual displays that have illuminated the summer to date. In congratulating them, I also salute our partners in PwC for their continuing commitment to honouring the incredible athletes performing Gaelic Games at the highest level.”
GPA CEO Tom Parsons added, “These monthly awards are recognition from their fellow players of the stand-out contributions of the winners. Niamh, Emma, Nickie, and Dylan made game-changing impacts during June that rightly see them being honoured today. Congratulations to all four on their displays. Thank you to our partners in PwC and the GAA for their help in shining a spotlight on the excellence of our inter-county players.”
The awards come at a point in the season when individual influence is increasingly being measured by its impact on championship survival and momentum. Costello, McPeake, Geaney and Quaid each delivered when the margins of the summer began to narrow, making June a month to remember for all four.
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Image Credit: PwC and Sportsfile, Dave Fitzgerald
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