Shane O’Donnell of Clare, Brendan Rogers of Derry, Sinead Goldrick of Dublin and Lorraine Bray of Waterford have been named as the May winners of the PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month Awards across the four main codes of Gaelic Games.
All four are still engaged in Championship action with O’Donnell preparing for this weekend’s All Ireland Quarter Final against Wexford and Rodgers ten days out from the same stage in Football against a Clare side managed by O’Donnell’s Dad.
O’Donnell originally burst onto the scene with a hat-trick of goals in Clare’s defeat of Cork in the 2013 All-Ireland final replay, was a key man in Clare’s drive to the Munster hurling final, a run which included a thrilling draw with All-Ireland champions Limerick in the round-robin phase.
This time last year though he was suffering from a serious concussion and felt in his own mind that his inter-county career was over. He considered a move to the US to complete a doctorate in microbiology at Harvard which would probably and will still in the future have meant a semi-permanent move but for the moment he put that on hold.
Brendan Rogers was one of Derry’s stand-out performers as the Oak Leaf County won their first Ulster title since 1998, taking out three Division 1 counties along the way. In the provincial final against Donegal, he pushed up the pitch to score three points from play.
Goldrick helped to inspire Dublin to their Leinster final success over Meath and is committed to Dublin for the length of this summer’s championship before going back down under for another season with Melbourne in the AFLW.
Waterford’s camogie team won one and lost one in May, with their captain Bray, an All-Star in 2019, leading from the front. They opened their campaign with a defeat against Dublin but bounced back with a big win over Wexford in All-Ireland Group 1.
“It is a source of great pride to us that these awards acknowledge the efforts and talent of women and men in Gaelic Games equally, reflecting our own values as a firm,” said PwC Managing Partner Feargal O’Rourke.
“Each of our winners delivered outstanding displays as individuals, which helped them to achieve success as part of a team. We wish them all the best as the business end of the Championship season approaches.”
“Our Championships have provided incredible entertainment in recent weeks and not surprisingly some memorable performances,” added GAA President Larry McCarthy.
“In football, Derry’s run in Ulster has been the stand-out story so far and few men did more than Brendan Rogers in the month of May to power them towards the final. On the hurling front, Clare generated impressive momentum over the course of the month, and it would be difficult to overlook the contribution of Shane O’Donnell to their cause.”
“Heartiest congratulations to both also to Lorraine Bray and Sinéad Goldrick on their respective camogie and football awards and indeed to all of those who were nominated on the back of strong showings in May.”
“On behalf of the GPA, I want to first and foremost congratulate Lorraine, Sinéad, Shane and Brendan for their outstanding individual performances in May which are being recognized here today,” said Maria Kinsella, Co-Chair of the GPA’s National Executive Committee.
“As these awards are voted on by your fellow players, you should feel very proud that both your own teammates and your opponents, chose you as worthy recipients.”
“It is also always important to acknowledge and thank PwC on behalf of GPA members for your ongoing support for players and your commitment to furthering equal treatment for both male and female athletes.”
Sport for Business Partners