The nominees for the 2022 SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland flagship awards have been announced.
The Men’s Personality of the Year, Women’s Personality of the Year, and Goalkeeper of the Year awards will be presented at a banquet in Dublin’s Burlington Hotel on Saturday, January 14, 2023.
In the Men’s Personality of the Year category, four of the six nominees are managers.
Shamrock Rovers’ Stephen Bradley led the Hoops to a third Premier Division title on the bounce, while also steering them into the Europa Conference League group stages.
Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins lifted the FAI Cup at the end of a strong campaign, which also saw them finish second in the league.
Damien Duff suffered cup final pain at the hands of the Candystripes as his Shelbourne team were beaten in the decider but it was a strong return to the top flight for the Reds in Duff’s maiden campaign at the helm.
Meanwhile, Colin Healy is looking forward to life in the Premier Division after impressively guiding Cork City to the First Division crown.
Shamrock Rovers striker Rory Gaffney is acknowledged for his excellent season with the champions, while his team-mate Andy Lyons – who has since moved on to Blackpool – was also a key cog in Bradley’s machine.
In the Women’s Personality of the Year five players and one manager make up the six-person short list.
Shelbourne veteran Pearl Slattery helped the Reds to a memorable league and cup double, with the versatile Jessie Stapleton also playing a huge role in Shels’ run to glory.
Tommy Hewitt brought Athlone Town all the way to the FAI Cup final, where they lost to Shels, and steered them to within a whisker of winning the league in a breakthrough campaign.
Striker Emily Corbet was one of Athlone’s stars, her goal haul taking the league by storm. Peamount United’s Aine O’Gorman is nominated for the second year in succession, having finished as the Women’s National League’s top scorer for the third year in a row.
The Goalkeeper of the Year award will be contested by Derry City’s Brian Maher, Shamrock Rovers’ evergreen stopper Alan Mannus, and Dundalk No 1 Nathan Shepperd.
