Clann na nGael
Player of the Year - 1999
Clann's "Player of the Year" for 1999 has established a reputation for himself in recent years as one of the most tenacious and tight-marking defenders in the game.
He graduated from Clann's under-age ranks without having won major honours and this, allied to his naturally quiet and unassuming ways, meant his début on the club senior team in 1994 went largely unheralded. But before long it was obvious that Clann had unearthed a defender of sterling quality, and within two years he had attracted the attention of the county selectors.
Over the last four years his speed off the mark and ability to read the game have made him a firm favourite with fans of the county team. Players such as Galway's Niall Finnegan and Mayo's David Nestor have nominated him as the defender they least like to see coming in their direction at throw-in time.
Over the years he has also given gifted and loyal service to the Clann na nGael team, which he helped in no small way to championship honours in 1995 and 1996. Indeed one of the figures Clann's supporters can surely rely on for an early return to glory in the new Millennium is our 1999 "Player of the Year"
Denis Gavin