Aaron Gillane and David Clifford made history at the PwC GAA/GPA Hurler and Footballer of the Year awards, presented at Friday night’s event in Dublin’s RDS. Gillane, who featured strongly in Limerick’s clean sweep of league, province and scored 3-47, including 3-15 from play.
Remarkably, he becomes the third person from his club Patrickswell to win the award after Diarmaid Byrnes last year and Cian Lynch in 2021 and 2018.
Clifford, who has been the game’s top forward since he made his debut in 2018, establishes a record for the scheme in winning back-to-back Footballer of the Year awards.
In his latest year of achievement, Clifford was shaded as the championship’s top scorer both overall by Shane McGuigan and from play by Colm Basquel but he had an enormous influence on Kerry’s progress to the All-Ireland final, particularly catching the eye with his no-look over the shoulder kick into Tony Brosnan, which led to Seán O’Shea’s goal.
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In the final, which wasn’t his best game of the year, he still produced a bravura moment when surrounded in the corner, by threading a ball into Paul Geaney for Kerry’s goal.
He joins some distinguished company from previous generations, who achieved the same distinction in the now defunct Texaco awards. His fellow Kerry man Jack O’Shea (twice, 1980 and 1981, 1984 and 1985), Dublin sharp shooter Jimmy Keaveney (1976 and 1977) and Down’s marauding centre forward Jim McCartan (1960 and ‘61) all retained the award.
Finally, the young players of the year awards went to Clare’s Mark Rogers in hurling for a year in which he scored 4-25 in his county’s progress to an All-Ireland semi-final and in football, Derry forward Ethan Doherty, nominated for the second year.
The award caps a whirlwind year, starting with narrow defeat in the All-Ireland club final, promotion to Division One, a second successive Ulster medal and All-Ireland semi-final appearance.
