Westmeath footballer Kieran Martin and Tipperary hurler John O’Dwyer have been named the GAA/GPA Opel Players of the Month for June.
Both players were key men in their respective county’s routes to the Leinster football and Munster hurling finals, although the duo experienced contrasting outcomes in last Sunday’s deciders.
Martin, along with John Heslin were the key players for Westmeath right up to their eventual loss against Dublin. He converted an impressive 1-2 from play in his side’s 1-21 to 0-15 triumph over Wexford, but it was his match-winning performance against rivals Meath that grabbed all of the headlines, scoring 2-3 from play as Westmeath spectacularly overturned an eight-point deficit at half-time to claim their first ever championship victory over their neighbours.
Speaking at the awards, Martin said; “It is a great honour and I’m thrilled. It was a fantastic month for Westmeath football, and I’m extremely proud to have contributed to it. We’ve made huge progress this year which we’re all hoping will continue into the future.”
Originally a doubt for the game after picking up an ankle injury in training, John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer played through the pain barrier and was an integral part of Tipp’s Munster semi-final win over Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds.
As well as setting up teammate Seamus Callanan for a goal, Bubbles himself knocked over some spectacular points on his way to scoring 0-7. The Premier County went on to claim their fifth Munster title in ten years at the weekend, beating Waterford on a scoreline of 0-21 to 0-16, with O’Dwyer adding 0-5 to his scoring tally for the year.
On receiving his award, O’Dwyer said; “It is a very satisfying feeling - it’s always nice to be recognised individually, but it was very much a team effort against Limerick. We hadn’t won there in ten years, so we really had to focus and apply ourselves in order to break that record and get ourselves into the Munster final.”
