Mayo Player of the Year named

Standing ovation for Player of Year


The Awards
Daniel Carey

RICHIE Feeney received a standing ovation after being named Senior Footballer of the Year at the sixth annual Mayo News/O’Neills Club Stars Charity Banquet in Knockranny House Hotel, Westport, on Friday night.
The Castlebar Mitchels defender was the people’s choice, winning most votes in a www.mayonews.ie poll where he was short-listed along with his brother Alan and Ballintubber duo Alan Dillon and Jason Gibbons. He was presented with the Willie McNeely Perpetual Trophy by special guest Peter Canavan.
Feeney put in a series of outstanding displays throughout the 2010 championship. But the death of his father, Ger, and Donal McEllin cast a shadow on the county final, in which Mitchels lost to Ballintubber.
“It’s been a tough year,” the CBE employee told Master of Ceremonies Liam Horan. “It was tough to play in the county final, and tough to lose it. We’ll be back next year and give it a rattle.” Warning other teams to ‘watch out’ for the Mitchels, he said it would be ‘nice’ to get Ballintubber in the final again.
All proceeds from the banquet, which was run in association with AIB, will go to the Mayo branch of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. Padraig Burns said it was “a fantastic night” for the charity, which aims to raise €750,000 to build a specialist CF unit at Mayo General Hospital.
The Feeney brothers were among five Mitchels players picked on the Club Stars team of 2010, which honours the cream of Mayo club footballers for their performances in this year’s championship. They were joined by team-mates Ciaran Naughton, Donal Newcombe and Neil Douglas. County champons Ballintubber picked up six awards. Dillon and Gibbons were joined by Gary Loftus, John Feeney and Alan Plunkett in the first 15, while Cathal Hallinan was among the replacements.



Knockmore duo Trevor Howley and Damien Munnelly, Breaffy’s Aidan O’Shea and Crossmolina’s Ian Rowland were among the first 15 selected by SeΡn Rice (The Mayo News), SeΡn Feeney (Mayo GAA Board Secretary), Eamon Clarke (former Knockmore manager) and Austin Garvin (The Mayo News) out of the 30 nominees short-listed.
Tourmakeady duo Brendan Prendergast and Kevin Dolan, Burrishoole’s James Moran and Charlestown’s Paul Mulligan made up the rest of the replacements. Mulligan also picked up the Golden Boot as the leading scorer in the Senior Championship.
James Horan was named Manager of the Year for guiding Ballintubber to their first ever Moclair Cup. Tourmakeady’s Brendan Prendergast edged out Burrishoole duo James Moran and Jason Doherty for the Intermediate Player of the Year award, though Doherty picked up the Golden Boot as the leading scorer in the Intermediate Championship.
Parke’s Tom Walsh was named Junior Player of the Year ahead of team-mate Simon Cloherty and Islandeady’s Ollie Feeney. Cill Chomain’s Derek Moran was the leading scorer from play in the Intermediate Championship.
Michelle Corbett was “thrilled” to accept the Special Achievement Award on behalf of Carnacon ladies football club. Her vow that Carnacon were not going to the All-Ireland final to “make up the numbers” drew a roar of approval from the capacity crowd.