Their awards recognise the outstanding contribution both players made to their county’s performances in Kildare and Cork in the Championship during May 2009. Dermot Earley played a pivotal role in Kildare’s Leinster SFC win over Offaly in Portlaoise while Eoin Cadagon delivered a man-of-the-match display at full-back for the Cork hurlers despite their set-back to Tipperary in a thrilling Munster SHC clash at Semple Stadium.
Chairman of Hurling Selection Committee, Donal O’Grady praised the contribution of Cork hurler Eoin Cadogan during the Munster SHC quarter-final: “Eoin Cadogan confounded a lot of reservations about his new role in the No.3 jersey for Cork by delivering an outstanding display at fullback against Tipperary in the Munster SHC clash in Thurles last month. He was deserving of the post match plaudits and has now been acknowledged by his fellow players for the performance.”
Dessie Farrell, Chief Executive of the GPA, said “Congratulations to both players for their contributions to their championship openers. Dermot was the central figure for Kildare in an impressive display against Offaly while Eoin did a fantastic job taking over from Diarmuid O’Sullivan in the Cork fullback line against Tipperary. Both were obviously popular choices among the players.”
Aislinn Connolly of Opel Ireland said: “Opel Ireland congratulates Dermot and Owen on winning the Opel GPA Player of the Month Awards for May 2009. It is an honour for these players to be voted for by their peers. It has been a great start to the Championship and we look forward to an exciting summer.”
