THE SHORTLIST FOR RTÉ Sports Person of the Year is packed with worthy contenders.
First in our look at each of the nominees, Paul Dollery endorses the claims of Olympic silver medallist and World and European Championship gold medallist Paul O’Donovan…
When Paul and Gary O’Donovan rose to prominence during the early stages of this summer’s Olympic Games, their colourful interviews were responsible at first.
Inadvertently playing the role of innocent country boys on a day out, the Cork brothers entertained audiences by discussing their ‘pull like a dog and hope for the best’ strategy instead of their prospects of actually bringing a medal back to Skibbereen.
However, when it came to representing Ireland on the water against the best in the world, it soon became clear that the O’Donovans weren’t in Rio de Janeiro for “a bit of craic”.
The brothers went to Brazil on the back of winning gold in the men’s lightweight double sculls at the European Championships in Brandenburg three months earlier.
They were narrowly beaten by the French pair of Jérémie Azou and Pierre Houin in the Rio final, but a second-place finish gave Ireland its first ever Olympic medal in rowing.
Instead of basking in the glory of the historic achievement, Paul went to Rotterdam just two weeks later in search of another medal — and he delivered it in emphatic fashion.
Flying solo on this occasion in the lightweight single sculls, the 22-year-old blew the competition away to win gold at the World Championships with over four seconds to spare.
Hailing from a country where success at European, World and Olympic level doesn’t occur often in any sport, O’Donovan’s success on all three fronts in 2016 should win him this award against some stiff competition.
And if he does, he’ll owe his brother Gary a few plates of shteak and shpuds over Christmas.
Wow what a coincidence that Austin overrated Gleason announced earlier on today how he got his hunger back and was rejoining the panel next year.
@Ron Burgundy: Austin Gleeson over rated? Just wondering do you remember Austin in 2016? Young hurler of the year, hurler of the year, all Ireland under 21 winner, a stalwart at centre back in all the years up to 2016.
Unfortunately then a lad named Derek McGrath was manager of Waterford senior team, and utterly destroyed Austin Gleason and so many other fantastic hurlers in Waterford at that time. Austin Gleason hasn’t played centre back since then. It’s my belief his career was destroyed by over complicated tactics, being played out of position and his freedom to express his hurling on the field stymied.
And about the aforementioned manager, when Waterford won the u-21 in 2016, the senior manager never once congratulated the u-21 manager.
Another thing, the manager of that U-21 all Ireland also managed the same team 3 years earlier to win a minor all Ireland and yet that manager has never been contacted by Waterford GAA Co board to see if in the years from 2019-2023 would he be interested in managing the senior (there are still a good number of both all Ireland winning players on the senior panel. Politics eh. If Sean Power had become Waterford manager, I would definitely say, Waterford would have at least one senior sll Ireland title under his guidance.
@WqM9AAv3: if he’s as good as you say he is he should be able to play anywhere they put him and complicated tactics.. whatever they are… should be no issue to a hurler of his talent.
@anthony davoren: Austin Gleason is a natural hurler, with natural talent and natural flair. All this was coached out of him. Austin was a fearless hurler all the way up to 2016 when he won the above.
Unfortunately after that year, his fearlessness was coached out of him. Certain managers are dictators and if you don’t do as they dictate, it’s bye bye for you
@WqM9AAv3: So in a nutshell, he had a good 2016, that’s 8 years ago btw. He sulked (because of davy fitz) and came up with an excuse that he fell out of love with the game this lsst year. 10 intercounty seasons now and nothing to show for it. But its everyones fault bar Austin’s according to you.
@WqM9AAv3: IF my aunt had balls she would be my uncle.
@WqM9AAv3: I never heard so much nonsense in my life…no such thing as natural talent…the reason he was so good was from the coaching he got over the years and the time he put into practising his craft. The reason he fell away is because mentally and physically he couldn’t sustain the level required. That’s on him, not the manager’s he has had.
@WqM9AAv3: stop talking lad, you’re doing the opposite to what you think you’re doing
Perhaps Brian Logan has decided to call it a day with Clare and there will be a second coming for Davy in Clare.
As a Deise man, I won’t be shedding any tears with him gone. Give the position to a waterford man like Darragh O Sullivan or Sean Power, forget about looking outside the county for a manager. How many outside managers have won all Ireland hurling titles?
@WqM9AAv3: I fear that no matter who is in charge in Waterford there’ll always be excuses.
Just out of curiosity which All Ireland since 2017 would Waterford have “definetly” won?