Prendergast is the toast of the Deise

UNLUCKY to have been passed over for an Allstar award, Ardmore’s Seamas Prendergast has the compensation of being named ‘Waterford Hurler Of The Year.’

Brilliant throughout the championship campaign in which the Decies surrendered their provincial title to Cork and lost again to the Leesiders, in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Prendergast has also been a model of consistency at club level.

His finest hour was unquestionably in that All-Ireland quarter final against Cork, when the Waterford challenge only faltered in the closing ten minutes. Prendergast was majestic throughout and deservedly won the RTE “Man Of The Match’ award. He was considered by many shrewd hurling pundits to be a ‘shoo-in’ for what would have been his first All Star, but he was inexplicably passed over.

“It would have been nice to be named in the Allstar fifteen,” Seamas said, “But it is also an immense personal honour to be named “hurler of the year’ in my own county.”

The “Footballer Of The Year’ accolade has gone to Stradbally’s prolific scoring corner forward Niall Curran who picks up the award for the third time. Curran had a superb year as Stradbally emulated the feat of the club’s famous team of the 1940s in winning the title for a fifth successive year.

The ‘Young Hurler Of The Year’ is De La Salle’s Kevin Moran, one of the most exciting prospects the county has thrown up in a long time.

Moran played for his club in both the minor and senior county finals and picked up a minor medal when De La Salle romped to victory against Abbeyside. He also starred in the senior decider as his club lost out to Ballygunner by a solitary point.

Ballinacourty’s Sean O’Hare is a deserving winner of the ‘Young Footballer Of The Year’, while Ballyduff Upper has been named ‘Club Of The Year’ after contesting three county finals, including their victorious assault on the intermediate hurling title.

The Jack Furlong Award for those who work diligently behind the scenes for the Association has gone to Jimmy McCarthy of the Glen Rovers club in Mount Melleray.

AWARDS: Hurler Of The Year - Seamas Prendergast (Ardmore); Footballer Of The Year - Niall Curran (Stradbally); Young Hurler Of The Year - Kevin Moran (De La Salle); Young Footballer Of The Year - Sean O’Hare (Ballinacourty); Club Of The Year - Ballyduff Upper; Jack Furlong Award - Jimmy McCarthy (Glen Rovers, Mount Melleray).