O’Driscoll favourite for Sports Personality of the Year award

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has made Brian O’Driscoll its early odds-on favourite at 4/7 to win this year’s Irish Sports Personality of the Year, after Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam win at the weekend.

Second favourite on the bookmaker's list at 3/1 is Bernard Dunne. The Clondalkin native wowed crowds at the O2 arena on Saturday night with a stunning victory over Ricardo Cordoba to be crowned the new world champion.

Other sports personalities on the list include towering second row Paul O’Connell at 6/1 and champion jockey Ruby Walsh at 10/1, fresh from an incredibly successful Cheltenham festival.

Reigning Open and USPGA champion Padraig Harrington is 16/1 to win the 2009 Sports Personality of the year and with nine months to go and four majors on the sporting calendar, neither Harrington nor Rory McIlroy at 25/1 should be ruled out for the accolade just yet.

The Irish rugby team are quoted at a prohibitive 1/200 to win the Team of the Year 2009 accolade. The Kilkenny hurling team are their nearest rivals at 12/1.

Paddy Power said: “It’s hard to see past O’Driscoll after his performance at the weekend and throughout the year but with over nine months to go until the awards night and Irish sport already off to a flyer this year, the betting could change dramatically!”