Shane Duffy named player of year as Damien Duff enrolled Hall of Fame

Shane Duffy was named the FAI Senior Player of the Year for 2017 last night but the big Brighton defender was unable to collect his award in person as the weather took its toll on the annual televised ceremony in RTÉ, with the programme having to be shortened from a scheduled running time of 90 minutes to one hour.

Preston’s Sean Maguire — named League of Ireland Player of the Year for his huge contribution to Cork City’s title-winning season — was another winner unable to fly to Dublin from Manchester in time for the show, while Roy Keane and a number of other players were similarly grounded by the snow.

Others honoured on the night included Cyrus Christie (Young International Player), Harriet Scott (Senior International Women), Josh Cullen (U21), Sean McLoughlin (Colleges and Universities), and James McClean who bagged Goal of the Year for his winner against Wales in Cardiff.