Leinster Players of the Year

athtrasna

Beeb beep, 10am on a Saturday morning. It's the kind folks at Leinster Rugby telling me that Bernard Jackman was voted Bank of Ireland player of the year with Luke Fitzgerald as young player of the year.

Not that I don't find the news interesting but I'm not loving Leinster Rugby's weekend wakeup at the moment


As for the news, agree about Fitzgerald but I've never been a Jackman fan so am slightly perplexed at his selection.

remus808

Jackman has been immense this season?? I'd have to agree with that selection, I'm a huge fan of his. His workrate has been huge, excellent ball carrier, and very solid in the lineout this year. Could have gone to any one of Heaslip, Gleeson, LeRoux or Cullen, but I wouldn't argue with Jackman.

Would have given it to Kearney rather than Fitz also..

themont85

From Leinsterrugby.ie

The Annual Leinster Awards Ball was held in D4 Hotels (formerly Jury’s Inn Ballsbridge) on Friday evening.

Over 400 supporters, club members and players attended the gala event which honoured every facet of the game from grassroots to Senior level.

Leinster and Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman was voted the Bank of Ireland Senior Player of the Year by the supporters.

Bernard Jackman said: “This has come as a real surprise because there have been so many outstanding candidates this year, not just in the pack but right across the backline. I am hugely proud to receive the award and I would like to thank Bank of Ireland and all the supporters for voting for me.

“I feel a bit strange receiving this personal accolade because I couldn’t have done it without the support of the coaching staff and especially my team-mates over the last year. So I would like to dedicate it to them as well as to my friends and family who have been hugely supportive throughout my career.

“It is a massive compliment. Highlights? One of the areas that we targeted improving on at the start of the year was our away form. We have become a side who consistently performs on the road and the victories against Munster, Cardiff, the Ospreys and the Llanelli Scarlets show this. Everyone knows how difficult it is to win away from home. I also took great satisfaction from the home victories over Leicester Tigers and more recently over Munster.

“The six month spell I spent out of the Leinster squad through injury was probably the best thing to happen to me from a rugby perspective because everything that I have achieved since then has been motivated from that period.

“I am proud to represent the province of my birth and I appreciate how lucky I am to play in a squad of this calibre. I was delighted to get recalled to the Ireland team, but from a Leinster perspective this year has been a real team effort from everybody. Hopefully we can continue our good form over the next few weeks in our two games against the Dragons.”

Meanwhile Luke Fitzgerald was awarded the Powerade Young Player of the Year.

Blackrock College second row Geri Healy won the Women’s Player of the Year, while in the O2 Club and Leinster League Player of the Year, the awards went to Tullow RFC and Seapoint’s Johnny Walsh respectively.

The Powerade School of the Year went to CBC Monkstown while Old Belvedere’s Colm Brennan scooped the inaugural Evening Herald Club PRO of the Year.

The FM104 Try of the Year was awarded to Jamie Heaslip and club captain Brian O’Driscoll won the Trapiche Wines Tackle of the Year.

Jack Kirwan of De la Salle Palmerston was inducted into the Kenilworth Motors Hall of Fame, while the soon-to-be retired Keith Gleeson was acknowledged for outstanding service to both Leinster and Ireland with a Special Merit Award.

Clubs also accepting Awards:

Lansdowne J3 League
Old Belvedere J4 League
Blackrock College JP Fanagan League Premier – Super Six – Group 1
Newbridge Leinster League Division 2
Navan Provincial Seconds League Division 1
Coolmine Provincial Seconds League Division 2
Suttonians J1 Metro League Section B
Wanderers JP Fanagan Pennant

Fair play to Jackman, thought Stan Wright deserved an award. He came on massively this year.

escobar

I think Rob Kearney was left out in the cold . What an impact he has had especially at international level this year. He's an amazing attacking player . I thought Luke fitzgerald ,although he showed moments of brilliance, still has a bit of maturing to do. I'd say he's the one to watch for next year.. possibly to shine in the Heineken cup

zAbbo

I think Luke has outscored Rob by about 9-2 in tries...

Size=everything

Not to mention outscoring Kearney 9-2 in ledge factoring

LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE

Crash

Nah, Rob's the one I love to see Fitz still needs some time to mature, slightly overhyped but still huge amounts of potential.

zAbbo

Fitz has a good spark about him, but Rob is certainly the more mature player.

If Fitz can nail his runs without being 1 second in front or behind the pass, he'll be a try machine.

[Jackass]

I also felt Heaslip had a massive claim for player of the year, absolutley imense all season!

But I'm happy with the selection.

Danger_Dave

[Jackass] wrote: »

I also felt Heaslip had a massive claim for player of the year, absolutley imense all season!

+1 , Some stand out performances. Hope to see him perform well down under.

.[Darren]

I would agree with the selection of Jackman, but as for Fitz, no. Kearney was the young player of the year for me

barnesd

Fact is it could have been a number of players. Jackman, Heaslip and Stan Wright have been my top 3 this year. Stan Wright made 34 tackles in the away game against Connacht, for that alone he deserves an award.