Carberys finest will be treated like stars

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

THE landscape of the Carbery junior football and hurling championships will never be the same again following the launch of an exciting new awards scheme on Wednesday night.

The 2015 Carbery GAA Junior All-Stars were unveiled at the Westlodge Hotel in Bantry this week, in conjunction with a media launch for the upcoming Carbery junior football and hurling championships, which are set to throw in quite shortly.

There has been great excitement surrounding the 2015 Carbery GAA Junior All-Stars, an exciting new venture run by the Carbery GAA Board in conjunction with the main sponsors, the Westlodge Hotel, and media partners, The Southern Star.

These awards will honour the top performers in Carbery’s prized championships, in the same manner as the well-known national All-Star series, and a gala event in the Westlodge Hotel in November will be the biggest night in the West Cork GAA calendar this year.

On the night, the best 15 footballers and hurlers in both this year’s Carbery junior football and hurling championships will be honoured, but there’s more, as a Player of the Year in both hurling and football – selected on their performances in the junior championships – will be crowned.

‘The Carbery junior hurling and football champioships are always keenly contested and this scheme will honour the 15 outstanding junior players in both codes at a gala banquet on Saturday, Novemeber 14th next,’ stated Carbery GAA chairman John Corcoran at the official launch of the scheme at the Westlodge Hotel, on Wednesday night.

‘It is also proposed to have a Player of the Year in both hurling and football. The board is extremely grateful to the Westlodge Hotel for their sponsorship and to The Southern Star for facilitating the scheme.’

Continuing, the Carbery chairman said: ‘I hope this scheme, which is based on the national award scheme, goes from strength to strength and will become part of the GAA landscape for years to come.

‘We are lucky here in West Cork that we have such competitive championships and this scheme is designed to honour our players who make such a huge contribution to the popularity and appeal of our games.

‘Down through the years some outstanding players have adorned the fields of West Cork in their quest for an elusive championship medal. While some have achieved their goals, many more outstanding players have never won that cherished medal and have little to show for their sterling efforts.

‘It is hoped that this new scheme will compensate current and future players to the greatest extent possible for the pain of defeat and act as a tangible reward for their excellence on the GAA fields,’ concluded the chairman.

The 2015 Carbery Junior Football All-Star team will honour the best 15 players, in their positions, from this year’s Rowa/Rowex junior A and junior B football championships.

The 2015 Carbery Junior Hurling All-Star team will consist of the 15 top players from this season’s Kinetica junior A hurling championship.

A selection committee has been put in place, tasked with the job of watching and selecting the very first, and historic, Carbery GAA Junior All-Stars.

The Southern Star, as official media partners to these fantastic new awards, will keep you, the reader, updated every step of the way with all developments and news in relation to 2015 Carbery GAA Junior All-Stars, as well as continue to be the undisputed number one for GAA coverage in West Cork.