LOOK who is in the running for the prestigious 2025 West Cork Sports Star of the Year award, with the winner to be crowned at the annual awards this Saturday night in the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery.

LEAH CAREY: No-one involved in the history-making Skibbereen Community School team will ever forget March 2025 – this is the year they won the All-Ireland PPS senior A football title, beating Loreto College of Cavan in the final thanks to a last-gasp Maebh Collins point. Not only was Leah Carey captain of these young trailblazers – the first West Cork school to win this title – but the Ilen Rovers player was also named player of the match. She led by example.

Leah Carey lifts the cup for Skibbereen CS.

NICOLA TUTHILL: It was another year to remember for the Kilbrittain hammer thrower who went on to finish 11th at her first senior World Athletics Championships, while also winning silver medals at the World University Games and European U23 Championships, and twice broke the national U23 hammer throw record. In March 2025, Nicola won gold at the European Throwing Cup (U23), the first Irish athlete to achieve this.

JACK CULLINANE: Leading by example, Jack captained Hamilton High School Bandon to their first-ever Simcox Cup final win when they beat Skibbereen Community School in an all West Cork final at Páirc Uí Rinn in March. This was an important moment for GAA in the school, to bring home the senior colleges’ football cup for the first time.

CHRIS COLLINS: The Clonakilty Soccer Club striker added a monthly award to his growing collection of trophies after the 2024/25 season saw the club cement their place as No. 1 in the West Cork League. Collins’ goals helped fire Clon to four trophies: Premier Division, Beamish Cup, Premier Division Cup and Michael Cronin Cup. Simply dominant.

CAOIMHE FLANNERY: One of the top young athletes in West Cork, the Castlehaven teen was simply dominant when she won gold in the senior girls’ 1500m steeplechase at the All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in late May. Leading from start to finish, Caoimhe stormed to gold in an Irish schools’ record time of 4:56.02.

DAMIEN CAHALANE: A West Cork connection to the Cork hurlers, Castlehaven footballer Damien helped the Rebels win the Munster senior hurling title after an extra-time epic against Limerick in June. This was Damien’s fourth senior provincial hurling title, following on from wins in 2014, 2017 and 2018.

ALLIE TOBIN: Skibbereen teen Allie captained the Cork minor ladies football team that won the All-Ireland title in July, beating Dublin in the final. The O’Donovan Rossa player led by example, as always, and completed a unique hat-trick of winning All-Ireland titles with her club (junior, 2023), school (Skibbereen Community School, senior A, 2025) and county.

SHANE CROWLEY: Winning the All-Ireland U18 boys’ road bowling title in August meant a lot to the Schull bowler as he had come up short in the 2024 All-Ireland final. Not this time though, as lessons learned saw Shane beat Tyrone’s Eoghan McVeigh in the 2025 final held in Armagh in August. Redemption and reward for the Schull teenager.

Munster scrumhalf Abbie Salter-Townshend.

ABBIE SALTER-TOWNSHEND: A success worth waiting for as local rugby star Abbie was scrumhalf on the Munster women’s team that won the Interpro title in August, beating Leinster in the final. In her fourth season with Munster, Abbie made a big breakthrough, starting three of the province’s four games, and also coming on in the final. A lesson in never giving up on your dream.

JAKE McCARTHY: Battling back from an injury that had kept him on dryland, Skibbereen rower Jake, before his 29th birthday, finally got his hands on a World medal when he powered to a brilliant bronze in the lightweight men’s single sculls at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai in September. It was a medal that meant a lot to Jake, proof he can hold his own at the highest level.

MICHELLE DUGGAN: In October, Michelle captained Dohenys ladies footballers to the county junior A football title, and their ticket to the intermediate grade in 2026. The backstory here is Dohenys, before beating Bantry Blues in October’s final, had lost three junior A deciders in the previous years. But they finally got their big day.

PHILIP WALL: Kilbrittain hurlers’ season has become the stuff of legend. Cork champions. Munster kings. All-Ireland finalists. This group went where no Kilbrittain hurling team had ever gone before, and leading the charge was captain fantastic Philip who will go down in folklore as the skipper of these history-makers.

MOIRA BARRETT: The Ballinascarthy camogie captain certainly leads by example. In the county intermediate final in October, Moira scored 2-3 and was named player of the match as Bal beat Sliabh Rua by 3-7 to 1-9 to jump up to the premier intermediate grade for 2026. It’s also back-to-back promotions for Bal.

IAN JENNINGS: There were celebrations in Leap in November that were never seen before as Ian and the Kilmacabea football team finally got their hands on the Cork junior A football title after years of trying and near misses. Captain Ian had the honour of leading his team in their greatest moment, and proved his worth with a man-of-the-match showing in the Carbery final.

KATE WALL: The Kilbrittain woman was the star of the show when St Finbarr’s won the club’s first-ever Munster senior club camogie championship title. Kate hit a match-winning 2-4 to fire the city club to provincial glory, proving too strong for De La Salle of Waterford.