He played his part in the league, All Ireland c'ship, KK county c'ship & Leinster club c'ship successes with huge performances in each case. Won the two player of the year awards, the Texaco award & now the main sports one.
Also fantastic to see a hurler get this honour.
Well done to King Henry.
Great to see a gah man win it, twas some craic last night, with Spillane told to stop acting "jack the lad" by Tom McGurk, and being called a lick arse by Ted Walsh. Gerry Kiernan said that the only barometer to judge an athlete, was how they performed on the international stage, therefore discounting any gah man. Only two people from the ten nominations were votrd for, with Dunphy, Ted Walsh, Cyril and George Hooke voting for Shefflin, and the lick arse and Gerry Kiernan voting for Dervla O'Rourke.
Shefflin was genuinely taken by complete surprise, given the other nominees.
All rise to the king. ;D
theres a thread on this in the non gaa section as well. delighted to see him win it although derval or p harrington would have also been deserving winners in my book. gerry kiernans comment that only achievements from abroad count for him was off the wall. henry is a class act.....
Well done to him - but Derval O rourke should have won it in my view- she is a world champion and we don't produce many of those. I know some of the die-hards here won't like me saying it but the reality is to be a world champion in this country with our Goverment's disgraceful attitude towards our elite athletes who are supposed to compete on a world stage with third world support- supercedes anything anyone did on a Gaa pitch in my opinion.
Quote from: magickingdom on December 17, 2006, 11:49:18 AM
gerry kiernans comment that only achievements from abroad count for him was off the wall.
He was nothing but a cross country slogger anyway!
Have made my points about this on the non gaaa section
He is a class act and congrats to him but i don't think he should have got it he didn't win all he did on his own whereas someone like O'Rourke or Harrington did
Quote from: Josey Whales on December 17, 2006, 01:49:22 PM
Well done to him - but Derval O rourke should have won it in my view- she is a world champion and we don't produce many of those. I know some of the die-hards here won't like me saying it but the reality is to be a world champion in this country with our Goverment's disgraceful attitude towards our elite athletes who are supposed to compete on a world stage with third world support- supercedes anything anyone did on a Gaa pitch in my opinion.
Maybe I'm on my own here, but i don't put that much value on indoor world championships.
We've had lots of good indoor runners who were nowhere to be seen once they took to the major outdoor championships.
Frank O'Mara and Marcus O'Sullivan are examples of this. They won plenty of world and European indoor titles but barely registered at Olympics or Outdoor World championships.
O'Sullivan only ever got to one Olympic final out of the 4 Olympics he took part in.
O'Mara's best outdoor showing is 8th in a European final.
I'd rather have an athlete who could bring home one Olympic medal of any colour, rather than someone who hoovers up a stack of indoor medals.
If O'Rourke wins a medal at a major Outdoor event, then she would be a worthy winner of the sportstar of the year award.
I think that is quite frankly one of the stupidest comments i've ever read on this board. You shouldn't rely on your own ignorance. She did win a silver at the European outdoors this year.
The reality is that most of the Olmpic athletes are juiced up to such levels it make sit impossible for our athletes to compete with them. You don't have to know much about athletics to realise how badly anabolic steroids are abused at World and Olmpic levels. She probably beat athletes at the Europeans and the World INdoors this year who regularly take steroids. It's an individual sport- riddled with drugs where our athletes are treated like shite by the Government and only for the likes of Niall Moyna- our athletes would be in the gutter. I'd prefer to see our athlletes doing what they are doing at least they are clean when it comes to drugs.
Ithink to any rational person out there -what she did supercedes anything any Gaa player did this year. All that happenned this year was Kilkenny won the hurling all-ireland and Kerry won the football- hardly a ground breaking achievement in the annals of the Gaa. I've great respect for Shefflin probably the best hurler I've ver seen- but I think the likes f Dunphy and Co ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Quote from: Josey Whales on December 17, 2006, 02:50:36 PM
I think that is quite frankly one of the stupidest comments i've ever read on this board. You shouldn't rely on your own ignorance. She did win a silver at the European outdoors this year.
The reality is that most of the Olmpic athletes are juiced up to such levels it make sit impossible for our athletes to compete with them. You don't have to know much about athletics to realise how badly anabolic steroids are abused at World and Olmpic levels. She probably beat athletes at the Europeans and the World INdoors this year who regularly take steroids. It's an individual sport- riddled with drugs where our athletes are treated like shite by the Government and only for the likes of Niall Moyna- our athletes would be in the gutter. I'd prefer to see our athlletes doing what they are doing at least they are clean when it comes to drugs.
Ithink to any rational person out there -what she did supercedes anything any Gaa player did this year. All that happenned this year was Kilkenny won the hurling all-ireland and Kerry won the football- hardly a ground breaking achievement in the annals of the Gaa. I've great respect for Shefflin probably the best hurler I've ver seen- but I think the likes f Dunphy and Co ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Spare the hysterics for someone who might give a hoot.
Fair play to her for winning a European silver, but she was only taking on subset of the best athletes out there. She stands a bit ahead of lots of other Irish athletes mentioned in terms of doing something of note outdoors, but again as someone else stated elsewhere, would she be good enough to even make an Olympic final?
How noteworthy is it being in the top ten in the world in one discipline, out of the
dozens of track and field events that there are?
Padraig Harrington is one of the world's top 10 golfers (and best European). The no.1 person at that sport is Tiger Woods who could be mentioned as one of the greatest sports competitors ever.
The no. 1 in the world at women's hurdling is who exactly? We're not comparing like with like, are we?
Apologies for being a little bit more open minded than the rest of you. BUt I think if you walk thestreets of Ireland and did a poll- you'll find most people will agree with me because i haven't found many people yet who disagree. I just think the attitude that prevails on this board is very much like the attitude of not opening Croke Park- heaven forbid anyone from any other sporting code should achieve anything - "down with that sort of thing".
That's not to say a gaaplayer can't win it but in my view if someone wins something on an International stage which is a very rare thing in this country it deserves to be recognised. I think a lot of you haven't a notion what it's like to be a professional athlete in this country with its Neolitic attitude towards preparation. That's my opinion - if you don't like it -fine.
Im also in the josey and take your points corner too many of ye are biased and narrow minded, The award was for the best Irish Sportsperson of the year, Really think it's unfair a Team member could get it and even if a member of a team was gonna get it why not one of the munster lads?? Surly winning a european cup is better than winning a trophy were only 8 or 9 countites actually have a decent chance of winning?
Of course a Gaa player can win it- but i think if you write down on a piece of paper the various medals and trophies handed out for this year only- i think it was an average year for the Gaa. I think maybe Stephen O Neill or Brian Mc Guigan would have had stronger claims last year. By playing key roles in a 10 match run to All-Ireland glory. But that's the problem in its itself -how do you award a person playing team sports ahead of someone who is an individual. Because let's face it- it's ahell fo alot harder to do something on your own then as one of 15. I know a lot of people on this site don't agree with me and that's fine - but i htought for once and this is as a Gaa fan- that the judges got it wrong. That isn't taking anything away from Henry who is the best player i've seen- but how do you quantify the roles his team members play in his genius . It could be 10 years before someone wins a world title again- but to listen to one of the comments above in particular it's obvious some of the best athletes we've never had are on this website.
Quote from: laoislad on December 17, 2006, 04:47:28 PM
Im also in the josey and take your points corner too many of ye are biased and narrow minded, The award was for the best Irish Sportsperson of the year, Really think it's unfair a Team member could get it and even if a member of a team was gonna get it why not one of the munster lads?? Surly winning a european cup is better than winning a trophy were only 8 or 9 countites actually have a decent chance of winning?
How many clubs realistically have a chance of winning the european cup?
Shefflin has been one of the most consistantly lethal hurlers of the last 5 years, one of the best most effective forwards i've ever seen play the game. Kilkeny went unbeaten all year and shefflin won leinster with his club, scoring heavily for both club and county. What more can a huler do exactly?!?!?!
Deval has done brilliantly as well but i'm sure the best is yet to come from her over the next five years. i dont see why some people are getting so bitchy about it, it all boils down to opinion, i'd have gone for the roscommon minor footballers as team of the year.
brilliant - Henry has had an OUTSTANDING season and was unstoppable for club and county
fair play to him.
I wouldnt have agreed with some of those nominations
Paul Brady is the world's numner one handballer (THIS IS A GAA SPORT REMEMBER).
He won the World Open singles for the second time this year, beating players from Ireland, US, Canada, Mexico, the Basque country
and Australia.
This man is the Roger Federer of handball. He doesn't work, he devotes himself to this GAA sport. In the last 12 months, he has won the All Ireland senior singles, All Ireland senior doubles, US Nationals singles and doubles (8K prizemoney), World Open singles, inaugural US Handball Open (20K prizemoney), won a county football championship with his club and played Gaelic football for Ulster in the Railaway Cup.
Well done to that girl from Cork who came second though...
Debate over.
Well done to Henry Shefflin, The irish Sports personality of the year. He deserved it as much if not more than anybody Josey. The competition itself pitches all sportspeople as even whether they be male / female / on horses not on horses / part of a team or solo, so by that rationale(which I deem to be absolutely stupid) all sports are treated equally and achievements are not graded in any obvious way. I believe that sports should not be compared as they have different merits / levels of sportsmanship / levels of skill / dedication required etc, so by my reckoning all sports are not equal. Give an award to the best in their field in each sport. The British award to ashowjumper Phillips last week showed that they would charatcterise admittedly world class results over what was a human triumph over adversity through the medium of sport - of a kind not seen in sport for many years on these shores. I think it would show us where their priorities lie in terms of how they view sport. they are very different from mine. Derval O Rourke and Paul rady had magnificent achievements this year as well, in fact all did, What it comes down to is unfortunately do you like Henrys achievement more than Dervals, neither can be compared but since they were and Henrys a GAA man, faitr play to him as for Spillane, since when had gEORGE hOOk MORE SUPPORT for the Gaa than the "arselicker"
"i don't think he should have got it he didn't win all he did on his own whereas someone like O'Rourke or Harrington did"
So therefore no team player should ever win this prize??? ??? :o
Have no argument with Henry getting the award, his constant high scoring from play and frees this year was amazing. To perform as well as he did in nearly every game is amazing. O'Rourke's achievement was great, the outdoor silver was great as was the indoor. But winning indoors in athletics seems to count for little in the grand scale. Personally, I think Paul Brady should have got it, look at his achievements around the globe in his sport. He is the best, O'Rourke isnt and although Henry is I think due to the wider scale of competition and onus on individualism that Brady should have got it
"Apologies for being a little bit more open minded than the rest of you"
Josey with all due respect cop on, its all about opinion, most nominees had valid reasons to win, but to suggest you are the only "open minded" person on the board because people disagree with you suggests you need to remove your head from your arse.
I would have picked O'Rourke for the record, but that talk does you no favours.
You are quick to jump on people who disagree with you saying they dont have a monopoly on opinions on this boards, your comments above make that a bit ironic!
Either way, congrats to Henry.
What do you call the Atletics representative on the panel on the night.
He seemed to have a chip on his shoulder about athletics getting a raw deal and even stated the grestest moment was Barcelonas victory in Champions League.
"Apologies for being a little bit more open minded than the rest of you"
Josey with all due respect cop on, its all about opinion, most nominees had valid reasons to win, but to suggest you are the only "open minded" person on the board because people disagree with you suggests you need to remove your head from your arse.
I would have picked O'Rourke for the record, but that talk does you no favours.
You are quick to jump on people who disagree with you saying they dont have a monopoly on opinions on this boards, your comments above make that a bit ironic!"
Oh turn it up you sanctimonius git.As to make the outlandish remark that i think i have a monopoly on the board why don't you look at who posts the most.. I'd say i've comments on about two threads at the moment- hardly cornering the market there i'd say.
I suggested i was possibly a bit more open minded than a few others who had posted before me- i thought i'd broaden the debate a little by suggesting (breaking news here- martin breheny are you reading) that O Rourke had more claim to it than Shefflin. It's my opinion that al ot of the debate on this board is extremely narrow at times. Now you and the rest of your cohorts mighn't agree with that- but i suppose i'll have to apologise for raining on your parade again.
"Oh turn it up you sanctimonius git"
More insults Josey ::) Classy.
"As to make the outlandish remark that i think i have a monopoly on the board why don't you look at who posts the most.. I'd say i've comments on about two threads at the moment- hardly cornering the market there i'd say"
You didnt read my post correctly (not for the first time), I said you give out to others saying they thought they had a monopoly on opinion on the board.
I never said you has a monopoly on it, two very different things.
"I suggested i was possibly a bit more open minded than a few others who had posted before me"
No you didnt you said you were more open minded that the rest of us. One can only take that as everyone you disagree with.
Listen, I am all for debate, but this patronising insulting crap towards people who disagree makes you look bad.
You know, just because you have an opinion on something, doesnt make you right.
I agree with your choice, just not with your manners. Keep it civilised. ;)
Jeez lads, we're all fair thick considering how close we are to Christmas ;)
Anyway, it was supposed to be Sports Personality of the Year, therefore as the only two nominated who have a personality it should have been between Bernard Dunne and Darren Clarke - with Dunne deserving of the honours because he achieved more.
By the way, whilie I love Ted Walsh, its a disgrace he was asked to judge a sporting award given he'd never heard of our premier athlete.
"Listen, I am all for debate, but this patronising insulting crap towards people who disagree makes you look bad.
You know, just because you have an opinion on something, doesnt make you right.
I agree with your choice, just not with your manners. Keep it civilised. "
Quite frankly i think you're the biggest hypocrite on the board. But to accuse me of being patronising . Pot and kettle spring to mind. I'll remmeber to post to you personally my comments before i put them on the board so you can censor them. You'll have to make allowances for idiots like myself who quite obviously don't operate on the same plane as you.
Josey, pull yourself together.
I am a hypocrite for telling you not to be insulting everyone?
And how am I being patronising?
A lot of statements with no backup Josey.