Patrick Curran
Young Waterford hurler Patrick Curran has swept to an impressive victory in this week's GAA.ie Hurling Player of the Week award.
Curran's haul of 0-9 against Tipperary saw him pull in 45 per cent of the vote on the GAA's official Twitter (@officialgaa), Facebook and Instagram pages.
He beat TJ Reid of Kilkenny into second place, and Éamonn Dillon of Dublin in third.
Click here for the football Player of the Week results.
GAA.ie HURLING PLAYER OF THE WEEK RESULTS
**1. **Patrick Curran (Waterford) - 2,954 votes (45 per cent)
2. TJ Reid (Kilkenny) - 1,912 votes (30 per cent)
3. Éamonn Dillon (Dublin) - 1,606 votes (25 per cent)
Many will remember Patrick Curran from his sensational match-winning display in the All-Ireland minor final two and a half years ago. The smiling teenager hit 1-7 to win an All-Ireland for his county - the stuff dreams are made of. The boy is now a 20-year-old man, and he came of age for the Déise on Sunday against Tipperary, hitting 0-9 in their one point victory. Curran looked every inch the senior hurler, scoring his frees with utter confidence, winning and using the ball intelligently and contributing with scores from open play as well. "Patrick Curran was 20 during the week - it was marvellous to see a 20-year-old hitting frees in Thurles with such confidence," his manager Derek McGrath said afterwards, his glee entirely understandable, for Curran is just one of several gems McGrath believes he can achieve the ultimate with in the years to come. He romped home with 45 per cent of the vote.
The 2015 Hurler of the Year is showing no sign of letting up this year.** TJ Reid's** individual progress in recent seasons has been impressive - he is a posterboy for the way in which Cody turns good players into great players - and last year he displayed a truly ruthless edge, saving his best moments and performances for the most crucial stages of the most crucial games. Against Galway on Sunday, Reid hit 0-14 (0-4 from open play). He did most of his damage in the first half, firing over 10 points before the break in a striking display of remarkable precision. And then in the second half, that familiar killer edge. Just as Galway showed signs of rescuing an unlikely result in the closing stages, Reid was at the vanguard of Kilkenny's oh-so-familiar shut-out. He finished second with 30 per cent.
Dublin needed a few heroes to step up against Cork at Croke Park on Saturday night, and no one stepped up more than Naomh Fionnbarra clubman Éamonn Dillon. The wing-forward struck 2-3, all from play, a decisive tally that helped Dublin to a very useful 10-point win over the struggling Rebels. Dillon's first goal on 20 minutes, a crisp finish after bursting past Stephen McDonnell was a key score, while his second goal, on 48 minutes, ended the tie as a contest. He polled 25 per cent in third.
Players of the Week are decided based on votes cast by followers of @officialgaa on Twitter, on the Official GAA Facebook Page and on the Official GAA Instagram page
