Diarmuid O'Connor has capped off a great few days for EirGrid U21 Connacht champions Mayo after finishing top of the public poll and claim the GAA.ie Football Player of the Week award.

After putting in a Man of the Match performance in his side's EirGrid GAA Football All-Ireland U21 Semi-Final victory over Dublin, Ballintubber man O'Connor claimed 49% of the vote on the Official GAA’s Twitter, (@officialgaa), Facebook** and Instagram **pages.

O'Connor saw off competition from fellow U21 footballers in Monaghan's Barry McGinn who claimed 26% of the vote, while Cork's Michael Hurley finished on 25%. 

Cork's Hurley and Mayo forward O'Connor are set to go head-to-head on April 30 as they compete in the EirGrid GAA Football All-Ireland U21 Final in Cusack Park, Ennis (throw-in 6pm)

**GAA.ie FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK **

1: Diarmuid O'Connor (Mayo)  – 1674 votes (49 per cent)

2: Barry McGinn (Monaghan) - 893 votes (26 per cent)

**3: **Michael Hurley – 853 votes (25 per cent)

**

Diarmuid O’Connor (Mayo)

It’s no exaggeration to see that Diarmuid O’Connor’s performance for the Mayo U-21s on Saturday was one of the greatest anyone has ever produced at this level for a very long time.

The Mayo senior star and current Young Footballer of the Year stood head and shoulders above every other player on the pitch, and maintained his lofty standards from the first minute until the last.

He scored 1-1 from play, and caused havoc in the Dublin defence with his ability to run through and around tacklers with impressive power and pace. It was fitting that O’Connor should win the last-gasp free that gave the Connacht champions a nail-biting victory.

Michael Hurley (Cork)

Cork attacker Michael Hurley comes from good stock – he’s a young brother of Rebels senior star Brian Hurley.

There’s more than a passing resemblance to how he plays the game too. His mixture of pace, power, and finishing ability combining to make him a seriously lethal inside-forward.

The Monaghan defence struggled to contain him on Saturday as Hurley scored three points from play and linked superbly with fellow forwards Seán O’Donoghue and Seán Powter.

Barry McGinn (Monaghan)

Monaghan might have been beaten by Cork on Saturday, but Barry McGinn enhanced his reputation with a real tour de force performances for his team.

He was particularly dominant in the first-half when he scored 1-4 from play and tortured the Cork defence with his ball-winning ability, strong running, and devastating finishing. Monaghan’s problem was that they were overly reliant on the their powerful centre-forward, whereas Cork had a much more even spread of scorers in their team.

His team might have lost, but McGinn is surely a senior star of the future for Monaghan.

**

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

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