Senior Player Awards

The senior player awards for the 2019/20 season were presented by club chairman Ger Moynihan at the ever developing and impressive club grounds at Aghadoe recently. The senior player of the year award was presented to the diligent, long serving and club stalwart Paul O’Sullivan. He was presented with the Denis Dennehy Memorial Trophy by Denis’s mother, Betty Dennehy.

Most improved player of the year went to the industrious Paul Moynihan and young player of the year was awarded to the talented Broghan Edmonds.

A huge thanks to Tom Tobin of Killarney Medals and Trophies, who kindly sponsored a trophy which was also presented to Paul O’Sullivan as the Dennehy Cup is a perpetual award on behalf of the club.

(L-r Shane Dennehy, Betty Dennehy, Paul and Danny O’Sullivan, Broghan Edmonds, Elaine Dennehy and her sons Ciarán and Seán)

A few words on the deserved winners by Diarmuid O’Malley, former Head Coach of Killarney RFC Seniors:

Most Improved Player: Paul Moynihan

Anyone that knows Paul has seen a huge change in him physically and from an attitude and energy perspective, anyone who doesn’t know Paul can’t be but inspired, on his transformation as a person and as a rugby player.

Paul started pre-season along with the rest of the squad in June 2019 but his journey was a lot different this season, he also made the decision to sign up with Pat Sheehan, the Killarney based diet coach. Lots of people and players would have undertaken a similar journey at the start of a season but Paul was 1,000% committed to his journey. He combined his food intake with extra cardiovascular sessions and lost over 10 stone, in the process.  Most impressively he has managed to keep off the weight and is as motivated as much now, as when he started off.

In the previous season Paul was a 20/25 minute player purely because of his restricted fitness capacity but in the 2019/20 season he was a full 80 minute player and his fitness around the park on game day and at training was hugely inspirational to all fellow team members.

One wet winters night, I was up coaching one of the underage teams and I saw someone off in the distance doing a fitness session by himself, sure enough it was Paul, putting in the extra work by himself to make himself a better rugby player but much more importantly getting a lot more out of life. Paul brought a new vigour to everything he did on and off the field and is hugely deserving of this award.

Dennehy Cup: Paul O’Sullivan

Paul was asked to come out of retirement to help out the team and he duly obliged. Having played most of his rugby at scrum half, Paul had to do a job for us at out half. He made a huge difference to the team with his on field intelligence, and his reading of the game and really got the back line moving. The added bonus of having two creative play makers made a big difference and the team  played some terrific rugby with Paul pulling the teams strings. Paul’s contribution was invaluable and even though his preference would have been to play at 9, a real team player just fills in for the benefit of the team and that’s exactly what he did throughout the season. As true stalwart of the club I really hope he, along with the team can win some deserved silverware in the coming seasons.

Best Young Player: Brogan Edmonds

For a very young player to play and compete in the junior ranks it takes a lot, when that player adds value to a forward pack it’s takes something a bit special. Brogan has undoubted talent and if he continues to work hard, listen and develop his game, I have no doubt he can play at higher levels. He has a wonderful can do attitude, and is willing to learn. I look forward to seeing Brogan develop into a top rugby player.