Quarterly Sports Awards winners announced
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Jenny Sawyer wasn’t the favourite for gold when she took to the starting line for the 400m Hurdles final in National Senior Track and Field Championships at the Morton Stadium at Santry at the end of June but what followed over the next one minute and 1.87 seconds proved that the St Laurence O’Toole athlete is capable of mixing it with the very best athletes in the country.
That’s the length of time it took for Sawyer to obliterate the field, and she even had time to clip the final obstacle without it costing her dearly.
A student in University Limerick, Sawyer regularly trains with Olympian Thomas Barr and that level of training is helping her development very nicely indeed.
She also helped her club qualify for the Premier Division of the National League final at the end of July with another winning run in the 400m Hurdles and also a strong showing in the 4x400m relay.
Also a keen footballer, Sawyer’s sister Rachel has been a regular winner of these kind of awards in the past but Jenny has shown this year that the talent runs deep in the Sawyer household.
It has been an era of transition for Carlow camogie. There have been ups. There have been downs. Having won promotion last year, Carlow battled hard in new surroundings, the Division 2B National League. When it all came down to it, they produced against Cavan when winning 4-11 to 2-7 to ensure they held their place.
Having been in good form all season, Caoimhe, in that game, scored 1-1 of the home total which was huge in the context of the season.
Defeat was Carlow’s lot in the Leinster Intermediate Championship final but there were bigger tests ahead and they were looking to holding their place and a possible quarter-final appearance in the All-Ireland intermediate championship.
It was tough. Good displays is not enough against the likes of Kilkenny and Meath. With Caoimhe leading the way, Carlow beat Dublin by a single point in a tough encounter and that set them up nicely when they took on and dispatched the Metropolitans in Netwatch Cullen Park.
All the time, the St Mullins star produced. She is not afraid to mix it and every tussle is fiercely contested. She is also deadly accurate as her total of 1-10 from deep indicates. Across the board, Carlow held on to her status this season. Coady was a leader in 2024 and will continue to produce with swashbuckling and winning performances.
Back in March, Carlow Youth Darts were crowned All-Ireland champions for the second year running. They were going into the event without their star player, Adam Dee who had come of age and moved on to senior level but the players on the team proved the talent within the Carlow setup runs deep.
In the team event, Carlow went in as favourites and defending champions, but after losing to Limerick in the group stages, they came out of the group in second place and had to face Kerry in the quarter-finals. With the match tied at 2-2, Con O’Reilly won the last game to send them through to a semi-final against Dublin. They won 3-1 to set up a final with Cork and after a long day, they won 3-0 to win back to back All-Irelands.
Carlow 2 lost in the last 16 of the Shield. There was also Mixed Doubles Gold for Rebecca Allen and Jack Courtney whilst Allen claimed back to back girls titles.
The full squad was: Conor O’Reilly, David Lynch, Nathan Burroughs, Luke Dooley, Jamie French (captain), Rebecca Allen and Jack Courtney, Mary-Claire Brannigan (manager), and Derek Courtney (mentor).
The football award winner is one of only three players who featured in all of Carlow’s O’Byrne Cup, seven national league, Leinster championship and three Tailteann Cup games. Over 13 games, he registered 0-15 and was the fourth highest scorer on the Carlow team. Surely the season highlight for the Rathvilly man was his performance against Laois in the Tailteann Cup. His long-range kicking from the ground was exceptional and when Carlow were struggling and falling further behind, Conor’s accuracy from distance breathed belief in those around him. In all he scored five points (three frees and a 45) and helped create a platform where Carlow could fight back. In the end his side caught Laois with two late three-pointers.
Yet dead ball accuracy is only a very small part of his game. If he isn’t lining out at midfield for either club or county he is positioned in a central position. Much of what he does for Rathvilly and Carlow determines their fortunes. Quiet and unassuming Conor goes about his business to the benefit of those around him. Still in his early twenties he continues to give his all on the field in a game he loves.
They say goalkeepers are the eyes of the defence. It is an interesting observation and if ever a team had those assets the current intercounty goalkeeper Brian Tracey has the back of his Carlow team.
It has been a season to remember for the county’s senior hurlers. Promotion to Division 1B and a draw with Kilkenny in Leinster, a game remembered for a quite stunning double save by the Carlow goalkeeper. In all, the Naomh Eoin man played between the posts in ten of the Walsh Cup, League and Championship games. He has all the facets of a superb net-minder and would hold his own in any county in Ireland. Safe under the dropping ball, he spreads himself well in one-on-one situations and can also bring off some spectacular saves where his agility serves him well.
In a day whether it be short or long, puck-out accuracy is vital, Brian can pick out a colleague unerringly. If it is a case of going long, distance is also no problem for the former Joe McDonagh Cup winner.
Brian has been a permanent figure between the sticks for many years now and continues to produce performances for club and county which enhances not just his own reputation but that of Naomh Eoin and Carlow.
It was an historic year for the Carlow footballers when they clinched a Division 4 National League title. It was an up and down campaign where any side, on their day, could beat the other. Carlow established a level of consistency that included three wins and two draws out of seven games. It was enough to see them qualify for the semi-final where they dispatched a good Fermanagh side and went on to beat Limerick in the league decider.
The clean sheet Nicole kept in the final was as vital as the only goal in a 1-7 to 0-6 win. Her feat was as important as the only three-pointer in a game which went to the wire. Yet Nicole has been making saves for years for Old Leighlin and Carlow. Her shot-stopping ability would see her take a place on any county team in the country.
It was all go for her. Carlow’s Leinster junior campaign saw them make the final but without victory against Louth.
It was on to the All-Ireland series where wins against Sligo, London and Derry set them up for a tilt at a place in the final. It wasn’t to be but Nicole can look back on Carlow’s historic year with pride where her performances helped the county take league silverware after a gap of almost 30 years.
The Carlow LGFA U14 team performed superbly well on the way to qualifying for the Leinster Platinum final, the highest tier of football in the province.
There were many impressive wins throughout the year but the undoubted highlight was the one point win over Dublin in the semi-final. Although Carlow went on to lose the final against Kildare, their performances this year mark them out as a group of players with big potential for the future.
Carlow panel for Leinster U14 Platinum Final against Kildare:
Abbey Keppel (St Annes), Sophia Slattery (Fighting Cocks), Emily Murphy (St Brigids), Lauren Stanley (Old Leighlin), Jane Dillon (St Annes), Blathnaid Corcoran (Fenagh), Lara Fanning (Bennekerry/Tinryland), Ella McDonald (Fighting Cocks), Sandra Szczotka (Old Leighlin), Natalia Deka (Fenagh), Katelyn Dempsey (St Annes), Ella Doyle (Fighting Cocks), Elisa Nolan (Fenagh), Ella Corcoran (Rathvilly), Noa Bambrick (Old Leighlin), Alice Carroll (Fenagh), Chloe O’Keefe (St Brigids), Alana McDonald (Old Leighlin), Emily Carpenter (O’Hanrahans), Ciara Moran (Bennekerry/Tinryland), Molly McCormack (Fighting Cocks), Roisin Corcoran (Rathvilly), Erin Walker (O’Hanrahans), Laura Mahon (St Andrews), Maiyah O’Dwyer (Palatine), Beth Lalor (Ballon), Grace McDonald (Fighting Cocks), Jane Delaney (Bennekerry/Tinryland), Romi Majlath (St Brigids), Aine Deacon (Ballon).
“There was only one Carlow man smiling on the pitch,” proclaimed the Carlow Nationalist in a tweet as vice-captain, Ben Crotty, helped DCU to regain the third level colleges All-Ireland title, the Brendan Johnston Cup at the SETU Carlow grounds in March.
Off the pitch his father, Tom, happily looked on. The victory cemented what had been an amazing week for the Crotty family where Tom had managed the County Carlow FC team who won automatic promotion from Division 1B.
That in itself was a white-knuckle ride with their main promotion rivals, Athy and Kilkenny, all in contention. After two defeats and a draw in the first round of the league, Carlow went on a seven-match winning run which went a long way to securing promotion. Daniel Crotty led the side and Ben’s accuracy from the kicking tee kept the scoreboard ticking over. The speedy winger also posed problems for defenders but it all worked out when the team travelled to Cill Dara and beat the home side to take automatic promotion. Ben kicked a number of conversions and penalties in an historic 34-25 win.
The 31-24 DCU victory was special in that the Dublin northsiders had lost to the same opposition the previous year. This was unfinished business and another close game saw the County Carlow player win a coveted national medal.
The recent Under 20 World Cup which took place in July at venues in South Africa cemented Stephen Smyth’s hopes that one day he will win a full-international cap. He scored a try in the group game against Georgia in Ireland’s 22-16 win, featured in the semi-final against England and started against New Zealand in the third-place play-off.
After his time in Carlow his World Cup rugby originated from his involvement in the underage structure when he captained Ireland at under 19 level and led Leinster to an under 18 interprovincial title.
He was one of the coolest players in Musgrave Park as the two teams came on to the field for Ireland’s under 20 Six Nations game against Italy in February.
“Even playing for my club, Old Wesley, and Carlow before, I would be up the wall with nerves. In fairness, for some weird reason, I was the calmest I have ever been,” he said afterwards.
Ireland won 23-22 victory in a game where Smyth was delighted to be selected.
“It has been a long journey,” he said then.
“Unfortunately I didn’t get picked last week but there are two absolutely excellent hookers in the side. Competition is tough. I was happy to get my chance this week,” said the young man who is still a regular visit to the Oak Park club where he keeps in touch with his roots.
Colvin O’Brien has been playing snooker since the age of ten but so far 2024 has been one of his best years on the green baize.
His year started with a landmark moment when he became the first person to make a century break in a World Disability Billiard and Snooker event at the British Open, quite the achievement for a player who is blind in his left eye.
That was just his third event on the WDBS tour and having gone close to his victory on the tour a couple of earlier occasions, he laned his first win at the Belgian Open in March. He didn’t have to wait long for his second win as just a few weeks later he enjoyed further success at the Hull Open, a win that put him up to third in the world rankings in his category.
Colvin’s love of the sport is as strong as ever and he wants to continue to break barriers and create more records and he hopes to compete at the World Disability Championships in Thailand later this year.
Back in August, Crettyard legend and the most decorated player in Carlow League history, Cristoir Maher was given the tough job of revitalising a Crettyard squad that had finished as low as fourth place the season before and were in turmoil.
An early season 1-1 draw with the back to back quadruple champions New Oak Boys sent a message of what was to come, that under Maher this wasn't the same Crettyard side that had struggled the season before.
An 11 game winning streak put them in a strong position and by the time they faced New Oak in Killeen, they knew even a draw would almost certainly clinch the league but they fell to defeat.
That took matters out of Maher’s and Crettyard’s hands but in a remarkable finale to the season, a late equalising goal for Bagenalstown against New Oak in the final game of the season ended their hopes of the elusive four in a row and instead crowned Crettyard Premier Division champions for the first time since 2017.
Maher, well renowned as a player at Crettyard, brought the club from a place where they looked a shell of themselves to becoming league champions, suffering just one defeat all season, ending New Oak's stronghold on the league and cemented his status as a legend not only in the Crettyard club but also in Carlow soccer.
Since signing for Bray Wanderers in January, Peter Grogan has enjoyed a strong start to life in the League of Ireland. After missing the first couple of games due to injury, he made his debut on 23 February and immediately made an impact as he came off the bench and fired in the opening goal in a 3-2 victory away to Kerry.
He would go on to make a further substitute appearance against Treaty two weeks later before earning his first start against Cork 15 in the middle of March. A goal against Athlone on 5 April kickstarted an amazing run of scoring in five successive league games. Bray are a proud club with an illustrious history but this feat had any been twice previously in the club’s history, Colm Tresson (2000) and Ger Pender (2016). Unfortunately, injury struck just as he was on top form and since return to the pitch, Grogan hasn't been able to find the back of the net but that run of goals through April and early proves that he has an eye for goal and at just 19 years of age, Peter Grogan has a bright future ahead.
