Tyrone’s Stephen O’Neill and Kilkenny’s Lester Ryan have been recognised for their impressive early season performances by the GAA and GPA.
By Declan Whooley
O’Neill was in imperious form for Mickey Harte’s side before they narrowly lost out to Dublin the National League decider, while Ryan has slotted seamlessly into a Kilkenny side that showed it will take some stopping after wrapping up yet another National League title.
We make no bones of the fact that we are big fans of the Tyrone sharp-shooter in the JOE office and he was tormenting defences in the league before a freak injury during the warm-up before the final against the Dubs ruled their skipper out. He had already bagged 3-19 during the campaign, and a couple of his points against Kildare in the semi-final were simply sensational.
After two years in the fringes of the senior set-up, Ryan made the midfield position his own this year. Having made a name for himself as a wing-back at underage, a certain Tommy Walsh was in his way in the senior set-up, but has been a revelation in a central role during the successful league campaign.
Both players will be keen to carry on their form into their Championship campaigns, with Tyrone’s sights set firmly on Donegal in less than two weeks while the Cats travel to Tullamore to take on Offaly on June 9th.
