cmcfadden

TENNENTS/UGAAWA MERIT AWARD FOR JULY 2004

Championships in football and hurling take centre stage at this time of year and provide us with much debate on who should collect out Tennent’s Monthly Merit Award. June 2004 was no exception but, naturally, Donegal’s whirlwind defeat of All-Ireland Football Champions Tyrone was the highlight of the month.
And from that game comes our winner – Donegal winger COLM McFADDEN who had a dream game in the right corner of the fast moving attack. The towering Creeslough 21-year-old hit 1-7 of Donegal’s winning tally of 1-11 with his spectacular goal being the highlight of the match. Five of his points came from free-kicks and another from a ‘45’.
Despite just turning 21, this is the St Michael’s clubman’s fourth season in the Donegal senior squad but it is his first season starting. He surely has made his mark and he’s looking forward to Sunday’s Ulster final against Armagh, at Croke Pk.
“This is a nice surprise for me. There are not many individual awards for GAA players and to be recognised in this manner by the Ulster GAA Writers is a big honour,” enthused Colm when told of the award. “Of course, the main thing was beating Tyrone. It would have been no good scoring 1-7 if we had lost the game.”
McFadden plays his club football with St Michael’s (Dunfanaghy-Creeslough) that won the Ulster Intermediate title a few months ago and went to reach the All-Ireland final against Illen Rovers from Cork who won the decider at Portmarnock. Since then St Illen’s have knocked out last year’s Cork senior champions.
Apart from Donegal and Ulster Intermediate Championship medals, Colm has collected Sigerson Cup and Freshers’ Championship medals with NUIG from where he has graduated in Financial Maths and Economics. He has also a MacLarnon Cup award, won with St Eunan’s when they beat St Columb’s in the final at Casement Park.
At present, Colm is working as a coach at Summer Camps throughout Donegal before going out into the big world of finance.
He has won our Tennent’s Merit Award ahead of his county colleague Damian Diver, Down hurler Andy Bell and Cavan’s Mark McKeever. Colm’s award is a Tennent’s sports voucher, training gear from Pro*Star Sports, an engraved Belleek China vase, specially designed Cloicin cuff links and two tickets to the UGAAWA banquet next November.