ecoleman

TENNENT’S/UGAAWA MERIT AWARD FOR MAY 2004

There will be few months with more activity in GAA circles than May 2004. With National Leagues plus football and hurling championships mixed in with camogie, ladies’ football and handball we had a wide variety of events from which to choose our Tennents Monthly Merit Award winner.
Down’s polishing off of their NHL Div.2 campaign with an unbeaten campaign and promotion to the top grade before going off to New York to win their USHC semi-final grabbed much attention. Cavan’s draw and replay win over Down in the USFC was certainly an event to be noted and threw up a number of candidates for our award.
With seven contestants in the running for the award we had the longest voting in our history before EAMON COLEMAN eventually emerged the winner - a short neck ahead of Down sharpshooting hurler Paul Braniff.
Derryman Coleman has, of course, a long history in football. As a player he won Ulster and All-Ireland minor and under-21 medals. He had various spells with Derry as a manager winning national under-21 honours and the ultimate, the 1993 Sam Maguire Cup. He also guided the Oak Leaf side to National Football League honours and UUJ to Sigerson Cup success. He was an Allstar replacement in 1972.
As manager of Gowna in Cavan he piloted the team to five Breffni SFC titles in six years and last November was named manager of the Cavan senior side that he takes to next Sunday’s Ulster semi-final against Armagh.
It is for his astute management of the Breffni Blues that Eamon Coleman gets our award for May. His canny sense of when to send in the big guns and re-jig his side played a major role in securing the draw at Casement Park and then the victory at Breffni Park.
Apart from Paul Braniff others in the hat for the award were Michael Lyng, Dermot McCabe, Ronan Clarke, Sean Cavanagh and Benny Coulter.
Eamon Coleman was also our Monthly Merit winner for September 1993. He also won our Personality of the Year Award for 1993 and again for 2001.
“It’s very nice to be a winner again and I’m sorry that I cannot be at the presentation as I will be in London. It’s a lovely honour to win again,” enthused Eamon.
The award was collected on his behalf by his niece Maria McCourt. The award, presented by Tennent’s Sponsorship Manager Brian Houston, at a reception in the Ulster Brewery on Wednesday, June 9, is, as usual, a sport voucher from Tennents Ireland, training gear from Pro*Star Sport, an engraved Belleek China vase and cuff links from Gareth Mallon of Omeath firm Cloicín plus two tickets and overnight accommodation for the GAA Writers’ banquet in November.