Clonmel's Michael Quinlivan Receives AIB GAA Provincial Club Player Award

AIB, sponsor to both the GAA and Camogie Club Championships, has honoured eleven club players from camogie, football and hurling at the 20th AIB GAA Provincial Club Player Awards. Voted for by national and regional sports media, the players were selected based on their overall performance throughout the 2015/16 club season.

 

The AIB Munster football award went to Clonmel Commercials’ Michael Quinlivan. As one of Tipperary’s biggest talents in football, Quinlivan helped his club overcome club kingpins Nemo Rangers with a last minute goal to claim a historic Munster football club championship title for the Tipp team.

 

Quinlivan endured a nervous wait after his black card in the All-Ireland quarter-final win over Tir Chonaill Gaels in London.

 

Following the high of their historic Munster club final win over the mighty Nemo Rangers, Quinlivan temporarily hit rock-bottom.

 

The 22-year-old had picked up two black cards playing for Tipperary in 2015, meaning another at inter-county level would have resulted in a suspension.

 

He initially feared that his dismissal for a cynical foul against the Exiles would result in him missing the All-Ireland semi-final date with Dublin and Leinster champions Ballyboden St Enda’s on Saturday, February 13.

 

“I was worried,” he admits now with a rye smile. “I know in inter-county that if you get three black cards in the season you miss a game so there was a lot of frenetic looking in to that because it was my third of the year.

 

“It had been said to me before the end of 2015 ‘don’t do it again’ in no uncertain terms.

 

“I didn’t mean to do it! I went to tackle a guy, he stepped inside me and tripped over my leg. That’s how I remember it anyway.

 

“It was well looked in to, believe me,” continued Quinlivan, who recently picked up the AIB Munster Club Player of the Year award for football at a prestigious ceremony at Croke Park.

 

“I found out about an hour after the game I was told that they’d found out and I was okay. There were a few inquests on.

 

“My immediate thoughts were that I might miss the semi-final; I was walking in at half-time with my head in my hands. For something so stupid…”

 

Of course, Quinlivan is the man who scored the historic goal that saw Commercials beat Nemo Rangers at the death on a horrible day for football in Mallow.

 

The big man popped up with a fine finish late on to ensure a 1-7 to 0-9 win and wrap up the first Munster football title for a Tipperary club.

 

“It was one of those things that doesn't happen all that often in the GAA anymore and that’s why it was so special,” he recalled happily. “The main thing for me was just that we’d won it, but I don't remember much of what happened after the goal.

 

“I’ve seen plenty of pictures of myself with a bit stupid head on me running around the place!

 

“The goal seems a lot quicker to me in my head than when I watch it on the telly, which is strange because most people tell you it’s the other way around. Then it was just mayhem - the place wen’t haywire.”

 

Like a lot of this young Clonmel team, Quinlivan played a fair bit of soccer in his youth, many of them for current Commercials manager Charlie McGeever, who is also a League of Ireland legend and on top of that guided Tipp footballers to last year’s All-Ireland minor final.

 

“It was with my bad leg!” laughed Quinlivan. “I think most of us played soccer when we were growing up, most of us played together in fact, so you know just to keep it low, keep it on target.”

 

Speaking at the AIB GAA Provincial Club Player Awards, Denis O’Callaghan, AIB Head of Distribution said “AIB are delighted to honour some of the country’s greatest club camogie, hurling and football stars at our annual club player awards. There have been some great games in the competition so far, and I think everyone is looking forward to all the up and coming Semi-Finals over the coming weeks”.

Denis continued “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the national and regional GAA media for taking the time to cast their votes and for their continued support for the AIB GAA Club Championships competition.”

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2015/16 AIB GAA Provincial Club Player Award Winners

CAMOGIE
Connacht – Susan Keane, Killimor
Leinster – Ciara Storey, Oulart The Ballagh
Munster – Ashling Thompson, Milford
Ulster – Emma McFadden, Loughiel Shamrocks

FOOTBALL
Connacht – Barry Moran, Castlebar Mitchels
Leinster – Andrew Kerin, Ballyboden St. Endas
Munster – Michael Quinlivan, Clonmel Commercials
Ulster – Tony Kernan, Crossmaglen Rangers

HURLING
Leinster – David Redmond, Oulart the Ballagh
Munster – Kevin Downes, Na Piarsaigh
Ulster – Neil McManus, Ruairi Og
*No award for Connacht given automatic qualification