Longford's Brian Kavanagh and Dan Shanahan of Waterford have been honoured with the Opel Gaelic Player of the Month Awards for July in football and hurling respectively. Commenting on Brian Kavanagh s award, John O Mahony, Chair of the Opel Gaelic Player of the Month judging panel for football, said, "One of the success stories of the summer was the great strides made by Longford through the qualifiers, and their youthful exuberance was epitomised by Brian Kavanagh. An exciting corner-forward who scores freely, both from play and placed balls, the youngster racked up some impressive tallies. He hit eight points (5fs) against Tipperary, and then showed great composure to notch 0-7 from frees in the thrilling win over Derry. He finished the month by bagging 1-6 (4fs) against Kerry, taking his goal in style, and if he maintains this progress, Longford have a lot more to look forward to in the years ahead." Similarly, hurling judging panel chair Donal O Grady outlined the reasons behind Dan Shanahan s Award; " July 23rd turned out to be a landmark day for Waterford as they ended their long wait for a SHC victory in Croke Park by beating Tipperary, and central to the success was a five-star performance from Dan Shanahan. A stalwart of the Deise challenge in recent years, the powerful wing-forward looked as eager and energetic as ever as he tormented Tipp's half-back line. Apart from his capacity to win possession under pressure, he roamed across the forty to hit a brace of points. His superbly-taken second half goal laid the platform for the Deise's three-point win, seeing him finish with an outstanding total of 1-5 from play." Dessie Farrell, Chief Executive of the GPA, said "I am delighted to announce the selection of Brian Kavanagh and Dan Shanahan as the Opel Gaelic Players of the Month for July. To even be shortlisted at this stage of the season is an honour in itself, as the players still left in the championship are the cream of the crop."   Commenting on the announcement, Dave Sheeran, Managing Director, Opel Ireland, said, "Brian Kavanagh and Dan Shanahan are fantastic names to add to the recipients list of the Opel Gaelic Player of the Month Awards.  Their personal flair and the sense of excitement they create out on the playing field embodies the spirit of the game and I m pleased to be in a position to reward their achievements." Tweet

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