The AIB/Irish Times team of the season was honoured at a lunch in AIB Bankcentre, Ballsbridge, yesterday, with 12 of the recipients on hand to pick up their awards in person. AIB general manager John Hickey and managing editor of The Irish Times Eoin McVey presented the awards to the players.
Don Crowley, president of the IRFU, paid tribute to the players and also praised both the AIB and The Irish Times for their roles in honouring those involved in the bedrock of the game. The team was chosen from AIB League Division One clubs and reflected the dominance of Clontarf, which provided six of the 15 players.
Dave Hewitt, James Downey, Bernard Jackman, Adrian Clarke, Andy Wood and David Moore are the Castle Avenue sextet.
It is the fourth year of the awards and no one club has mustered the numbers Clontarf managed in a single year.
The two wings chosen, Conor McPhillips and Karl Becker, both started at scrumhalf but this season showed their versatility and ability to make the team.
McPhillips will be rewarded with a contract with Connacht next season, a status he shares with Hewitt, who has also been asked to go west.
The team was chosen by the rugby writers of The Irish Times, correspondent Gerry Thornley, John O'Sullivan and Johnny Watterson.
AIB/IRISH TIMES TEAM OF THE SEASON: D Hewitt (Clontarf); C McPhillips (St Mary's College), K Matthews (UL Bohemians), J Downey (Clontarf), K Becker (Lansdowne); M Leek (Lansdowne), C O'Loughlin (Buccaneers); E Bohan (Lansdowne), B Jackman (Clontarf), A Clarke (Clontarf), A Wood (Clontarf), M McCullough (Ballymena), T Hayes (Shannon), D Moore (Clontarf), N McMillan (Ballymena).
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