Laois Hurler picks up award
It’s a real sign of the changed times and circumstances that Laois hurling now enjoys that Stephen ‘Picky’ Maher would be the runaway winner of the Player of the month award in hurling in May. The GAA/GPA All-Stars sponsored by Opel couldn’t really have looked at anyone else for the month as Maher’s performances for Laois in the Championship Round-Robin series were first class.
The Clough-Ballacolla hurler had always been a prospect in underage hurling. Superb performances for both the county minor and under-21 sides soon saw the 21-year-old make his senior debut. The 2012 National Hurling League first saw the Ballacolla stylist in the senior ranks and he didn’t disappoint. Indeed such have been his performances that all Laois hurling supporters only need to hear his nickname ‘Picky’ to swoon. He’d walk onto any other team in the country.
The Laois hurling star wants to win things with his own county however. An arch-perfectionist, Maher spoke of his and the squad’s ‘devastation’ when losing out by just two points to Galway in the championship recently. Here’s a dedicated sportsman who doesn’t want moral victories from his time in the Laois jersey. His three points in that game against the Tribesmen coupled with another stellar performance meant that this award has the most worthy of recipients.