Cadbury Under 21 Hero of the Future Awards

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2 June 2010; Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Criostóir Ó Cuana and Shane Guest, Senior Brand Manager, Cadbury Ireland, presenting Dublin footballer Rory O'Carroll, 2010 Cadbury Hero of the Future Award Winner, with a €1,000 cheque for his club, Kilmacud Crokes, as part of his prize. Rory was one of 14 shortlisted players who had excelled throughout the 2010 Cadbury GAA U21 Football Championship, all nominees can be seen on www.cadburygaau21.com Past winners include Colm O’Neill and Fintan Goold from Cork, Killian Young from Kerry and Keith Higgins from Mayo and all have gone on to represent their counties at senior level. Rory, who plays his club football with Kilmacud Crokes, was named as a Cadbury Hero of the Match for his performance against Donegal in the All Ireland Final. The judging panel which consisted of senior Kildare footballer Dermot Earley, former Dublin manager Paul Caffrey and TG4 journalist Michael O’Domhnaill, gave serious consideration to the public vote which saw over 5,000 votes cast on cadburygaau21.com, but ultimately Rory O’Carroll’s heroic performances in both the semi-final against Roscommon and the final against Donegal, where he faced two of the Ireland’s most talented footballers meant he edged the competition out in the end. Cadbury Under 21 Hero of the Future Awards, Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE