Conor Stakelum is Nenagh Guardian Senior Club Hurler of the Year

By Shane Brophy

As part of the process of selecting the Nenagh Guardian Tipperary Senior Club Hurling Team of the Year, the nominators also selected Thurles Sarsfields captain Conor Stakelum as the Player of the Year.

In the nomination process for the team of the year, Stakelum and Thurles Sarsfields team-mate Denis Maher were unanimous selections among the eight nominators which automatically made them only the nominees for player of the year, from which Conor Stakelum was chosen.

It’s another accolade for the 29-year-old who assumed a greater leadership role following the broken ankle sustained by Tipperary and clubmate Ronan Maher prior to the start of the club championship.

While centre-back wasn’t an unfamiliar position to him, he performances were to such a high level that he has made it is own and when Maher is back to full fitness, the 2025 All-Ireland winning captain will likely have to find a new position in the defence.

Stakelum’s ability to read the game at centre back in defensive sense, and also an effective distributor of the ball, sees him becoming a realistic contender to play the position for Tipperary going forward.

His leadership was there for all to see through the campaign as he played a starring role in helping Thurles Sarsfields win the county senior hurling championship for a 37th time, and first in nine-years. He will hope to add more to than when Sarsfields enter the Munster Club Championship at the semi-final stage on Sunday, November 15th when they travel to face the winners of this Sunday’s quarter final between Cork’s Glen Rovers and Inagh-Kilnamona of Clare.