Dan Shanahan
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| Dan Shanahan | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Hurling | |
| Irish Name | Dónal Ó Seanacháin | |
| Full name | Dan Shanahan | |
| Date of birth | January 4, 1977 | |
| Place of birth | Lismore , County Waterford | |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |
| Nickname(s) | Big Dan, Dan the Man | |
| Club information | ||
| Club | Lismore | |
| Position | Forward | |
| Club(s)* | ||
| Club | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Lismore | 1993-present | |
| Inter-County | ||
| County | Waterford | |
| Position | Half-forward | |
| Inter-County(ies)** | ||
| County | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Waterford | 1998- | 37 (19-51) |
| Senior Inter-County Titles | ||
| Munster Titles | 3 | |
| All-Ireland | 0 | |
| NHL | 1 | |
| All Stars | 3 | |
|
* club appearances and scores |
||
Dan Shanahan (born 4 January 1977 in Lismore, County Waterford) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Lismore and with the Waterford senior inter-county team. In recent seasons Shanahan has come to be regarded as one of the best players in the game.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Club
Shanahan plays his club hurling with his local Lismore club in Waterford. He has enjoyed some success at underage levels winning county medals in hurling at under-14, under-16, minor and under-21 levels. Shanahan won a senior county title in 1993 at the age of sixteen.
[edit] Inter-county
In the mid-1990s Shanahan played hurling with the Waterford minor and under-21 teams, however, he had little success at these levels. He first played for Waterford in 1995, however, his senior championship debut for his native-county came in 1998. That year Waterford held All-Ireland champions Clare to a draw in the Munster final, however, the Decies lost the replay. Shanahan’s side later faced Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final, however, they were defeated by a single point. This was a bleak period for Waterford’s hurlers and the famine that had lasted since 1963 continued. All this changed in 2002 when Justin McCarthy took over as manager of the team. That year Waterford reached the Munster final again, however, Shanahan couldn’t command a definite place on the starting fifteen. In spite of this he came on as a substitute in Waterford’s provincial final victory over reigning champions Tipperary. It was Shanahan’s first Munster title. Unfortunately, the men from the Deise were later defeated by Clare in the All-Ireland semi-final.
In 2003 Waterford reached the Munster final again, however, Shanahan remained on the substitutes’ bench as his team was defeated by Cork. Waterford later crashed out of the championship in the All-Ireland series. By 2004 Shanahan had established himself on the county team and it turned out to be one of his best seasons to date. In his first game against Clare he scored a hat-trick of goals (an impressive feat in hurling). He added to this by scoring another two goals against Tipperary and then scoring a vital goal against Cork in the memorable Munster final, giving Shanahan a second provincial title. This victory allowed the team to advance directly to the All-Ireland semi-final, however, Kilkenny defeated Shanahan’s side on that occasion. In spite of this there was some consolation at the end of the year as Shanahan's scoring prowess earned him his first All-Star award. The following few years proved difficult for Shanahan. Waterford crashed out of the early stages of the provincial championship in 2005 and 2006. On both these occasions his team was defeated by Cork in the All-Ireland series. Shanahan won a second All-Star award in 2006.
In 2007 Shanahan’s season began well. That year he collected his first National Hurling League title following a victory over reigning champions and three-in-a-row hopefuls Kilkenny. It was Waterford’s first national title in forty-four years. Shanahan’s side later defeated Cork in an exciting Munster semi-final, giving the team a place in the provincial decider once again. Limerick provided the opposition on that occasion. In the game itself Shanahan scored a remarkable total of 3-3. Remarkably, he scored all three of his goals during the second-half at rain-soaked Semple Stadium, as his strikes in the 52nd, 63rd and 71st minutes closed out a deserved, if somewhat flattering, victory. Shanahan was named "Man of the Match" along with picking up his third Munster winners medal.[1]. In the subsequent All-Ireland quarter-final Waterford defeated Cork after a replay, setting up an All-Ireland semi-final rematch with Limerick. While many had predicted a Waterford victory, Limerick had learned a lesson from the earlier defeat. Shanahan was prevented from scoring any goals in that game while Limerick’s forwards scored five. For the fifth time in almost a decade Waterford’s championship came to an end at the penultimate stage. In spite of falling short of championship success Shanahan’s tally of eight goals over the whole championship marked him out as one of the best forwards in the country. He was later presented with a third All-Star award as well as claiming the coveted Vodafone Hurler of the Year award. Shanahan later made a clean sweep of all the player of the year awards by also collecting the GPA Hurler of the Year and Texaco Hurler of the Year awards as well.
[edit] Provincial
Shanahan has also lined out with Munster in the Railway Cup inter-provincial competition. He first lined out with his province in 1998, however, he didn’t capture a winners medal in this competition until 2007 when Munster defeated Connacht.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny) |
Vodafone Hurler of the Year 2007 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Texaco Hurler of the Year 2007 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
|
| Gaelic Players' Association Hurler of the Year 2007 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
|
[edit] Championship scoring record
[edit] References
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