Conor Hand at the heart of St Brigid's success story
Westmeath Independent Community & Sports Awards in association with Westmeath County Council
Outstanding Achievement Finalist: Conor Hand
Over the past year or so, St Brigid's have won the Connacht club senior championship, came agonisingly close to winning the All-Ireland title and retained their Roscommon crown. And Conor Hand has been at the heart of it all.
In late November last year, Hand scored 0-7, including a brace of two-pointers, in a dramatic Connacht club final win over Maigh Cuilinn of Galway.
St Brigid's went to defeat Scotstown in their All-Ireland semi-final, before falling narrowly short against Daingean Uí Chúis of Kerry in the national showpiece at Croke Park. On a day when Hand scored three points, it was the Dingle men who eventually prevailed after-extra-time.
Hand was chosen for the man of the match award in last month's Roscommon SFC final against Pádraig Pearses. He scored 1-5 in another final where extra-time was required to decide the outcome, with Hand's goal setting the Kiltoom outfit on the road to victory.
Hand really came to the fore when this year's Roscommon SFC reached the business end and he scored 2-12 in the course of his team's three knockout games.
In addition, Hand was part of the Roscommon panel which won this year's Roscommon senior title, defeating old rivals Mayo and Galway in the process.
From the Hill of Berries, close to Athlone, Hand's potential was evident from a young age. He was named on the 2020 Electric Ireland minor team of the year by virtue of his performances for Roscommon. The former Marist College student was a key figure on the Roscommon team which won the 2020 Connacht minor football title, in a competition hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He subsequently represented Roscommon at under-20 level before making his senior inter-county debut in 2024. Primarily operating as a wing-forward, Hand combines pace, ball carrying ability and an eye for scores.
The Outstanding Achievement finalists are Conor Hand, Oisin Lane, and Matthew Whittaker.
The Outstanding Achievement category is sponsored by DPD Ireland.