Matthew Whelan (hurler)
Matthew Whelan (born 1 February 1988) is an Irish hurler who plays for Laois Senior Championship club Borris-in-Ossory/Kilcotton. He is a former member of the Laois senior hurling team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Maitiú Ó Faoileáin | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Born |
1 February 1988 Borris-in-Ossory, County Laois, Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Nickname | Whelan | ||
| Occupation | Secondary school teacher | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
Borris-in-Ossory Borris-in-Ossory/Kilcotton | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Laois titles | 1 | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
| University of Limerick | |||
| College titles | |||
| Fitzgibbon titles | 0 | ||
| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
2007-2021 | Laois | 42 (0-29) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 0 | ||
| All-Irelands | 0 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 0 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 18:11, 26 June 2021. | |||
Career
Whelan first came to Gaelic games prominence at juvenile and underage levels with the Borris-in-Ossory club, before eventually joining the club's top adult team. After the creation of the new Borris-in-Ossory/Kilcotton club, he went on to win a County Senior Championship in 2016, having earlier won three intermediate titles.[1] Whelan first played at inter-county level as a dual player with the Laois minor teams. He won a Leinster Minor Championship title in 2005, before winning an All-Ireland Schools' Championship title in 2006.[2][3] Whelan was straight out of the minor grade when he made his Laois senior hurling team debut in 2007. Over the course of the following 15 seasons, he became a first-team regular and had two spells as team captain, while he also won a Joe McDonagh Cup medal and two National League Division 2 titles.[4] Whelan retired from inter-county hurling on 25 July 2021, having made a record number of appearances for Laois.[5][6]
Career statistics
| Team | Year | National League | McDonagh Cup | Leinster | All-Ireland | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | ||
| Laois | 2007 | Division 2A | 9 | 1-09 | — | 1 | 0-00 | 3 | 0-02 | 13 | 1-11 | |
| 2008 | Division 1B | 5 | 0-01 | — | 0 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | 5 | 0-01 | ||
| 2009 | Division 2 | 7 | 0-00 | — | 1 | 0-00 | 1 | 0-00 | 9 | 0-00 | ||
| 2010 | 6 | 0-07 | — | 2 | 0-05 | 1 | 0-00 | 9 | 0-12 | |||
| 2011 | 7 | 0-02 | — | 1 | 0-02 | 1 | 0-02 | 9 | 0-06 | |||
| 2012 | Division 1B | 6 | 0-03 | — | 2 | 0-02 | 1 | 0-00 | 9 | 0-05 | ||
| 2013 | Division 2A | 6 | 0-16 | — | 3 | 0-07 | 1 | 0-00 | 10 | 0-23 | ||
| 2014 | Division 1B | 6 | 0-07 | — | 5 | 0-03 | 1 | 0-02 | 12 | 0-12 | ||
| 2015 | 4 | 0-00 | — | 5 | 0-00 | 1 | 0-01 | 10 | 0-01 | |||
| 2016 | 7 | 0-01 | — | 1 | 0-00 | 1 | 0-01 | 9 | 0-02 | |||
| 2017 | 2 | 0-00 | — | 4 | 0-00 | 2 | 0-01 | 8 | 0-01 | |||
| 2018 | 6 | 0-00 | 5 | 0-01 | — | — | 11 | 0-01 | ||||
| 2019 | 6 | 0-00 | 5 | 0-02 | — | 2 | 0-00 | 13 | 0-02 | |||
| 2020 | 3 | 0-00 | — | 0 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | 3 | 0-00 | |||
| 2021 | 4 | 0-00 | — | 1 | 0-01 | 1 | 0-00 | 6 | 0-01 | |||
| Career total | 84 | 1-46 | 10 | 0-03 | 26 | 0-20 | 16 | 0-09 | 136 | 1-78 | ||
Honours
- St Fergal's College
- Borris-in-Ossory
- Laois Intermediate Hurling Championship: 2009
- Borris-in-Ossory/Kilcotton GAA
- Laois Senior Hurling Championship: 2016
- Laois Intermediate Hurling Championship: 2012, 2014
- Laois
- Joe McDonagh Cup: 2019
- National Hurling League Division 2A: 2013
- National Hurling League Division 2: 2007
- Leinster Minor Football Championship: 2005
- Ireland
- Shinty-Hurling International Series: 2015 (c)
References
- "Borris-Kilcotton capture first Laois hurling crown". RTÉ Sport. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- "Laois minors beat Meath". Hogan Stand. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- "Looking back on the amazing day St Fergal's claimed their first All-Ireland hurling title in 2006". Laois Today. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- Graham, Brendan (30 June 2019). "Laois produce stunning second half display to capture Joe McDonagh Cup". The 42. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- "Laois most capped hurler calls time on Inter County career". Leinster Express. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- "Record-breaker Whelan calls it a day". Hogan Stand. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.