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.

Matthew Whelan

Personal information
Irish name	Maitiú Ó Faoileáin
Sport	Hurling
Position	Centre-back
Born	(1988-02-01) 1 February 1988 (age 36) Borris-in-Ossory, County Laois, Ireland
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
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

• All-Ireland Senior Vocational Schools' Championship: 2006

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

1. "Borris-Kilcotton capture first Laois hurling crown". RTÉ Sport. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
2. "Laois minors beat Meath". Hogan Stand. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
3. "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.
4. Graham, Brendan (30 June 2019). "Laois produce stunning second half display to capture Joe McDonagh Cup". The 42. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
5. "Laois most capped hurler calls time on Inter County career". Leinster Express. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
6. "Record-breaker Whelan calls it a day". Hogan Stand. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.