Ireland’s David Harte named World Goalkeeper of the Year

David Harte was named the men's FIH World Goalkeeper of the Year for his exploits in 2015, helping Ireland claim a place at the Olympic Games for the first time since 1908.

The Cork man was the first Irish player to make the shortlist for the prestigious award and he duly saw off rivals from Canada, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia for the top prize.

It follows a year in which he won three goalkeeper of the tournament awards. He took the laurels at World League Round 2 in San Diego and World League Round 3 in Antwerp, crucially making a last minute save against Pakistan in the latter event with his fingertips to hold on to a 1-0 win that ultimately saw Ireland land the Olympic spot.

Harte was also named as the number one ’keeper at the European Championships in London last August when Ireland won their first ever elite tournament medal, taking bronze.

It adds to a wealth of awards for Harte of late. On Monday, Harte was named Most Entertaining Player for his Indian franchise Dabang Mumbai with whom he is based for the next six weeks.

Shane O'Donoghue missed out on the Rising Star award to German forward Christopher Ruhr.