TOP 10 HURLING HARD MEN

FEW games are as physically demanding as hurling, but as sport, in general, becomes more sanitised, are we in danger of losing the classic ‘tough guy’ from our GAA fields?

A quick look around the current hurling landscape suggests they are becoming an endangered species, but this phenomenon is by no means restricted to Ireland’s oldest sport — England’s Premier League is crying out for a Roy Keane or Vinnie Jones.

Maybe referees are becoming too strict or, perhaps, the everincreasing emphasis on fitness and conditioning has led to a gradual phasing out of the traditional hurling hard man?

Here, we see how many current players make the cut in our list of the 10 toughest hurlers of the last 25 years.

TOP TEN

10 Liam Dunne (Wexford, 19882003) – Made his Championship debut for Wexford in 1988 and hung up his inter-county boots in 2004. All-Ireland success in 1996 cemented his legendary status with Model County supporters, but Dunne is mainly remembered as a solid centreback who refused to give an inch, taking All-Star awards in 1990, ’93 and ’96.

9 Brian Whelehan (Offaly, 19892006) – Considered more of a stylist, but it’s remarkable how often the Offaly man’s name pops up in ‘toughest opponent’ conversations, with Jamesie O’Connor, Ken McGrath and DJ Carey all mentioning the Birr halfback, who was the sole Offaly man named on the Hurling Team of the Millennium.

Suffering from ’flu in the 1998 All-Ireland final, Whelehan went to full-forward where he wreaked havoc against Kilkenny, scoring 1-6 as Offaly became the first team to come through the qualifiers and win the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Style came with substance.

8

Pádraic Maher (Tipperary, 2009-present day) – The only player on our list that’s still playing inter-county hurling, the Tipp captain has been a vital cog in the Premier machine for some years now. His grit and determination mark him out as one of the toughest of the modern era.

Never one to shy from a tackle, Maher had a hurl broken across his head while on duty with Thurles Sarsfields in 2016, typically not flinching as the ash cracked in two across his helmet.

7

Brian Lohan (Clare, 1993-2006) – Made the big-hit clearance his trademark, taking All-Star awards in 1995, ’96, ’97 and 2002 to go with his two Celtic Crosses won in 1995 and ’97. Lohan’s Clare career began in 1993 and he hung up his famous red helmet in 2006, with Anthony Daly describing him as the ‘greatest full-back I’ve ever seen’.

Often accused of playing on the edge of the game’s rules, but Lohan was as inspirational figure for the Banner. His all-action style proved too much of a challenge for most of the game’s top forwards.

6 Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny, 200316) – One of the best to ever hold a hurl, Tyrrell was a rock in the Kilkenny team that many insist were the greatest of alltime, collecting nine All-Irelands, 11 Leinster titles and four All-Stars.

A nightmare for opposition forwards, and one of the few defenders deemed worthy of a YouTube ‘big hits’ collection — his 2009 shoulder on Séamus Callanan is not for the faint-hearted. 5 Noel Hickey (Kilkenny, 200013) – It was an odd quirk of the great Brian Cody teams — all the small guys seemed to be the strongest. Hickey fell into that bracket, although didn’t come in for the same praise as some of his contemporaries. He won nine All Irelands, making his name by keeping the country’s top forwards in his pocket. 4 Diarmuid O’Sullivan (Cork, 1997-2009) – Nicknamed ‘The Rock’ for a reason, O’Sullivan was almost a caricature of a hurler, with a frame akin to the Fantastic Four’s very own man of stone ‘The Thing’.

His hit on Limerick’s Jack Foley in the 2001 Munster quarter-final is often mentioned as the greatest shoulder of all-time, but his most memorable moment perhaps came in the 2003 All-Ireland final defeat to Kilkenny.

Charging out of the full-back line, having lost his hurl, ‘Sully’ still managed to rise and collect a dropping ball. He then set his sights on the three Kilkenny men heading his way, flooring Eddie Brennan and meeting DJ Carey and Henry Shefflin with massive shoulders before pumping out his chest as he called for more challengers.

Carey said ‘I was lucky that I was the third fella he met.’ 3 Ken McGrath (Waterford, 19962011) – His shaved head and missing teeth helped make McGrath an iconic hurling tough guy before the wearing of helmets became mandatory. A gifted hurler, the three time All-Star had a tenacious attitude that matched his exceptional level of skill, famously damaging his ankle ten minutes into a Championship meeting with Tipperary in 2000 but still taking Philip Maher for three points at full-forward.

After playing through the pain, the Mount Sion man was withdrawn in the final quarter with what turned out to be serious ligament damage, describing in his autobiography, ‘Hand on Heart’, that ‘I’d torn everything in the ankle – all that was holding it together was skin.’

His fortitude extended off the pitch, overcoming an eight-hour open heart surgery in April 2014 following a brain haemorrhage.

2 Seanie McMahon (Clare, 19942006) – A Clare legend and two-time All-Ireland winner (1995 and ’97), McMahon’s most famous contribution to the Banner came in his breakthrough season in 1995 — a season that ended with the Texaco Hurler of the Year Award — when a clash with Cork’s Mark Mullins left McMahon nursing a broken collarbone.

Displaying the warrior mentality he would become famous for, McMahon played on and had a huge say in the game, winning the crucial sideline ball that led to Ollie Baker’s winning goal.

As Ger Loughnane summed it up, ‘There are men, then there are men, then there’s Sean McMahon.’

1 Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny, 2002-14)

– They say Cats have nine lives, but this one has nine All-Irelands, nine Leinster titles and nine All- Stars (won in five different positions).

Despite being a defender, Walsh still managed to stand out as an exceptional talent when Kilkenny were at the height of their powers. At 5ft 9in he was by no means the biggest man on the pitch, but the fearless Walsh brought an aggression and edge that helped him dominate opponents who often had a physical advantage on him.

Often targeted, rarely beaten. Walsh was arguably the most indispensable member of the greatest team to have played the game.