SIX OF THE BEST FOR CHAMPS

Treaty selections are all newcomers

LIMERICK have carried off six PWC All-star awards to equal their all-time best ever haul following their All-ireland success this year.

The tally matches that of 1994, when they were beaten finalists, and is one better than 1973, their last All-ireland winning year, and 1996, when they won five.

Each of Limerick’s recipients – Sean Finn, Richie English, Declan Hannon, Dan Morrissey, Cian Lynch and Graeme Mulcahy

– are first-time winners, as are Clare duo Peter Duggan and John Conlon, along with Cork’s

Darragh Fitzgibbon.

In addition to Limerick’s six, there are three each from Cork and Galway, two from Clare and one from Kilkenny, making it the biggest spread of counties represented in six years.

Goalkeeper Eoin Murphy (inset) wins his second award and, interestingly, becomes the first player from outside the All-ireland semi-finalists to be selected since 2012.

After much angst in Kilkenny about their failure to win a goalkeeping All-star between 1993 and 2009, Murphy’s selection is their third in the position in the last decade.

Murphy’s selection also means that, having missed out last year, Kilkenny haven’t gone more than one year without an All-star since 1988-89.

With Limerick having four players among the six backs, it’s their biggest ever representation in defence.

It’s something that’s only happened 10 times in the 47-year history of the scheme, the others being Galway in 1980, ‘86 and ‘88, Kilkenny in 1983 and 2000, Offaly in 1994, Clare in 1995, Cork in 2004 and ‘05 and Tipperary in 2016, while Kilkenny filled a record five of the six defensive positions in 2008.

Fitzgibbon is the first Cork hurler to be chosen at midfield since Jerry O’connor in 2006, while his partner Lynch emulates his uncle Ciaran Carey, who won the second of his three All Stars in that position back in 1994.

Up front, Joe Canning wins his fifth award, bringing him level with fellow countymen Peter Finnerty and Joe Cooney.

Daithi Burke is chosen for the fourth successive year and while it’s well short of Tommy Walsh’s all-time record of nine-in-a-row between 2003 and ‘11, it equals the best for a Galway player set by Finnerty from 1985-88.

After turning in their best Championship performance since their All-ireland year of 2013, Clare are represented on an All-star team for the first time in five years.

Cork’s Patrick Horgan wins his third award, all of them claimed in years where his county has failed to win an All-ireland, a feat matched only by Tony O’sullivan (1982,

‘88 and ‘92) and John Fenton (1983, ‘85 and ‘87) on Leeside.

Horgan now also claims the unwanted distinction of being the Cork hurler with most Allstars but no All-ireland medal.

With Seamus Harnedy and Fitzgibbon joining Horgan on the team, it’s Cork’s biggest representation since 2013.

Leaving aside their All-ireland year of 2013, when eight Banner men made the cut, it’s the first time that Clare have had multiple All-stars since 2002, when Brian Lohan and Colin Lynch were selected, as Duggan and Conlon become first-time recipients.

The majority of the selections were reasonably straightforward, though Limerick wing-back Diarmaid Byrnes could count himself unfortunate to miss out, much like his teammate

Tom Morrissey and Kilkenny’s TJ Reid.