TREATY TEAM HAVE STARS IN THEIR EYES
FURTHER records are in sight for the Limerick hurlers after their entire All- Ireland winning side got the nod for PwC All Star nominations.
It may be another two months before the All Star team is selected but given their dominance as they retained the All-Ireland for the first time in their history, Limerick will at the very least rival the record of nine All Stars in a single year and possibly even surpass it.
The only county to win nine All Stars in the one season in hurling i s Kilkenny, t hree times, in 1983, 2000 and 2008.
It’s been achieved on three occasions in football, twice by Dublin (1977 and 2020) and once by Kerry (1981).
Although Dan Morrissey didn’t start either of their games in Munster as he worked his way back from injury and Aaron Gillane was dropped for the provincial final, Limerick had a fairly settled starting 15 and both players deservedly earned nominations.
Nominated
All-Ireland finalists Cork are next best with nine, while Waterford have seven players nominated.
Leinster champions Kilkenny come in with five, and there are three nominations each from Clare and Tipperary, with the last three slots going to hurlers from Dubl in, Laois and Wexford.
Clare’s Cathal Malone is nominated for the first time, while team-mate Rory Hayes makes the last 45 for the second successive y ear a nd Banner talisman Tony Kelly is in line for a possible third All Star of his career.
Af ter bombing in the Championship with poor displays against both Dublin and Waterford, Galway have failed to earn a nomination for the first time since 2013.
Laois’s Paddy Purcell is nominated for the second time in three years after standout displays against Antrim, when Séamus ‘ Cheddar’ Plunkett’s side preserved their top tier status, and Waterford, as the midlanders nearly caused the shock of the summer.
Wexford’s Lee Chin, an All
Star two years ago, made the cut as did 2013 All Star Danny Sutcliffe after a welcome return to form for Dublin this year.
What’s guaranteed is that the Hurler of the Year award will go to Limerick with the shortlist of t hree drawn from the All-Ireland champions as Cian Lynch, Kyle Hayes and Seán Finn battle it out f or the honour.
After a series of superb displays over the course of the Championship campaign, Lynch is the clear favourite to be crowned as the country’s top hurler for a second time in four seasons.
Should he achieve that feat, he would be just the second player after three-time winner Henry Shefflin to win this particular version of the award more than once.
Multiple
The now defunct Texaco Hurler of the Year, once considered the most prestigious individual prize in the game, was won on multiple occasions only by Shefflin, DJ Carey, Brian Corcoran and Brian Whelahan, so Lynch is poised to add his name to a distinguished list.
The Young Hurler of the Year, which is drawn from players who turn 21 or younger this year, will go to one of Eoin
Cody (Kilkenny), who won the award for 2020, Aidan McCarthy (Clare) or Shane Barrett (Cork).
The PwC All Star football nominations and Footballer of the Year shortlist will be announced tomorrow morning.
The All Star hurling team will berevealedonThursday, December 9, while the football team and the various player of the year award recipients will be announced live at the All Stars banquet the following night.
Both teams are chosen by panels of journalists, though the player of the year awards are determined by a vote among inter- county hurlers and footballers.