DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH

1 PAUL MURPHY (Kilkenny)

WHEN Tipperary ended Kilkenny’s five-in-a-row dream in 2010, the 22-year-old Murphy was on Hill 16, wondering if his chance to become a county hurler had passed him by. Within a few years, he had two All-Ireland medals. The Danesfort native is now the outstanding defender in the country, seeing off attack after attack in the League final as Tipp threatened to run riot before half-time. A class act.

2 MICHAEL CAHILL (Tipperary)

BRENDAN MAHER has exuded calm at the top of Tipperary’s defence, and Pádraic Maher’s move to fullback is an interesting experiment, but Cahill remains the county’s most consistent defender. Their leaks early in the spring occurred when injuries necessitated Cahill’s move to the half-back line. Restored to his natural home in the corner, Cahill is back to his brilliant best.

3 BRENDAN BUGLER (Clare)

AS much as Clare’s excellence in 2013 was about the exuberance and fearlessness of youth, the role Bugler (right) played as the experienced, old hand can’t be overstated. He admits the emergence of so many young, gifted players has helped his own career but he has been an inspiration to those around him for the past two years.

4 RICHIE McCARTHY (Limerick)

FOLLOWING the emotion of their Munster title, Limerick crashed in Croke Park but McCarthy still stood out. His ability to combine with Wayne McNamara, Gavin O’Mahony and Tom Condon will be critical this year.

5 CIAN DILLON (Clare)

DILLON was overshadowed by his more swashbuckling team-mates last year and didn’t even receive an All-Star nomination, when some felt he should have claimed an award itself. He’s Clare’s best manmarker and generally asked to silence the opposition’s most dangerous forward, such as Joe Canning in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final.