14 Limerick players nominated for 2020 Hurling All Stars

As expected, 2020 All-Ireland Hurling Champions Limerick dominate the shortlist for this year’s All-Stars as they have 14 players among the 45-man shortlist.

Each of the defensive unit are chosen as are all of the six forwards that started the All-Ireland final. William O’Donogue is nominated for the second year running at midfield.

Gearoid Hegarty is nominated for Hurler of the Year but interestingly, the St Pats man is the only Limerick player to make the three man shortlist as he is joined by Tony Kelly and Stephen Bennett in that selection.

The fourteen selected is one shy of Limerick’s 2018 total where each of the starting XV were nominated.

That year Limerick had six All-Stars in the form of Sean Finn, Richie English, Declan Hannon, Dan Morrissey, Cian Lynch and Graeme Mulcahy.

Lynch was also named Hurler of the Year in 2018.

Last year, Finn would pick up a second consecutive award with Aaron Gillane claiming his first.

It is a third successive nomination for each of Finn, Lynch, Gillane and Kyle Hayes who is widely expected to make it third time lucky.

There are eight counties represented in all, with Munster and All-Ireland finalists Waterford strongly featured with 10 players shortlisted.

There are seven Galway hurlers named with five from Kilkenny, and two from Cork and two from Tipperary.

Tony Kelly is one of four Clare hurlers selected, while Dublin’s Donal Burke is also included.

Eoin Cody of Kilkenny, Tipperary’s Jake Morris and Iarlaith Daly of Waterford make up the shortlist for the Young Hurler of the Year award.

The nominations were chosen by a panel of Gaelic Games correspondents from across, print, radio, TV and digital media, chaired by Uachtarán CLG John Horan.

It has also been confirmed that there will be two additional hurling selections – a team of the year for the players in the Joe McDonagh Cup, as well as a Champion 15 that is comprised of star players from across the Christy Ring, Nickey Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups. Details of these teams will be announced next month.

It is intended that the presentation of the PwC All-Star awards will take place late next month in a TV show that will be in line with Covid-19 restrictions and will be confirmed in due course.

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PwC All-Stars Hurling nominations 2020

Goalkeepers

Stephen O’Keeffe (Waterford), Nickie Quaid (Limerick), Eibhear Quilligan (Clare)

Defenders

Seán Finn, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash, Diarmuid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Kyle Hayes (all Limerick)

Conor Prunty, Shane McNulty, Calum Lyons, Tadhg De Burcá (all Waterford)

Daithí Burke, Aidan Harte, Pádraic Mannion (all Galway)

Conor Delaney, Padraig Walsh (Kilkenny) 

Rory Hayes (Clare), Mark Coleman (Cork), Ronan Maher (Tipperary)

Midfielders

Will O’Donoghue (Limerick), Cian Lynch (Limerick), Jamie Barron (Waterford), Tony Kelly (Clare), Michael Breen (Tipperary), Conor Browne (Kilkenny).

Forwards

Gearóid Hegarty, Tom Morrissey, Aaron Gillane, Seamus Flanagan, Graeme Mulcahy (all Limerick)

Stephen Bennett, Dessie Hutchinson, Austin Gleeson, Jack Fagan (all Waterford)

Brian Concannon, Joe Canning, Conor Whelan, Cathal Mannion (all Galway)

TJ Reid, John Donnelly (Kilkenny)

Donal Burke (Dublin), Cathal Malone (Clare), Shane Kingston (Cork)

PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year nominees

Jake Morris (Tipperary), Eoin Cody (Kilkenny), Iarlaith Daly (Waterford)

PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year nominees

Gearóid Hegarty (Limerick), Tony Kelly (Clare), Stephen Bennett (Waterford)