Diarmaid Byrnes nominated for PwC/GPA Hurler of the Month

The Patrickswell man has been nominated alongside Diarmuid Ryan of Clare and Donal Burke of Dublin with each county through to the All-Ireland series.

Limerick’s Diarmaid Byrnes has been nominated for the PWC/GPA Hurler of the Month Award for May. The Patrickswell man has been nominated alongside Diarmuid Ryan of Clare and Donal Burke of Dublin with each county safely through to the All-Ireland series following a hectic month in the round robin championships.

Byrnes had a fantastic May, as he helped his Limerick side reach a fifth consecutive Munster final, and also broke the championship scoring record for a defender.

Diarmaid Byrnes hit 1-4 in the crucial victory over Cork that booked Limerick’s place in the Munster final whilst moving his personal tally in the championship to 2-100, overtaking Sean McMahon as the highest scoring defender in hurling history.

The defender’s pursuit of the record stretches as far back as 2016, when he scored two points against Clare, who Limerick will face in the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday in the final of the Munster SHC, as they bid to win their fifth Munster title in a row.

The reigning Hurler of the Year played a huge part in the draw against Tipperary and the one point win over Cork in May, scoring 1-8 across the two games.

He is up against Clare’s Diarmuid Ryan for the award and they will be in opposition camps this weekend for the provincial final with the Banner ending Limerick’s 17-match unbeaten run earlier in the championship. Ryan was crucial in helping Clare to the final with his winning score against Cork proving vital. Burke has been a scoring machine for Dublin as they finished in third in the Leinster championship. He has totalled 2-51 from five games, making him the championships top scorer thus far.