Eight Limerick players chosen on Sunday Game Team of the Year with Diarmaid Byrnes chosen as HOTY

As is tradition, the RTÉ pundits selected their XV in the wake of the All-Ireland final.

After cementing their legacy as just the fourth county to ever complete a three-in-a-row of All-Ireland Senior Hurling titles, Limerick dominated the selection for the Sunday Game All-Stars team.

In total, the pundits chose eight Limerick players to the XV with a couple more unlucky to miss out.

Nickie Quaid was selected in goals and was joined by Sean Finn, Barry Nash, Diarmaid Byrnes and Declan Hannon in the defence.

Gearoid Hegarty and Kyle Hayes are picked in the half forward line with Aaron Gillane in the corner.

If those awards are replicated when the official All-Stars are released later this year, then it will already add to the bourgeoning collection of awards for Kiely’s men.

Finn is seeking his fifth successive award, while Byrnes, Hannon, Hegarty and Gillane already have a pair. Quaid (2018) and Nash (2020) both have one All-Star.

Byrnes was picked as the Hurler of the Year after a record setting season for a defender as he bagged 0-35 over the course of the campaign.

Last year, eleven players were picked on the Sunday Game team of the year with John Kiely’s men winning twelve awards when they were announced in the winter.

In 2020, nine Limerick players were named on the Sunday Game Team of the Year with the side matching that in the official awards.