Four Kilkenny players nominated for hurling all-star awards

The Kilkenny quartet of John Donnelly, Cian Kenny, Huw Lawlor and David Blanchfield have been nominated for PwC Hurling All-Star awards.

Despite falling to subsequent All-Ireland champions Clare at the semi-final stage, the Cats have still been rewarded with four nominations after ending the season with another Leinster title.

Of the 45 nominated players, there are eight counties represented in total. The breakdown is Clare 14, Cork 10, Limerick nine, Kilkenny four, with Waterford, Wexford, Dublin and Antrim having two representatives each.

There are three counties in contention for PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year with Shane O'Donnell (Clare), Kyle Hayes (Limerick) and Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork) nominated for the award.

The PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year nominees are Clare’s Adam Hogan, Cork’s Eoin Downey and Limerick’s Cathal O’Neill.

The nominations were chosen by a panel of Gaelic Games journalists from across, print, radio, TV and digital media. The All-Stars scheme dates back to 1971, and the PwC Hurling All-Stars will be announced live on RTÉ tv at a special banquet in the RDS on Friday, November 1^st – the 140^th anniversary of the formation of the GAA.

PwC Hurling All-Stars Nominations

Goalkeepers

Patrick Collins (Cork)

Nickie Quaid (Limerick)

Eibhear Quilligan (Clare)

Defenders

Adam Hogan (Clare)

Conor Cleary (Clare)

Conor Leen (Clare)

Diarmuid Ryan (Clare)

John Conlon (Clare)

David McInerney (Clare)

Eoin Downey (Cork)

Robert Downey (Cork)

Ciarán Joyce (Cork)

Dan Morrissey (Limerick)

Kyle Hayes (Limerick)

Barry Nash (Limerick)

Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny)

David Blanchfield (Kilkenny)

Calum Lyons (Waterford)

Tadhg de Búrca (Waterford)

Chris Crummey (Dublin)

Paddy Burke (Antrim)

Midfielders

Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork)

Tim O’Mahony (Cork)

Tony Kelly (Clare)

Cathal O’Neill (Limerick)

Conor Burke (Dublin)

Cian Kenny (Kilkenny)

Forwards

Shane O’Donnell (Clare)

Mark Rodgers (Clare)

Aidan McCarthy (Clare)

Peter Duggan (Clare)

David Fitzgerald (Clare)

David Reidy (Clare)

Shane Barrett (Cork)

Seamus Harnedy (Cork)

Patrick Horgan (Cork)

Brian Hayes (Cork)

Gearóid Hegarty (Limerick)

Tom Morrissey (Limerick)

Aaron Gillane (Limerick)

David Reidy (Limerick)

Lee Chin (Wexford)

Rory O’Connor (Wexford)

John Donnelly (Kilkenny)

James McNaughton (Antrim)

PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year Nominees

Shane O’Donnell (Clare)

Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork)

Kyle Hayes (Limerick)

PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year Nominees

Adam Hogan (Clare)

Eoin Downey (Cork)

Cathal O’Neill (Limerick)