Nine Kilkenny players on All-Stars shortlist

Kilkenny have nine nominations for this year's hurling All-Stars.

The Cats have the second largest number of players in the running for this year's awards, which will be announced in November.

Eoin Murphy, Paddy Deegan, Padraig Walsh, Huw Lawlor, Conor Fogarty, TJ Reid, Adrian Mullen, John Donnelly and Colin Fennelly are among the 45 players listed.

All-Ireland champions Tipperary lead the way with 11 nominations. Leinster champions Wexford have eight nominations while Laois’ Joe McDonagh Cup winning season is acknowledged with two nominations. Limerick, Cork, Dublin and Galway are also on the list.

Only six of last year’s All-Star winning players make this year’s nominations list - Eoin Murphy, Seán Finn, Graeme Mulcahy, Patrick Horgan, Cian Lynch and Richie English.

Kilkenny also have an interest in both the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards. TJ Reid joins Tipp captain Séamus Callanan and Cork’s Patrick Horgan in the final three for the top honour, while Adrian Mullen, Kyle Hayes (Limerick) and Rory O’Connor (Wexford) are on the young player’s award shortlist.

"The standards set by the names on the lists helped drive the quality of the games we witnessed over the course of 2019," said GAA President John Horan. "I look forward to deliberations that will accompany the final selection of players in the weeks ahead before the awards are presented at the start of November."

The final selection of 15 players will be made late next month and all players will be honoured at a banquet in Dublin on Friday, November 1.

GOALKEEPERS

Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny)

Enda Rowland (Laois)

Brian Hogan (Tipperary)

DEFENDERS

Chris Crummey (Dublin)

Eoghan O’Donnell (Dublin)

Paddy Deegan (Kilkenny)

Pádraig Walsh (Kilkenny)

Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny)

Conor Fogarty (Kilkenny)

Jack Kelly (Laois)

Seán Finn (Limerick)

Mike Casey (Limerick)

Richie English (Limerick)

Pádraic Maher (Tipperary)

Ronan Maher (Tipperary)

Cathal Barrett (Tipperary)

Brendan Maher (Tipperary)

Barry Heffernan (Tipperary) 

Matthew O’Hanlon (Wexford)

Paudie Foley (Wexford)

Liam Ryan (Wexford)

MIDFIELDERS

Cathal Mannion (Galway)

Cian Lynch (Limerick)

William O’Donoghue (Limerick)

Noel McGrath (Tipperary)

Diarmuid O’Keeffe (Wexford)

Kevin Foley (Wexford)

FORWARDS

Alan Cadogan (Cork)

Patrick Horgan (Cork)

Conor Whelan (Galway)

TJ Reid (Kilkenny)

Adrian Mullen (Kilkenny)

John Donnelly (Kilkenny)

Colin Fennelly (Kilkenny)

Kyle Hayes (Limerick)

Peter Casey (Limerick) 

Aaron Gillane (Limerick)

Graeme Mulcahy (Limerick)

John O’Dwyer (Tipperary)

Jason Forde (Tipperary)

Séamus Callanan (Tipperary)

John McGrath (Tipperary)

Rory O’Connor (Wexford)

Lee Chin (Wexford)

Conor McDonald (Wexford)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Patrick Horgan (Cork)

TJ Reid (Kilkenny)

Séamus Callanan (Tipperary)

YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Adrian Mullen (Kilkenny)

Kyle Hayes (Limerick)

Rory O’Connor (Wexford)