Historic PwC All Star hurling team selection as one province dominates

For the first time, the PwC All Star hurling team is drawn exclusively from Munster as Clare, Cork and Limerick players complete the line-up.

Additionally, it’s the first time in the 54-year history of the scheme that the Leinster champions don’t have a single representative as Kilkenny miss out. There was no player from a Leinster county selected in 2017 either, though Galway, that year’s Bob O’Keeffe Cup winners, had seven spots on the back of their long-awaited All-Ireland success that year.

With just three counties making up the final selection, it’s the smallest spread since 2014, when the team didn’t go beyond Kilkenny, Tipperary and Limerick. It’s the All-Ireland champions Clare that lead the way with six award winners, one more than beaten finalists Cork, while Munster champions Limerick take the remaining four positions.

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It’s Cork’s biggest haul since the year of their last All-Ireland win in 2005, when they had six, while it’s the first time in five years that they’ve had any representation.

There are five first-time winners in all - Clare pair Adam Hogan and Mark Rodgers along with Cork brothers Eoin and Robert Downey and their teammate Shane Barrett.

There are three survivors from last year’s team - Dan Morrissey, Kyle Hayes and Shane O’Donnell.

Nickie Quaid’s third award in goal moves him alongside Clare pair Davy Fitzgerald and Seamus Durack, but still short of Ger Cunningham, Eoin Murphy (four each), Brendan Cummins (five) and Noel Skehan (seven).

After winning the Fitzgibbon Cup with Mary I, the League and All-Ireland with Clare and the county title with Feakle just last Sunday, Adam Hogan’s stellar year is bolstered by a first award at corner-back, with Eoin Downey the first Cork player to be selected at full-back since Diarmuid O’Sullivan in 2005. Limerick’s Dan Morrissey wins his fourth All Star and is chosen at left corner-back for the second year in succession, seeing off competition from the likes of Conor Leen of Clare and Kilkenny’s Huw Lawlor.

There’s a bit of history for David McInerney as the Clare man wins his second All Star at right half-back, 11 years after he was chosen at left-corner back. It’s the longest ever gap between a first and second award, surpassing the previous record of nine years for Tipperary’s Declan Ryan (1988-97). In football, Kildare’s Dermot Earley also had an 11-year wait for his second All Star in 2009.

Newly-appointed Cork captain Robert Downey gets the nod at centre-back ahead of Clare’s John Conlon, making him and Eoin the 25th set of brothers to be honoured in hurling and the fourth from Cork after Jim and Tom Cashman, Sean Óg and Setanta Ó hAilpín, and Ben and Jerry O’Connor.

Hurler of the Year nominee Kyle Hayes makes the cut for the fifth successive year, equalling the feat of fellow county man Pat Hartigan from 1971-75, though he’s one short of Joe McKenna’s Limerick record of six, while Tommy Walsh of Kilkenny still holds the record for most consecutive All Stars (nine - 2003-11).

Tony Kelly has set a new mark in Clare as he wins his fifth award to go one clear of his manager Brian Lohan and Jamesie O’Connor, both of whom won four each. Kelly is partnered at midfield by Darragh Fitzgibbon, the Cork dynamo picking up his second All Star, six years after his first.

Clare captain Tony Kelly and manager Brian Lohan lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Kelly now has more All Stars than Lohan and Jamesie O'Connor.

There should be few quibbles with the half-forward line as Clare’s David Fitzgerald is chosen on the right wing with Cork pair Shane Barrett and Seamus Harnedy alongside him. Fitzgerald won his first award at midfield two years ago while it’s a first for Barrett. Harnedy’s consistency over such a long period is underlined by the fact that the 34-year-old is honoured for the third time, 11 years after his first award and six years after his second.

Limerick’s Gearoid Hegarty also had strong claims for a wing-forward berth and eyebrows will be raised in places at the fact that he was selected at right corner-forward, though he did operate very effectively from that position at various stages, particularly against Clare in Ennis and again when they beat the Banner in the Munster final.

With Clare pair Shane O’Donnell and Mark Rodgers virtual automatic selections to complete the full-forward line, it means that Cork’s Brian Hayes, man of the match in the All-Ireland semi-final win over Limerick, is the one to miss out as a result of Hegarty moving inside.

2024 PwC All-Star Hurling Team

1. Nickie Quaid (Limerick)

Third All Star

Club: Effin

Age: 35

2. Adam Hogan (Clare)

First All Star

Club: Feakle

Age: 21

3. Eoin Downey (Cork)

First All Star

Club: Glen Rovers

Age: 21

4. Dan Morrissey (Limerick)

Fourth All Star

Club: Ahane

Age: 31

5. David McInerney (Clare)

Second All Star

Club: Tulla

Age: 31

6. Robert Downey (Cork)

First All Star

Club: Glen Rovers

Age: 25

7. Kyle Hayes (Limerick)

Fifth All Star

Club: Kildimo-Pallaskenry

Age: 26

8. Tony Kelly (Clare)

Fifth All Star

Club: Ballyea

Age: 30

9. Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork)

Second All Star

Club: Charleville

Age: 27

10. David Fitzgerald (Clare)

Second All Star

Club: Inagh-Kilnamona

Age: 28

11. Shane Barrett (Cork)

First All Star

Club: Blarney

Age: 23

12. Seamus Harnedy (Cork)

Third All Star

Club: St Ita’s

Age: 34

13. Gearoid Hegarty (Limerick)

Fourth All Star

Club: St Patrick’s

Age: 30

14. Shane O’Donnell (Clare)

Third All Star

Club: Eire Og, Ennis

Age: 30

15. Mark Rodgers (Clare)

First All Star

Club: Scarriff

Age: 23

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