All-Ireland champions Kilkenny have secured eight All-Star awards this year, with the ceremony taking place this evening at the conference centre in Dublin.
The winners of the coveted awards have now been confirmed, and the Kilkenny Advertiser can reveal who will be smiling this evening. Kilkenny’s impressive 14 nominations provoked much speculation this past fortnight over who merits a place, and who would miss out.
Here are the 2011 GAA GPA All-Stars:
1. Gary Maguire (Dublin ): Dublin will have two goalkeepers with All-Star awards this year. David Herity can feel a little aggrieved to miss out, because he certainly produced some outstanding saves over the season (that one against John Mullane in the semi-final springs to mind ), but the judging panel can’t be faulted for leaning towards the Ballyboden St Enda’s man. He is an excellent keeper.
2. Paul Murphy (Kilkenny ): There were any number of high quality candidates in full back line. Paul Murphy was outstanding for much of the season though (and still is, going by his form in Danesfort’s recent championship win ). He defends with the consistency and game-reading skills of a much older player, and should make the corner back spot his own in the black and amber for years to come. Well deserving of his first All-Star award.
3. Paul Curran (Tipperary ): The Mullinahone man is yet another fine hurler to have lasted the distance with Tipperary. He can win possession in the most unlikely scenarios and had a much tougher final this year, as – unlike last year – Henry Shefflin played the full game. Nonetheless, he fully deserves the award. Few players work as hard over 70 minutes.
4. Michael Cahill (Tipperary ): Not everyone was convinced that Curran had done enough to merit the award, but he had a very consistent season in the full back line, and has proven his ability at the highest level. Like Paul Murphy, it’s hard to believe he is only 22, such is his composure and reading of the game at the back. Has a great future ahead of him.
5. Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny ): This one was always a dead cert. One of the finest players to ever pull on a black and amber jersey, Walsh exemplifies everything right about Kilkenny hurling – attitude, toughness, skill, determination, and a very obvious passion for the game. His distribution to Shefflin during the final was an added bonus. Always a joy to watch, he has now set a new record with nine consecutive All-Star awards.
6. Brian Hogan (Kilkenny ): The only O’ Loughlins player in the panel this year, Brian Hogan was an exceptional leader on the field of play, and a gentleman off it. Rock solid in the centre half back role, he made everyone else’s job easier by restricting the supply to opposition forwards. It’s genuinely hard to believe that this is his first time getting the award. Gave a great captain’s speech too.
7. Padraic Maher (Tipperary ): The three half backs pick themselves. Maher was very consistent over the course of the season and is certainly deserving of an All-Star. His defensive abilities aside, his vision and distribution is a huge contributing factor to the standard of which Tipperary are capable. Just ask Waterford after the Munster final.
8. Liam Rushe (Dublin ): A sure thing for Young Hurler of the Year. The Palmerstown youngster is a very gifted hurler and looks to be an outstanding prospect for the future. He was excellent against Tipperary, and his progress this season is a reflection on how far the Dubs have come under Anthony Daly. Rushe’s inclusion, along with Maguire, marks the first time that Dublin have had two players in the selection since the inception of the All-Stars scheme in 1971.
9. Michael Fennelly (Kilkenny ): Probably the first name that the judging panel put on the page. Looks to be the outstanding candidate for Hurler of the Year, and rightly so. He was head and shoulders above any midfielder in the country for much of the season, and has a physicality to his game that few can match.
10. Michael Rice (Kilkenny ): His midfield partner took most of the media plaudits, but Michael Rice hurled like a man possessed. He is named here in the half forward line, but anyone who watched him at all this season knows that his best position is in midfield, getting stuck into the opposition. His quality of movement and off the ball running lines cannot be taught.
11. Richie Power (Kilkenny ): A very good season from the Carrickshock forward. He linked up well with those around him and gave his all in every game. Richie Power has grown into the role, and could become a natural leader in the years to come.
12. Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny ): Shefflin’s contribution to the team cannot be overstated. Few would argue that Liam MacCarthy would be back Noreside if the King’s cruciate had gone rogue again this year. His selfless creativity and pure hurling intelligence merit an All-Star alone, even had he never struck a single one of those trademark, unerring, frees. This record tenth All-Star should cement his place in history as Kilkenny’s greatest ever hurler.
13. John Mullane (Waterford ): Waterford were found wanting against Kilkenny in August, but it was not for lack of quality or effort from this man. Mullane has always been an exceptional hurler, and it seems cruel that he will likely end his career without ever landing the sport’s highest accolade. Perhaps some solace can be found in another All-Star award for the Deise man.
14. Lar Corbett (Tipperary ): People will naturally point to his quiet All-Ireland final, but before September he was turning in some very high-quality performances, week in, week out during the championship. Not many players could have scored the goal he scored against Dublin. His 0-0 return on September 4, was more a testament to the outstanding efforts of messrs Hickey and Tyrrell, rather than an implosion of form for last year’s Hurler of the Year.
15. Richie Hogan (Kilkenny ): That goal alone merits an All-Star. The control, the balance, the instinct. But before all of that, there were a number of great performances during the season that will stand to him. He always looks dangerous running at any defence, and Tipp know that more than most. It’s been a great week for the Danesfort man.
