After a campaign that they will look back on with a mixture of pride and frustration, Tipperary were handed 13 nominations for the hurling All Stars this evening. The beaten All-Ireland finalists top the list, edging champions Kilkenny (12) into second place.
Galway have six players up for consideration with Waterford represented by five men on the initial list.
Tommy Walsh, John Mullane and Lar Corbett will contest the hurler of the year award while Joe Canning, Pádraic Maher and Noel McGrath are shortlisted for the young hurler gong.
Kilkenny’s Henry Shefflin may have missed out on a nod for the ultimate accolade but will join a select band should he win a ninth All Star next month. Only DJ Carey and Pat Spillane have reached that mark.
The final team that will be named at an awards ceremony in the Citywest hotel on Friday, October 16th.
HURLING NOMINATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Brendan Cummins (Tipperary)
Clinton Hennessy (Waterford)
PJ Ryan (Kilkenny)
FULL BACKS
Ollie Canning (Galway)
Noel Connors (Waterford)
JJ Delaney (Kilkenny)
Michael Kavanagh (Kilkenny)
Pádraic Maher (Tipperary) **
Fergal Moore (Galway)
Shane O'Neill (Cork)
Paddy Stapleton (Tipperary)
Jackie Tyrell (Kilkenny)
HALF BACKS
Tony Browne (Waterford)
Declan Fanning (Tipperary)
Mark Foley (Limerick)
Stephen Hiney (Dublin)
John Lee (Galway)
Conor O'Mahony (Tipperary)
John Tennyson (Kilkenny)
Michael Walsh (Waterford)
Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny) *
CENTREFIELD
Séamus Hickey (Limerick)
Alan McCrabbe (Dublin)
Shane McGrath (Tipperary)
Gavin O'Mahony (Limerick)
Michael Rice (Kilkenny)
James Woodlock (Tipperary)
HALF FORWARDS
Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny)
Séamus Callanan (Tipperary)
Aonghus Callinan (Galway)
Lar Corbett (Tipperary) *
Pat Kerwick (Tipperary)
Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny)
John O'Brien (Tipperary)
Ben O'Connor (Cork)
Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny)
FULL FORWARDS
Joe Canning (Galway) **
Martin Comerford (Kilkenny)
Damien Hayes (Galway)
Eoin Kelly (Tipperary)
Noel McGrath (Tipperary) **
John Mullane (Waterford) *
David O'Callaghan (Dublin)
Richie Power (Kilkenny)
David Treacy (Dublin)
* Hurler of the Year
** Young Hurler of the Year