Limerick’s four in a row success in the All-Ireland senior hurling championship sees them again dominate the PwC Hurling All-Star team with seven places on the coveted final 15 for 2023.

The Treaty County lead the way with All-Ireland finalists Kilkenny capturing five places, Munster finalists Clare having two and Galway forward Conor Whelan completing the representation.

Kilkenny’s Eoin Murphy is now a four-time All-Star goalkeeper after another season making wonder stops and is a feat helped in no small part by that incredible Cat-like reflex save against Clare’s Peter Duggan in the semi-final at Croke Park.

Mikey Butler and Huw Lawlor represent Kilkenny in the full back line with three-time winner Dan Morrissey joining them.

Clare’s John Conlon is named at centre back and enters a distinguished club of players who have been honoured as forwards and defenders in their career after he was named full forward in 2018.

Either side of him, Limerick duo Diarmaid Byrnes and Kyle Hayes win their fourth straight All-Star award.

It’s an all-Limerick midfield of Darragh O’Donovan and Will O’Donoghue.

In attack, birthday boy TJ Reid moves into the top 10 most decorated All-Stars of all time. The Kilkenny man turns 36 today. In claiming an equally magnificent seventh All-Star in 12 years, he joins county men and icons Noel Skehan and JJ Delaney as well as Cork dual star Jimmy Barry Murphy and Kerry football hero Mikey Sheehy on seven awards. He is one behind Kerry’s Colm Cooper, two behind DJ Carey, Tommy Walsh and Pat Spillane in a list still headed by his Ballyhale Shamrocks club colleague Henry Shefflin who amassed 11 in his career.

First held in 1971, the PwC All-Stars represents the highest individual accolade in Gaelic Games. The final 15 team was chosen by a panel of Gaelic Games Correspondents from across, print, radio, tv and digital media, in a meeting chaired by Uachtarán CLG yesterday.

The PwC All-Star teams will be presented with their awards at a gala black-tie event which will be staged for the first time in Dublin’s RDS and shown live on RTÉ tv this Friday, where the PwC Football All-Stars will be announced live, as will the GAA/GPA PwC Hurler of the Year, Footballer of the Year and Young Players of the Year awards. These overall awards are voted on from among the inter-county playing body themselves.

PwC Hurling All-Stars 2023 (Previous winning years in brackets)

Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny) (2016, 2018, 2021)

Mikey Butler (Kilkenny) (2022)

Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny) (2022)

Dan Morrissey (Limerick) (2018, 2020)

Diarmaid Byrnes (Limerick) (2020, 2021, 2022)

John Conlon (Clare) (2018)

Kyle Hayes (Limerick) (2020, 2021, 2022)

Darragh O’Donovan (Limerick) (2021)

Will O’Donoghue (Limerick) (2021)

Shane O’Donnell (Clare) (2022)

TJ Reid (Kilkenny) (2012, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2022)

Tom Morrissey (Limerick) (2020, 2021)

Conor Whelan (Galway) (2017)

Aaron Gillane (Limerick) (2019, 2020, 2022)

Eoin Cody (Kilkenny) 

 

PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year Nominees

Kyle Hayes, Aaron Gillane, Diarmaid Byrnes (all Limerick)

PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year Nominees

Adam Hogan (Clare), Mark Rodgers (Clare), Ciaran Joyce (Cork)

 

The PwC Hurling All-Star 2023 selectors are: Colm Keys (Irish Independent), Seán Moran (Irish Times), Marty Morrissey (RTÉ), John Fogarty (Irish Examiner), Pat Nolan (Irish Mirror), Damian Lawlor (RTÉ), MacDara MacDonncha (TG4), Philip Lannigan (Irish Daily Mail), John Harrington (gaa.ie), Joanne Cantwell (RTÉ), Gráinne McElwaine (GAAGO), Fintan O’Toole (the42.ie).

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