HURLING TEAM OF THE YEAR 2023

A left-field suggestion; Evan Niland for Tom Morrissey? Niland second only to Reid as c'ship top scorer; as good a free-taker and also scored more from play. Was good in most Galway matches, bar the semi-final. Morrissey didn't perform by and large outside of Munster.

is john conlon not worthing of center back. was consistent all year, got no protection from midfield, has a wingback beside him who is more worried about going up the field than defending and is always on hand to help out the full back line. Will O'Donoghue was all over the place in the first 25 mins against galway until the half forward line started funnelling back. Hurler of the year for me is Kyle Hayes

Quaid

Butler/lawlor/Nash

Byrnes/Burke/Hayes

O donovan/o Donohoe

Morrissey/ reid/o donnell

Whelan/ gillane/cody

Gillane hurler of the year

Edited to take out Tony Kelly..missed top many frees and when man marked has way less effect on a game..tj scores from play have dwindled but Still contributing massively by setting up scores and winning ball..excellent on frees too

Team of the Year

Goalkeeper: Nicky Quaid

Full back line: Mikey Butler, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash

Half back line: Diarmaid Byrnes, Burke, Kyle Hayes

Midfield: Darragh O'Donovan, Will O'Donoghue

Half-forward line: Tom Morrissey, Cian Lynch, Shane O'Donnell

Full-forward line: Conor Whelan, Aaron Gillane, Eoin Cody.

The final swings the goalkeeper decision for me. Was on the fence like most and still almost am. Fella like a fair few good players missing because of the strength of competition.

Cian Lynch done way, way more than TJ or Kelly when it mattered which is why he is in.

Hurler of the Year.

Kyle Hayes. The only player for Limerick that I left the stadium saying "he was brilliant" in every single match. A fair few got us through the early stages and a few more came alive late on but only he was great for all 7 matches.

Young Hurler of the Year.

Cathal O'Neill. Don't really have very strong feelings on this one as I cant remember a big stand out contender.

N Quaid

M Butler, H Lawlor, B Nash

D Byrnes, J Conlon, K Hayes

D Donovan, D Fitzgerald

T Morrissey, C Lynch, S O Donnell

C Whelan, A Gillane, E Cody

Player of Year D O Donovan

Moment of Year Eoin Murphy's save v Clare

Yes he had a good Leinster campaign but unfortunately that early injury v Clare finished off any outside chance he would have had. His last two long range frees in injury time to beat Wexford was one of my highlights of the year.

Depends on the player really.

TJ did win and distribute some lovely balls but other things are also expected of a top TJ performance.

Lynch could get no points as a forward and still have done all the jobs expected of him as a playmaker and is one of the few forwards could win Man of the Match without scoring.

So you're saying that there is more to assessing a forward's (irrespective of who they are) performance than scores from play?

Well it's about how much a player influenced the game. Lynch gets only a handful of points but creates a ton of them for instance.

Certainly not so controversial an opinion that it requires such a hostile response.

I didn't mean to come across as hostile, I actually agree with you but it is the selective application of this opinion by posters is what I have an issue with. TJ's main contribution to Kilkenny over the last five or six years has not been scores from play or even free taking, he is not expected to be their main scorer for play, he has been the team's leader, he is our best ball winner, sets up many scores from play and is fouled for a significant proportion of the frees he converts.

Besides it seems hypocritical to me that those who rave about the importance of goal keeper's puck outs are quickest to dismiss the increased importance of a 9/10 free taker in the modern game where cynical play is used to stop attacks before they get going and players are buying frees more than ever.

It could be argued that free taking is more relevant to assessment of an individual's performance than puck outs are to a goal keepers performance since free taking success is almost solely down to the individual's skill at free taking whereas with puck outs there are other very significant variables at play such as the success of the team's systems aimed at creating space and giving the goalkeeper something to aim at, which of course some teams are much better at than others. Yet we constantly hear how great certain player's puck outs are when assessing their performance.

There have been many instances over this years championship and previous ones that show the importance of a great free taker, with great players like Horgan, Gillane and Kelly missing frees at crucial times, Reid rarely misses even when under extreme pressure and while how much you should consider free taking in the assessment of performance is subjective, leaving it out of the assessment in the first place is nonsensical

Dismissing players performances with a "didn't score from play" is simplistic in the extreme and certain posters are applying this logic to matches where the player in question was in the running for man of the match even more so.

Maybe true about Lynch, a playmaker supreme, but he has the energy and mobility that Reid does not have. Hell nearly always show up in scoring positions unlike Reid. Plenty more effective forwards at this stage than Reid, like Patrick Horgan and Jason Forde who can score frees for fun.

You obviously have conveniently forgotten the relatively easy free Reid missed late in the first half last Sunday when Kilkenny badly needed to rack up scores. You're not alone at least, Michael Duignan went very quiet after it too. Didn't suit him one but.

The post being lauded as factual, precise and logical was not factual nor precise. That is a fact.

I'm enjoying this, you're getting more hysterical with each post

I wouldn't have Kelly in there. By his own abilities he had a poor championship. O'Donnell was far better.

Goalkeeper: Eibhear Quilligan

Full back line: Mike Casey, Huw Lawlor, Barry Nash

Half backs: Diarmaid Byrnes, Will O'Donoghue, Kyle Hayes

Midfield: Cathal Malone, Darragh O'Donovan

Half forwards: David Fitzgerald, Tony Kelly, Tom Morrissey

Full forwards: Aaron Gillane, Eoin Cody, Evan Niland.

Hurler of the year: Kyle Hayes: literally never stops running, working, tackling and providing attacing threat. Great performance in the final, most possessions of any Limerick player and covered an unreal amount of ground.

Quaid, himself and Murphy is 50/50 call in reality

Butler Lawlor Nash

Byrnes D Morrissey Hayes

O'Donoghue O'Donovan

O'Donnell Kelly T Morrissey

Gillane Whelan Cody

HOTY: Gillane

I know Dan Morrissey CB is a bit of a cop out but taught himself and the FB line I picked were all outstanding shined more than any CB, Morrissey has played 6 a good few times previously, Byrnes and Hayes have Tommy and JJ status at this stage. TJ was close a good performance on Sunday would have got him in the team, on this no score from play talk its all a bit silly, last year he didn't score but he was very good this year he didn't but bar 1 brilliant catch had a quiet game.

Done a decent job in the Munster final. Didnt do great in the semi.

Between himself, Lynch and Reid he would be the last of the 3.

Not getting an All Star doesn't mean people are saying you were sht just not the best.

Yeah he was good alright, I didn’t pick him in my team but I really wanted to. He was man of the match in the final by a mile for me.