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The hurling team of the decade

Updated / Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 08:10
The Mahers, Brendan and Padraic (no relation), make the team
The Mahers, Brendan and Padraic (no relation), make the team

Goalkeeper

Eoin Murphy

The 29-year-old has established himself as the game's elite shot-stopper since breaking through in 2013.

The Glenmore man was between the sticks for Kilkenny's All-Ireland title victories in 2014 and 2015 but his impressive in subsequent, leaner years have been even more impressive and he won All-Stars in 2016 and 2018.

Murphy was a doubt to start the 2016 All-Ireland decider with an ankle but still produced some remarkable acrobatic saves, including the one below, to restrict a rampant Tipperary attack to two goals on the day.

Also in contention was Cork's double All-Star Anthony Nash, who was a trailblazer in terms of puckout strategies, giant hurleys and so good at lifting the ball forward from a penalty that the GAA had to change the rules. 

Full-backs

Paul Murphy

Not too many players had the start to their inter-county careers that the soldier from Danesfort has enjoyed.

Murphy won four All-Ireland titles and four All-Stars (2011,12, 14, 15) in his first five years after nailing down the No 2 jersey for the Cats, and most of the forwards he came up against.

The tenacious corner-back can tackle, mark and clean up in the air with aplomb. In '15 he held Cathal Mannion scoreless in the All-Ireland final after the Galway starlet had scored seven points from play in the quarter-final and five in the semis.

Murphy was also up for Hurler of the Year in 2012 and an All-Star nominee in 2016.

Daithí Burke

A consistent tower of physical strength and skill at full-back for Galway and instrumental in ending their almost 30-year wait for Liam MacCarthy in 2017.

The dual star, who could win a fourth All-Ireland club football title with Corofin in the new year, won four consecutive All-Stars from 2015-18 and only turned 27 years old last month.

Held Seamus Callanan scoreless from play in the All-ireland 2016 semi-final a year after the Tipperary star had helped himself to 3-09 in the same fixture.

Rumours that he prepared for the occasion by catapulting cattle remain unconfirmed.

Noel Connors

The most eyebrow-raising call in newly installed Waterford boss Liam Cahill's first panel was the decision to ommit Connors, who had captained the team in 2019.

The Passage man had been a consistent presence at left corner-back for the Deise since making his championship debut in 2009 as a 19-year-old.

The stocky, tigerish defender starred in the 2010 Munster replay triumph over Cork, earning the first of his three All-Stars that year. He was also honoured in 2015 and after Waterford's march to the 2017 All-Ireland final.

As of last year the 29-year-old is officially Dr Connors - he has earned a PhD on the dual themes of leadership and anthropology - and it will be interesting to see how long the Deise can afford to ignore the clains of such an accomplished player.

The great Jackie Tyrrell won four All-Irelands in this decade but his last All-Star came in 2010 so we're giving the nod to Connors.

Half-backs

Brendan Maher

One of the game's most versatile players, the Borris-Ileigh man has played in every line bar goalkeeper or full-forward for Tipperary.

He was in midfield when named an All-Star and Young Hurler of the year as Tipp stopped Kilkenny's five-in-a-row charge in 2010 and again as captain in 2016.

A clever distributor, whose ability to create and score (four points from play in Championship 2019) is often sacrificed for the greater good of the team, he switched to the wing this year as part of a formidable half-back line with his namesakes Padraic and Ronan (brothers but no relation to Brendan) but also filled in as a man-marking corner when Cathal Barrett was injured.

A natural leader whose journey from a cruciate tear in 2018 to a third Celtic cross was one of the inspirational stories of the year.

Michael 'Brick' Walsh

It was fitting that when news of the retirement of the Championship's all-time record appearance holder (76) arrived in October that it was only through the grapevine.

Not for Waterford's unassuming icon the attention of a press conference or even a social media announcement.

The moniker 'Brick', reportedly bestowed in school as his older brother Paul was 'Block', was appropriate for a man who was name-checked by former team-mate Noel Connors as the man he would choose to have in his corner for an MMA bout. 

Also an accomplished footballer, Walsh's combination of skill, toughness and tireless work-rate made him hugely versatile and one of Waterford's key men in a decade where they contested five Munster finals.

He had already won two All-Stars at midfield in the previous decade before claiming the honour at centre-back in 2010 and wing-forward after the Déise's march to the All-Ireland final in 2017. Brick scored crucial goals in the wins over Kilkenny and Cork that year.

Padraic Maher

The only player to win five All-Star awards over the decade, the Thurles Sarsfields man has been an enduring, inspirational presence at the back for Tipperary.

Since his debut in 2009, Maher has started every single Championship game Tipp have played - 54 in total - and, incredibly, only been off the pitch for 25 minutes in those 11 seasons.

Although his aerial ability and strength means the 30-year-old has occasionally been deployed as a full-back, this superb distributor of the ball most commonly operates at wing-back, where he is usually good for a point or two from long-range.

The three-time All-Ireland winner and twice Hurler of the Year nominee has also been a pioneer of the crowd-rousing clenched fist to celebrate winning a free.

Younger brother Ronan (24) now soldiers alongside him in the Premier County defence and has already won two All-Ireland titles.

Michael Fennelly

The epitome of the dynamic midfielder, Fennelly made his senior debut in 2006 at the age of 21. A wrist injury in 2008 hampered his progress  and he was a peripheral figure in the four in a row, only appearing as a late sub in 2009 despite being Kilkenny captain.

That all changed at the dawn of the decade, as he nailed down his starting spot. Fennelly won his first All-Star in 2010 and was Hurler of the Year in 2011, scoring three points from play in the semi-final victory over Waterford and the first goal in the final win over Tipp.

Injuries to ankle and back, started to afflict him from 2012 but he was still a key member of the team that won Liam MacCarthy that year, in 2014 and again in 2015 when he won a third All-Star.

Ruptured his Achilles in the 2016 semi-final win over Waterford and missed the final defeat through injury and retired at the end of the 2017 campaign.

Now the manager of Offaly and still hurling with Ballyhale Shamrocks, he lifted the Tommy Moore Cup as captain on St Patrick's day earlier this year.

David Burke

If you're looking for consistent excellence over the course of a decade then it's impossible to ignore the man who has captained Galway since 2016.

Made his debut in 2010 and was part of the team that won the League that year before being edged out by a point in the quarter-final by eventual winners Tipperary.

Burke won his first All-Star as a corner-forward in 2012 when he scored 1-02 against Kilkenny to help Galway to their first ever Leinster title.

By 2015, the hard-running and skilful St Thomas' man was established in midfield where he shields the defence admirably, pulls the strings and still chips in with regular points from play.

Won three more All-Stars in a row from 2015 to 2017, the final year being his third time lucky in an All-Ireland final as he became the first Galway man since Conor Hayes in 1988 to lift Liam MacCarthy.

Half-forwards

TJ Reid

Only truly special players can be instantly identified by their initials alone. Where once the hero of Kilkenny fans was DJ, over the last decade it has been TJ. 

Like Fennelly, Thomas Joseph Reid was a sub on the four-in-a-row team before nailing down his spot as team captain in 2010.

The supremely skilful forward won All-Stars in Kilkenny's All-Ireland winning years of 2012, 2014, 2015 and again this year.

He was Hurler of the Year in 2015 after scoring 1-07 in the final victory over Galway and has been an ultra-reliable free-taker since Henry Shefflin's retirement.

Over the last couple of seasons teams have often tried to double-mark him, but even when his scoring threat is limited Reid's ability to create for his team-mates makes him a huge asset for the Cats.

Richie Hogan

This year might not be one that the Danesfort man reflects on particularly fondly, given his red card in the All-Ireland final loss to Tipperary, but Hogan was a key part of Kilkenny's four All-Ireland successes over the decade.

A cousin of DJ Carey, Hogan established himself in the team as a 20-year-old in 2009 and played in the All-Ireland finals of that year, 2010, '11, '12, '14, '15 '16 and '19.

Won his first All-Star in 2011 when he scored 1-01 in the final victory over Tipp and collected three on the bounce from 2014-2016.

Hogan was also named Hurler of the Year in 2014 when he scored 0-06 from play in the drawn final with Tipperary that was surely the game of the decade.

Was on the losing side in 2016 against Tipp but showed that he is one of the few players that still practises the dying art of ground hurling with a bullet to the net while Kilkenny were chasing the game.

Has battled a chronic back problem in recent seasons but Brian Cody will hope the 31-year-old will be part of his arsenal for another couple of years at least.

Noel McGrath

Probably the best passer of a sliotar alive, McGrath's vision in creating opportunities for team-mates was evident as early as 2010 when his reverse handpass to Lar Corbett set Tipp on their way to ending the drive for five.

The 19-year-old also scored a goal himself that year before collecting his second successive All-Star, having been named Young Hurler of the Year 12 months previous.

Missed most of the 2015 campaign as he battled testicular cancer but was pivotal in the march to victory in 2016, setting up younger brother John for Tipperary's second goal against Kilkenny in the final.

Lined out in midfield this year where his vision and long-range scoring ability were an essential weapon for the champions. 

Was man of the match in August's final in which he scored two points.

Full-forwards

Joe Canning

It can't be a coincidence that a Galway team who had reached the All-Ireland final for two years in succession didn't make it out of Leinster this year after a torn groin muscle kept Canning out for all but 25 minutes of the Championship.

From a family of six children that all represented the county, Ollie's younger brother had already shown his prodigious attacking talent when named man of the match as a 17-year-old as he hit 1-06 in the first of Portumna's three All-Ireland club titles in four years in 2006.

He was Young Hurler of the Year in '08 when he won the first of his five All-Stars, and went on to establish himself as Galway's key man over this decade, receiving further awards in 2012, '17 and '18.

A superb dead-ball specialist who is capable of cutting a sideline over the bar from anywhere in the opponents' half, Canning is the second highest Championship scorer of all time (behind Henry Shefflin) having racked up 27-422 in 55 games.

Like David Burke, Canning lost finals to Kilkenny in 2012 and '15 but was Hurler of the Year in '17 after inspiring the Tribesman to end their long wait for Liam.

His match-winning injury-time point from the sideline in the semi-final that year against Tipp was a thing of wonder and set Galway on their way to glory.

Seamus Callanan

The big man from Drom & Inch played in his first final for Tipperary in 2009 but it was when he came off the bench to score two excellent points from play in the 2010 win that his talent really started to turn heads.

Took over the mantle of marquee forward from Lar Corbett but even as he racked up scores (9-50 in the 2014 Championship alone) seem destined to deal with the frustration of being the best player in a team that consistently fell just short.

In 2015 he was on the losing side in the semi-final against Galway despite scoring 3-09, 3-04 of which came from play.

That changed in 2016 when he gave one of the all-time great final performances, landing nine points from play while also knocking over four frees in the triumph over Kilkenny.

An All-Star in 2014, '15, '16 and this year when he won a third All-Ireland title and was also named Hurler of the Year. Found the net in every single Championship game for the champions this summer,  his strike in the semi-final win over Wexford a particular work of beauty.

Patrick Horgan

Now that Joe has a Celtic cross on the mantelpiece, the unwanted unofficial crown of 'Best player not to win an All-Ireland' has passed to Cork's superstar.

Horgan won his first All-Star in 2013, the only year that a Cork team that won three Munster titles this decade made it all the way to the big show.

The Glen man scored 0-10 in that drawn final with Clare and nine in the replay but the Rebels were eclipsed by hat-trick hero Shane O'Donnell and co.

Turned 31 in May but seems to be getting better with age and has been named an All-Star for the last three seasons in a row.

A very reliable free-taker, and third all-time scorer after Canning, Horgan is probably the most dangerous forward in the country in front of goal.

He scored 3-10 in a heroic effort in Cork's quarter-final defeat to Kilkenny this year, the second goal an amazing shot from his knees and third coming after he claimed a high ball and finished off the stick despite the attention of three defenders.

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