Eleven members of Kilkenny's All-Ireland winning team, including record chaser Henry Shefflin, have been included in the list of nominees announced for the Vodafone GAA Hurling All Stars awards.
The winners will be announced on 17 October and the All Stars Banquet takes place on Friday 19 October. The event will be broadcast live on RTÉ Two television.
Shefflin’s nomination puts him in line to pick up his seventh award. The record number of nine All Star awards is jointly held by his former teammate DJ Carey and former Kerry football star Pat Spillane.
Tommy Walsh, who has won four consecutive awards, is again nominated on the half back line.
All-Ireland finalists Limerick have ten players nominated for awards while Waterford’s contribution to the championship is recognised with nine nominations. Laois star James Young has been nominated for the second time.
Nine of last year’s hurling All Stars – Donal Og Cusack, Walsh, Tony Browne, James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick, Jerry O’Connor, Shefflin, Dan Shanahan, Martin Comerford and Eddie Brennan– are again nominated.
The county breakdown is: Kilkenny (11), Limerick (10), Waterford (9), Cork (7), Tipperary (3), Wexford (2), Galway (2), Laois (1).
The Vodafone GAA All Star hurling nominees for 2007 are:
Goalkeepers: Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford), Brian Murray (Limerick), Donal Og Cusack (Cork)
Full Backs: Michael Kavanagh (Kilkenny), Noel Hickey (Kilkenny), Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny), Seamus Hickey (Limerick), Stephen Lucey (Limerick), Damien Reale (Limerick), Declan Fanning (Tipperary), Aidan Kearney (Waterford), Keith Rossiter (Wexford)
Half Backs: Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny), Tony Browne (Waterford), Ken McGrath (Waterford), Mark Foley (Limerick), Brian Geary (Limerick), Eamon Corcoran (Tipperary), Conor O’Mahoney (Tipperary), Sean Og O’hAilpin (Cork), John Lee (Galway)
Midfield: Michael Walsh (Waterford), James Fitzpatrick (Kilkenny), Derek Lyng (Kilkenny), Tom Kenny (Cork), Jerry O’Connor (Cork), Donal O’Grady (Limerick)
Half Forwards: Ollie Moran (Limerick), Mike Fitzgerald (Limerick), Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny), Martin Comerford (Kilkenny), Stephen Molumphy (Waterford), Dan Shanahan (Waterford), Alan Kerins (Galway), Ben O’Connor (Cork), James Young (Laois)
Full Forwards: Andrew O’Shaughnessy (Limerick), Willie O’Dwyer (Kilkenny), Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny), Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny), Eoin McGrath (Waterford), Seamus Prendergast (Waterford), John Mullane (Waterford), Neil Ronan (Cork), Kieran Murphy (Cork)
