History is written by the victors and, as is customary, the All-Ireland champions make up almost half of The Sunday Game Team of the Year.
Tipperary's second half blitzkrieg led them to an All-Ireland title that looked as unlikely at half-time of the All-Ireland final as it did at full-time of their Munster SHC defeat to Cork.
But Liam Cahill's men were victorious, thanks to a rabid defence and a lethal attack, which sees seven men from the Premier County represented in the selection.
There is room for four Corkmen, two from Kilkenny and one each from Dublin and Galway.
Tipperary's Jake Morris is considered the cream of the crop, the half-forward voted Player of the Year by the RTÉ GAA pundits.
Rhys Shelly (Tipperary)
Despite becoming the first goalkeeper to score from play in an All-Ireland hurling final with his huge 69th-minute effort, the Moycarkey Borris man has made the grade on the strength of his restarts and his defensive solidity.
Conceded eight goals in his first three Championship matches after taking the number one jersey from Barry Hogan, but after that conceded just four in Tipp's remaining four Championship matches (thanks to a penalty save late in the final). Not only were his puckouts long and accurate, he was also adept at getting them away very quickly.
Robert Doyle (Tipperary)
A wonderful debut inter-county season is made all the more remarkable by the fact the Clonoulty-Rossmore man plays corner-forward for his club. That might explain his attacking tendencies, notching a point and a free from right corner-back in an All-Ireland final.
His place on this selection was earned thanks to some remarkable man-marking gigs during the year. Dessie Hutchinson, Eoin Cody and Tony Kelly had already been guarded by Doyle before he picked up Alan Connolly earlier today and held the towering Blackrock man to a single point.
Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny)
The gold standard in terms of inter-county full-backs for a few years now. Following in the proud tradition of no nonsense number threes in stripey jerseys, Brian Cody, Noel Hickey and JJ Delaney would be proud of the O'Loughlin Gaels man's commitment to keeping the game as simple as possible.
Low or high, win your ball, secure possession and give it to someone in a better position. Not opposed to the odd jaunt up the field and has been known to raise a white flag or two in his time.
Sean O'Donoghue (Cork)
Jason Forde's 0-02 tally was by a distance the lowest of Tipp's rampant inside line today and that was thanks to the efforts of the ultra-aggressive O'Donoghue.
The former captain from Inniscarra is as honest as they come and holding Aaron Gillane to two points in a Munster final is some going.
Eoghan Connolly (Tipperary)
Notched his obligatory point from a different timezone against Cork. The Cashel King Cormacs 'full-back' has been a revelation from long distance, both from placed balls and open play, this year, scoring 0-14 in total.
Tougher than normal outing from a defensive point of view in the first half as his man Diarmuid Healy scored 0-03 but Connolly, like most of his team-mates, got on top in the second half and Healy made way for Damien Cahalane after the sending off of Eoin Downey.
Ronan Maher (Tipperary)
What can be said about the towering Thurles Sarsfields man? Goes one better than his revered older brother Pádraic by captaining Tipperary to an All-Ireland title. His peerless ability in the air saw him given the task of shackling Cork's talisman Brian Hayes and he carried out his duty with his usual energy and physicality.
With Liam Cahill blooding plenty of young players this year, the experienced Maher was one of the foundation stones around which this Tipp team were built.
Ciarán Joyce (Cork)
One of Pat Ryan's former Under-20 charges, the Castlemartyr man has now played in and lost two All-Ireland finals at the age of 23. No shame in his performance today however, keeping Tipperary's main man Jake Morris to two points. One-third of Cork's massively influential half-back line, you feel his best is yet to come.
Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork)
The modern midfielder that all modern midfielders will be modelled on. Athletic, blessed with boundless energy and ludicrously fast, the Charleville man is too good to have been on successive losing All-Ireland final teams. A massive target for Cork puck-outs and a pest on opposition restarts.
Cathal Mannion (Galway)
This was a better year for Galway hurling than 2024 (that wouldn't be hard) but where would Micheal Donoghue's team be without Mannion? His 0-17 against Wexford in the Leinster SHC was the display of a hurler in the form of his life. He notched 0-11 of Galway's 1-20 as another Leinster final against Kilkenny came and went.
Jake Morris (Tipperary)
The Nenagh Éire Óg man has been the leader of Tipperary's lethal attack all year. Like his long-time underage team-mate Ormonde, he is fast and loves to elude opponents with his movement. Economical in possession, will be irked by fact his wides (three) outnumbered his points (two) against Cork... only joking, I'm sure he couldn't give a damn.
Andrew Ormond (Tipperary)
Pacey, hard-working and blessed with sublime wrists, the JK Brackens man has been one of the finds of the season (despite being around for a few years since winning an Under-20 All-Ireland in 2019). His two points in as many minutes at the start of the second half were vital in Tipp's bewilderment of Cork. One of several Tipp forwards who revels in turning over possession.
Cian O’Sullivan (Dublin)
In a bright year for Dublin hurling, no one shone brighter than the St Brigid's man. On the inter-county scene since 2018 he looks invigorated by the Niall Ó Ceallacháin project and the talented sharpshooter adds a touch of flair around the middle for a physical Dublin side. He was off the charts in the shock win over Limerick.
Martin Keoghan (Kilkenny)
'Mossy' has become the totem around which Kilkenny's talented posse of forwards circulate. The Tullaroan man, after a few years of being part of the support cast, has started to rack up the numbers of a true Cats matinee idol. Managed six points in defeat as Kilkenny's season was ended by All-Ireland champions Tipperary at the penultimate stage.
John McGrath (Tipperary)
John McGrath scores a third goal for Tipperary.
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 20, 2025
We may never have seen the likes of this....
📺 https://t.co/ZfZ9mA9XTY
📱 https://t.co/1S2tbTA3PH
📻 https://t.co/2SRRKdgjzu pic.twitter.com/kNFBkiv2yT
Noel's fourth All-Ireland medal owes much to the goalscoring prowess of his little brother who has been a man reborn this season. His two goals today bringing him to seven in the Championship in 2025. A wily, smart and skilled hurler. A joy to watch.
Brian Hayes (Cork)
A shoo-in for Hurler of the Year had the Rebels got the job done today, but still a season to remember for the towering St Finbarrs forward. Against Tipperary he managed a single point from play, bringing him to 5-09 in seven championship matches, but he is more than just a scorer - a playmaker, a free-winner and a bringer of chaos. The Cork attack will be built around him for years to come.
ALL-IRELAND HURLING FINAL MAN OF THE MATCH
Ronan Maher (Tipperary)
The captain played a captain's role. Tipperary's 3-14 in the second half may grab the headlines, but what about the 0-02 recorded at the other end? The Tipperary defence, in that second half, were playing on a different level. And the tone for that ravenous, relentless performance was set by full-back Maher, who completely shut down Cork's main man Brian Hayes. Superb in the air, a hard-hitting tackler and pragmatic when he needs to be, the Thurles man makes defending an art form.
SUNDAY GAME HURLER OF THE YEAR
Jake Morris (Tipperary)
"It was a sobering winter for us all [after] being knocked out of the championship early again. Lads had to go away and have a hard, long look in the mirror, really. It's a hard thing to do but it had to be done.
"Pride was swallowed and really it was about coming back in and giving this one hell of a rattle.
"We worked extremely hard as a group to give ourselves a chance of being in an All-Ireland final and it shows what you can do with a bit of hard work and determination."
Jake Morris bore the brickbats of the Tipp hurling public in 2024 when things did not go well for the Premier County, so how sweet will it feel to be a two-time All-Ireland winner and be credited with being the key man for Liam Cahill's team's unlikely triumph?
The Tipperary attack can be an irresistible force at its best and Morris is the man who makes it tick. His tactical awareness, his movement, his pace, his skills, his eye for a pass and his shooting ability from range, are all the qualities that make him Tipperary's main man.
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