All-Ireland champions Tipperary claimed seven places on the PwC Hurling All-Stars 2025 team, which includes 10 first time winners, with the All-Ireland finalists taking a combined 11 spots.
Liam Cahill's side - who went from bottom place in the Munster SHC to All-Ireland champions in the space of 14 months - took just under half of the spots on the team, with captain Ronan Maher and John McGrath the only previous winners.
Munster champions Cork took four places on the team, with Hurler of the Year nominee Brian Hayes named at corner-forward, while Darragh Fitzgibbon claims his third gong at midfield.
Elsewhere, Leinster champions Kilkenny claimed two All-Stars, in the full-back line and the full-forward line, while Dublin and Galway are both represented with one apiece.
The All-Stars ceremony will take place on Friday at the RDS in Dublin, where the Footballer of the Year and Hurler of the Year/hurling team will be named live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
Goalkeeper
Rhys Shelly (Tipperary)
The 24-year old goalkeeper has yet to begin a championship campaign as Tipperary's No. 1 but has now picked up his first All-Star.
The Moycarkey-Borris player displaced Barry Hogan in goals for the do-or-die clash against Clare in their Round 3 Munster SHC game in Ennis. Tipperary proceeded to win every game from then on.
Shelly conceded just six goals in six championship games and he impressed with the range and accuracy of his puckouts.
With the All-Ireland final essentially won, the always vocal Shelly finished the season with a proper flourish, saving a penalty and becoming the first keeper to score from play in a hurling final, landing a monstrous point from 69 metres.
Full-back line
Robert Doyle (Tipperary)
The GAA have more to thank him for than they might like to let on publicly. Doyle's block on the line from John Donnelly's last-ditch goal attempt in the All-Ireland semi-final was initially thought to have averted extra-time.
It transpired later that it prevented a one-point Kilkenny victory - and a whole world of controversy.
It's a testament to the Clonoulty-Rossmore player's versatility that he operates at corner-forward for his club yet picks up an All-Star at corner-back.
Did several stellar man-marking jobs over the course of the campaign, most notably on Alan Connolly in the All-Ireland final. Was also charged with shackling Dessie Hutchinson, Tony Kelly and Eoin Cody.
Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny)
A third All-Star for the O'Loughlin Gaels player who has the misfortune of his career coinciding with a lean period for Kilkenny at All-Ireland level.
Long regarded as one of the best full-backs in the game, he delivered another of signature displays in the Leinster final victory over Galway. His high catch late in the game from a long ball in by Conor Whelan - at a time when the Cats were coming under some pressure - generated an almost primal roar from the Kilkenny crowd and teed up an inspirational score at the other end.
Endured a difficult afternoon in the semi-final as Tipp plundered four goals but had done enough to earn another All-Star.
Sean O'Donoghue (Cork)
The era when Cork backs were faulted for lack of aggression and adhesiveness is a distant memory thanks to O'Donoghue.
The Inniscara man picks up his first All-Star in a campaign which yielded his second Munster medal but didn't ultimately deliver the long-awaited All-Ireland.
Not for the want of trying from O'Donoghue, who kept Jason Forde to just two points in the final and emerged with his reputation unharmed.
Half-back line
Eoghan Connolly (Tipperary)
Prior to this season, Connolly's only time on the winning side from eight championship appearances came in a facile hammering of Offaly in the 2023 preliminary quarter-final.
The win column is looking healthier now. The Cashel King Cormacs player enjoyed a superb campaign, emerging as a free-scoring defender, landing 0-14 from both play and frees across 2025.
Usually wore no. 3 but was typically deployed at centre-back.
Ronan Maher (Tipperary)
The Thurles Sarsfields stalwart has matched his elder brother Padraic by winning a third All-Ireland and gone and done so as captain.
Always a giant in the air and an inspirational presence at the heart of the defence - a family trademark at this stage - his leadership qualities have come to the fore as the team has grown younger around him.
Though he generally operated at full-back, he's been shifted into centre-back for the All-Stars with Lawlor at No. 3.
It's his third All-Star, having previously been honoured in the All-Ireland winning campaigns of 2016 and 2019.
Ciaran Joyce (Cork)
One of the prize graduates from Cork's back-to-back All-Ireland winning Under-20 sides from the Covid years, Joyce has yet to add a senior title to his collection after two near(ish) misses. Rebel supporters will be hoping the wait won't drag on too long.
Cork's half-back line has evolved from a notorious weakness into a strength since Joyce's arrival into the set-up.
Midfield
Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork)
A third All-Star and a second on the trot for Fitzgibbon, who likely would have been a Hurler of the Year nominee prior to the All-Ireland final implosion.
The Charleville player is the complete midfielder in many ways, though is more regarded as a free-scoring attacking player than a Will O'Donoghue style workhorse.
Hit 0-04 in the Munster decider and took home the Man of the Match award after Cork dethroned Limerick in memorable fashion last June.
Nailed a '65 with the last play to ensure the match went to penalties. That he missed one in the shootout wasn't held against him.
Cathal Mannion (Galway)
The westerners may be stuck in a transitional rut but Mannion's form has remained peerless through it all.
He landed 0-10, four from play, on a day when Galway were otherwise insipid in their championship opener away to Kilkenny.
His signature display came in their Round 3 victory at home to Wexford, when he landed a whopping 0-17, six coming from play.
It's Mannion's second All-Star, which, oddly, comes a full 10 years after his first one back in 2015.
Half-forward line
Jake Morris (Tipperary)
The Sunday Game panel have already anointed Morris as their player of the year, though it remains to be seen whether he'll take the gong at the RDS.
A consistent scorer throughout the campaign, Morris hit 0-05 from play in the quarter-final win over Galway, 0-04 from play against Kilkenny. Oddly, the only bum note came in the final when he scored just two points and his radar was slightly askew.
It's a first All-Star in a season where Morris picked up his second All-Ireland medal, albeit his first as a starting forward. In the between, he was heavily relied upon during Tipp's lean half-decade. Those dog days may be over now.
Andrew Ormond (Tipperary)
One of Tipp's great breakout stars of the season, the JK Brackens player had largely been loitering in the shadows of the Tipperary set-up since winning the All-Ireland Under-20 title in 2019.
Fired 2-01 in Ennis during that pivotal clash against Clare, which rescued Tipp's season and left the champions bound for the exit door.
Perhaps his most decisive impact came in the All-Ireland final, when his two quick-fire points straight after half-time spooked Cork and set in train an extraordinary second half barrage.
Cian O'Sullivan (Dublin)
Around the county set-up since 2018, O'Sullivan has been a key marksman for the Dubs for a few years, memorably rifling home a late goal to snatch an away draw in Wexford last season.
Continued his goal-scoring form this year, hitting 1-05 in the near comeback against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park and then notching a crucial second half goal in the sensational defeat of Limerick in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Buried 2-05 against Cork in the semi-final on a day when Dublin's many problems lay at the other end of the field. Finishes tied with John McGrath as the highest scorer from play with 5-22.
Full-forward line
Martin Keoghan (Kilkenny)
A first All-Star for Mossy, who follows in the footsteps of his father Liam who was named at wing-back on the 1997 team.
Keoghan hit an impressive 6-15 from play during the 2025 championship, finding the net in all five of his of Leinster SHC appearances (he was given a rest for Wexford), including a combined haul of 4-06 in the three games against Galway and Dublin.
A remarkably consistent scorer, he floated over 0-06 from play in the tumultuous semi-final against Tipperary, which ended in heartbreak again for this Kilkenny generation.
John McGrath (Tipperary)
A shoo-in for the full-forward berth and a Hurler of the Year nominee.
It was a stunning return to the big-time for the Loughmore-Castleiney player, who has been a bit-part figure since rupturing his Achilles tendon in 2022.
He finished the season with seven goals altogether, just one off former teammate Seamus Callanan's record haul from the 2019 season.
Two arrived in the Munster opener against Limerick, two more in the first half away to Clare, another came in the semi-final against Kilkenny. Then he capped it off with an opportunistic second half brace against Cork, which he described as being beyond Tipp's wildest dreams.
Brian Hayes (Cork)
While still on the shortlist, his Hurler of the Year chances have probably been scuppered by the All-Ireland final, where Bryan O'Mara's positioning as an extra defender was largely designed to prevent the ball coming Hayes' way.
It's at least a testament to his potency that Tipperary altered their approach in an attempt to shackle the St Finbarr's dual star.
Bagged five goals across the campaign, including a brace apiece against Clare and Dublin. Was a vital figure in the Munster final triumph over Limerick, tormenting the home defence, and diving full length to execute an assist for Patrick Horgan's equalising score in the final seconds of normal time.
Watch the PWC All-Star Awards on Friday on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport
