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Hurling All-Stars 2007
 Former
Clare All-Ireland winning captain
ANTHONY DALY selects his hurling All-Stars exclusively for The Irish
Post
I thought it was a top-class hurling Championship the final was a disappointment
but what went before it was superb.
The standard of hurling is better than ever before the introduction
of dieticians and specialists training methods has revolutionised the
game.
No matter how hard we trained when I played we were able to drink pints
at least two months of the year but not these lads. They will be back
in training for the new season already.
 Damien
Fitzhenry
Wexford
An amazing goalkeeper. His reflexes are outstanding and he is a leader
on the pitch.
A good bit ahead of his rivals this year and his puck outs have improved
immensely.
 Damien
Reale
Limerick
The big corner-back was often the last line of defence for Limerick.
Was excellent against Waterford and throughout the season as the Treatymen
enjoyed their best season for many years.
 Declan
Fanning
Tipperary
Were it not for Tipperary’s comparatively poor season this young
man would be a household name.
His distribution is excellent and he has brought a greater physicality
to his game, making him a real star of the future.
 Jackie
Tyrell
Kilkenny
Never seems to make a mistake.
Does the simple things very well and in recent seasons has begun to contribute
more to the general play.
His performance in the All-Ireland final kept some of Limerick’s
big guns quiet.
 Tommy
Walsh
Kilkenny
The only hurler in history to have won All-Stars in defence, midfield
and attack.
Wing-back is his best position.
Enjoyed a superb All-Ireland final and deserves every accolade that he
receives.
 Ken McGrath
Waterford
A serious contender for hurler-of-the-year.
McGrath is the best attacking wing-back around and has the leadership
qualities to lift his teammates when things aren’t going their way.
 Tony Browne
Waterford
The player DJ Carey describes as the hardest he has been marked by.
Browne is strong in attack and extremely good under the high ball in defence.
Not many attackers get the better of him.
 Michael
Walsh
Waterford
They call him the ‘brick’ and anyone who has bumped into him
knows why!
A giant of a man who does the basics very well and is a superb presence
around the field.
His distribution has improved this year.
 James
Fitzpatrick
Kilkenny
‘Cha’ had a superb All-Ireland final.
He has matured into the complete midfielder.
Both his distribution and tracking back are top-class while he is an excellent
ball winner and first line of attack.
 Dan
Shanahan
Waterford
Having scored an unprecedented eight goals in the championship this year
Shanahan should win both the hurler-of-the-year title and an All-Star.
The best big game player in the country.
 Ollie
Moran
Limerick
Will be remembered for a few great moments this year but they serve just
to garnish the hard work he puts in during every match.
A fantastic target man and Limerick’s first line of attack.
 Eoin Larkin
Kilkenny
His performance in the All-Ireland final will always be remembered as
one of the best.
But he was excellent in all of Kilkenny’s matches this year and
has matured into the top-class player he always looked like being.
 Andrew
O’Shaughnessy
Limerick
Burst onto the hurling scene this year with some big-scoring performances.
He is a typical old-fashioned forward, good at creating space for himself
and lethally accurate.
 Henry
Shefflin
Kilkenny
His accuracy from dead balls provided a useful scoring outlet for the
Cats while he can score points from all over the pitch from general play
meaning any team Henry plays on will rack up a big score.
 Eddie
Brennan
Kilkenny
On those occasions this season when Kilkenny have had their backs to the
wall Eddie Brennan has come to the fore.
Crucial goals against Galway and Limerick went a long way to securing
the
All-Ireland title for the Cats.
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