Dublin and Raheny midfield maestro Brian Fenton is the PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the year with for the second time.
Fenton previously won the top prize in 2018 and seals the Dubs top billing, having had nine players named in the team of the year.
Mayo’s Oisín Mullin is the PwC GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year after the Kilmaine flier picked up an award in the football team announced on Friday.
Meanwhile Limerick’s towering wing forward Gearóid Hegarty has been chosen by his peers as the PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year with the St Patrick’s star claiming his first award.
Eoin Cody from Ballyhale Shamrocks is the PwC GAA/GPA Young hurler of the Year after his exploits with Kilkenny last season.
Limerick’s status as the current benchmark in hurling excellence has been underlined with their domination of the final 15 in the PwC All-Stars for Hurling 2020.
After their clean sweep of all major trophies last season, the All-Ireland champions were rewarded with nine places on the star-studded final team – a record equaling total and eclipses the six awards the Treaty County claimed when they won the MacCarthy Cup in 2018.
Nine is the highest number of PwC All-Stars won by any team. It not only sees Limerick match their football counterparts Dublin in 2020 – but puts them in an exclusive group with the great Kilkenny hurling teams of 1983, 2000 and 2008 and iconic Dublin and Kerry football teams of 1977 and 1981 as the only other teams to claim that number of awards.
On top of that, In what is the 50th year of the prestigious awards scheme, it means that Waterford sharp-shooter Stephen Bennett is the 1500th All-Star award presented since the launch of the scheme back in 1971.
Bennett is joined by Déise colleagues Tadhg de Búrca and Jamie Barron in the team. Galway’s defensive rock Daithí Burke is honoured for the fifth time in defence, the prolific Clare ace Tony Kelly picks up a second career award, while TJ Reid’s status among the game’s greats is enhanced with a fifth award for the top Cat.
Another notable piece of history is made in the choice for goalkeeper. Nickie Quaid’s selection sees the Limerick custodian follow in the footsteps of his late father Tommy who was also a goalkeeping hero with Limerick and an All-Star in 1992. It is the fourth time that a father and son duo have been honoured in hurling – following Tipp’s Ken and Brian Hogan, Richie Power senior and junior in Kilkenny and ‘Fan’ and Philly Larkin from Kilkenny.
In addition to this there is yet another Limerick landmark in the selection of brothers Dan and Tom Morrissey. Brothers winning All-Stars is not rare – but siblings honoured in the same year is more unusual and an added feat for the Ahane duo.
Wexford’s Martin and John Quigley in 1974 were the first set of brothers to be picked on the same hurling team – followed by Kilkenny’s John and Ger Henderson in 1983, and Ger and Liam Fennelly also in 1983.
Tipp’s Conal and Cormac Bonnar were both honoured in the same year twice – in 1989 and 1991. Billy and Johnny Dooley also shared the honours twice in 1994 and 1995.
Tipp’s Paul and Eoin Kelly featured on the 2002 team and Cork’s Sean Óg and Setanta Ó hAilpín were there in 2003, and Ben and Jerry O’Connor featured in 2005. More recently it is an honour bestowed on Galway’s Ollie and Joe Canning in 2009 and Tipp’s Ronan and Padraic Maher in 2016 and 2019.
PwC All-Stars Hurling 2020
(previous awards in brackets)
Goalkeeper
- Nickie Quaid (Limerick)
Defenders
- Seán Finn (Limerick) (2018, 2019)
- Dan Morrissey (Limerick) (2018)
- Daithí Burke (Galway) (2015, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18)
- Diarmaid Byrnes (Limerick)
- Tadhg de Búrca (Waterford) (2015)
- Kyle Hayes (Limerick)
Midfielders
- Jamie Barron (Waterford) (2016, ‘17)
- Tony Kelly (Clare) (2013)
Forwards
- Gearóid Hegarty (Limerick)
- Cian Lynch (Limerick) (2018)
- Tom Morrissey (Limerick)
- Aaron Gillane (Limerick) (2019)
- TJ Reid (Kilkenny) (2012, ‘14, ‘15, ‘19)
- Stephen Bennett (Waterford)
PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year – Gearóid Hegarty (Limerick)
PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year – Eoin Cody (Kilkenny)
PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year – Brian Fenton (Dublin)
PwC GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year – Oisín Mullin (Mayo)
