O’Loughlan Gaels duo Paddy Deegan and David Fogarty are nominated for AIB Club hurler of the year, as is St Thomas’ David Burke.
Deegan and Fogarty both enjoyed stellar seasons for the Kilkenny champions while Burke won man-of-the-match in the All-Ireland final as St Thomas’ won the title for the second time.
Deegan’s stand-out display was a virtuoso Leinster final performance that saw him score six from play from centre back against Na Fianna. Fogarty too was sensational for the Kilkenny city side, scoring crucial late points in the Kilkenny final as well as the All-Ireland semi-final and final.
Burke’s brilliant All-Ireland final and semi-final performances, meanwhile, were made all the more impressive by the fact that he had torn his cruciate ligament earlier in the year.
St Thomas’ lead the way on the team of the year with six players set to pick up awards this Friday night at a banquet event in Croke Park.
Goalkeeper Gerald Kelly is joined on the team by Fintan Burke, Shane Cooney, David Burke, Eanna Burke and Conor Cooney.
Beaten finalists O’Loughlin Gaels have four players on the team with Fogarty and Deegan joined by Huw Lawlor and Mark Bergin.
The remaining spots are filled by Ballygunner (three) and Ruairí Óg (two) with Dessie Hutchinson picking up his third club All-Star, as his club-mate Paddy Leavey picks up his second with Peter Hogan picking up his first.
Cushendall duo Paddy Burke and Neil McManus are also honoured having lost out to O’Loughlin Gaels by one point in the All-Ireald semi-final.
The GAA JOE team of the year featured four changes, with Mikey Butler, Jordan Molloy, Patrick Fitzgerald and Joseph McLoughlin replacing Paddy Burke, Huw Lawlor, Peter Hogan and Paddy Leavey on our selection.
Molloy can count himself particularly unlucky with his outstanding performances having earned him a Kilkenny call-up for this year’s Allianz National Hurling League.
AIB Club hurling team of the year
1 Gerald Kelly (St Thomas’s)
2 Paddy Burke (Ruairí Óg, Cushendall)
3 Fintan Burke (St Thomas’s)
4 Huw Lawlor (O’Loughlin Gaels)
5 David Fogarty (O’Loughlin Gaels)
6 Paddy Deegan (O’Loughlin Gaels)
7 Shane Cooney (St Thomas’s)
8 David Burke (St Thomas’s)
9 Paddy Leavey (Ballygunner)
10 Mark Bergin (O’Loughlin Gaels)
11 Conor Cooney (St Thomas’s)
12 Peter Hogan (Ballygunner)
13 Dessie Hutchinson (Ballygunner)
14 Éanna Burke (St Thomas’s)
15 Neil McManus (Ruairí Óg, Cushendall).
AIB Club hurler of the year nominees
David Fogarty (O’Loughlin Gaels)
Paddy Deegan (O’Loughlin Gaels)
David Burke (St Thomas’)
