Limerick dominate Sunday Game team of the year with no surprises for player of the year

Well deserved.

They took a while to get into their stride this season, but showed why they are considered by some to be the greatest team of all-time, with their 1-29 to 1-18 dismantling of Galway.

Their reward, other than the trophy, is having 10 of their stars named in The Sunday's Game team of the year, with the peerless Gearóid Hegarty named player of the year for the second time, after winning the award in 2020.

Backing up the Treaty men in the side are three Galway men - Darren Morrissey, Cathal Mannion and Jason Rabbitte - as well as Clare's Peter Duggan and Cork's Brian Hayes.

The Sunday Game Team of the Year

1. Nickie Quaid (Limerick)

2. Sean Finn (Limerick)

3. Darren Morrissey (Galway)

4. Barry Nash (Limerick)

5. Diarmaid Byrnes (Limerick)

6. Will O'Donoghue (Limerick)

7. Kyle Hayes (Limerick)

8. Cian Lynch (Limerick)

9. Cathal Mannion (Galway)

10. Gearóid Hegarty (Limerick)

11. Aidan O'Connor (Limerick)

12. Cathal O'Neill (Limerick)

13. Jason Rabbitte (Galway)

14. Peter Duggan (Clare)

15. Brian Hayes (Cork)

After yesterday's win, Hegarty spoke to RTÉ, where he made sure to get across just how difficult it has been to get over the line this year.

He said: "It's been so hard. It's been so tough. I always speak about the Munster championship. Trying to get out of Munster every single year, it's two different competitions. It's so tough.

"So that's kind of the first objective, to get out of Munster and then you get up to the All-Ireland series, trying to get up into this stadium and you're coming up against teams that have momentum behind them obviously having won a good few games to get here.

"So it's been unbelievably toGEugh but unbelievably satisfying after 2024 and 2025. I'm not afraid to say we got used to coming up here every year and going back down the road with the Cup and it was a tough couple of years.

"I know we waited 45 years before 2018, but when you get used to something it does make it hard then when you're used to coming up here on All-Ireland semi-final and All-Ireland final day. So it's immensely satisfying to get back to Croke Park and to get back to contesting these finals and obviously today went well for us."