All-Ireland champions Tipperary lead the way with seven players selected on the PwC 2025 All Stars hurling team.
Beaten finalists Cork have four players included, Leinster champions Kilkenny have two while Galway’s Cathal Mannion and Dublin’s Cian O’Sullivan complete the 15.
There are 10 first-time winners, which is the largest number of newcomers since 12 in 2013 – the previous All Stars honoured again are Mannion, Tipperary pair Ronan Maher and John McGrath, Kilkenny’s Huw Lawlor and Cork’s Darragh Fitzgibbon.
Fitzgibbon is the only player from last year’s team included again this season. Tipperary last had a hurling All Star in 2019, so their haul of seven here ends the county’s longest All Star drought since the inception of the scheme.
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Tipp’s total of seven is in line with the representation of Liam MacCarthy winners on recent All Star selections. Clare had six last year, while Limerick had seven in 2023 and 2022.
This is the first year since 2017 that there is no Limerick inclusion on the All Star team.
Tipperary goalkeeper Rhys Shelly is among the first-time recipients, with the Moycarkey Borris man seeing off Cork’s Patrick Collins and Limerick’s Nickie Quaid for the accolade.
The full-back line is comprised of Tipp’s Robert Doyle, collecting his first individual award, Cats number three Lawlor winning his third and Cork’s Seán O’Donoghue landing his first.
The half-back line is made up of maiden All Stars Ciarán Joyce (Cork) and Eoghan Connolly (Tipperary) on the wings with Ronan Maher at number six.
It is Maher’s third All Star, having been previously honoured in 2016 and 2019. It is also another milestone for the Maher family, bringing to nine the total number of All Stars won as Ronan’s older brother Padraic claimed six during his Tipp career.
Tipp’s Bryan O’Mara is probably the unluckiest of the nominated defenders to miss out. O’Mara played a pivotal role in the All-Ireland final victory over Cork when he was deployed as a sweeper by Tipp.
The All-Ireland champions have failed to pick up either of the two midfield berths on the team of the year with Fitzgibbon and Mannion getting the nod.
Willie Connors had been among the six nominated midfielders, as were Kilkenny’s Cian Kenny, Limerick’s Adam English and Cork’s Tim O’Mahony. English possibly had the strongest shout after a very impressive coming of age season with the Treaty County but the displays of both Mannion and Fitzgibbon all year were hard to overlook.
This is Fitzgibbon’s third All Star while Mannion is picking up his second, having won his first a decade ago in 2015.
John McGrath is the only one of the six forwards to have previously won an All Star.
The half-forward line is comprised of Tipp duo Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond, and O’Sullivan from Dublin.
Morris and Ormond were to the fore as Tipp built momentum over the summer. Both players clipped over two points in the All-Ireland final. O’Sullivan had a stellar year with the Dubs, bringing a level of consistency to his performances that helped the capital’s small-ball side reach an All-Ireland semi-final.
Kilkenny’s Martin Keoghan and Cork’s Brian Hayes, both first-time winners, are named as the respective corner forwards on the team with McGrath on the edge of the square.
It is McGrath’s second award, his first was in 2016, and leaves him now just one behind his older brother, Noel, who has won three.
There is also a special family connection with Keoghan’s award as he emulates his father, Liam, who was an All Star in 1997.
The players will be presented with their awards at Friday night’s gala event at the RDS.
The Hurler of the Year and Young Hurler of the Year will also be announced live on the night. The three nominees for Hurler of the Year are: John McGrath, Jake Morris, Brian Hayes.
The three nominees for Young Hurler of the Year are: Adam English (Limerick), Darragh McCarthy (Tipperary), Robert Doyle (Tipperary).
The 2025 All Star football team will also be revealed live on the night.
All Star hurling team: Rhys Shelly (Tipperary); Robert Doyle (Tipperary), Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny), Seán O’Donoghue (Cork); Eoghan Connolly (Tipperary), Ronan Maher (Tipperary), Ciarán Joyce (Cork); Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork), Cathal Mannion (Galway), Jake Morris (Tipperary), Andrew Ormond (Tipperary), Cian O’Sullivan (Dublin), Martin Keoghan (Kilkenny), John McGrath (Tipperary), Brian Hayes (Cork).
