The curtain has come down on a hurling championship that will live long in the memory and the Liam MacCarthy Cup will spend the winter in Limerick for the first time in 45 years. Here is our hurling team of the year...

1. Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny)

A league medal and a string of outstanding saves are what Murphy has to show for his efforts from 2018.

2. Sean Finn (Limerick)

Limerick's go-to-man for man-marking duties, Finn put the shackles on Conor Whelan in the final.

3. Daithi Burke (Galway)

Galway's two-in-a-row dreams were dashed by Limerick but Burke enhanced his reputation as the stand-out full-back in the game.

4. Richie English (Limerick)

The Doon man was a model of consistency throughout the Shannonsiders' march to an eight All-Ireland success.

5. Padraic Mannion (Galway)

The front runner for the 'Hurler of the Year' accolade, Mannion rarely put a foot wrong throughout the summer.

6. Declan Hannon (Limerick)

The Treaty County captain repaid manager John Kiely's faith in him in the number six jersey and his two first-half final points underlined his leadership qualities.

7. Diarmaid Byrnes (Limerick)

Really grew in prominence as the year progressed and provided the launchpad for many a successful Limerick attack.

8. Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork)

Cork fans are left to wonder what might have been after injury forced Fitzgibbon - arguably the best midfielder in the country - out of their semi-final defeat to the eventual champions.

9. Cian Lynch (Limerick)

A bundle of energy around the middle third, Lynch's appetite for hard work and accuracy in front of the posts were key ingredients in his team's winning formula.

10. Peter Duggan (Clare)

Produced the point of the championship the first day against Galway and finished as the championship's top scorer with 3-76.

11. Joe Canning (Galway)

The refusal of Galway's talisman to throw in the towel against Limerick was a sight to behold and he was brilliant all year for Micheal Donoghue's side.

12. Tom Morrissey (Limerick)

Used his physical strength to telling effect and popped up with some vital scores for the team in green and white.

13. Aaron Gillane (Limerick)

Didn't scale his usual high standards in the decider but was immense throughout the Shannonsiders' run to the final.

14. John Conlon (Clare)

There is no full-back that will recall marking Conlon with fondness in 2018 and every team would love to have a target man and scorer of his calibre. 

15. Patrick Horgan (Cork)

For the second year running, the semi-final stage proved to be one bridge too far for the free-scoring Glen Rovers clubman and his team-mates.

Tweet

Most Read Stories