Legends in every position

THE first thing that probably strikes you looking at Munster’s best hurling team of the last 25 years – an initiative between the Munster Council of the GAA and the Irish Examiner – is the illustration of various eras within the province.

The Clare renaissance, the Waterford quest and the Limerick heartbreak of recent years are all represented along with the big two of Cork and Tipperary, who both have representatives book-ending the selection.

One of those appears in the number one jersey: though there has been a golden age of goalkeepers in the last decade or so, there can be no serious quibbles with Ger Cunningham between the posts. The big Corkman was majestic for 16 seasons, and ended his inter-county career in 1998 with an outstanding stop from Niall Gilligan in the Munster semi-final.