Cork and Galway top hurling nominations

ALL-IRELAND champions Cork and runners-up Galway dominate the nominations for the 2005 Vodafone Allstar hurling team, sharing 22 nominations between them.

A further 15 go to Munster counties Clare, Tipperary, Waterford and Limerick, with Kilkenny having just five of their players nominated and three from Wexford.

Just 20 of the players chosen as nominees last year are again included, among them eight who won awards - Damien Fitzhenry, Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Tommy Walsh, Sean Óg O hAilpín, Henry Shefflin, Eoin Kelly (Tipperary) and Brian Corcoran.

Ben and Jerry O’Connor feature among the Cork group and based on the immense contribution they made to Cork’s victory this year, there is a strong possibility that the pair will make history at the end of November by being the first twins to be chosen as Allstars.

With Kilkenny having seven players nominated last year and 12 in 2003, it’s notable that James McGarry is excluded for the first time in eight years.

Donal Óg Cusack and Damien Fitzhenry are again included and they are joined by Davy Fitzgerald.

Tommy Walsh is nominated for a midfield position, as he was two years ago, having won his award last year at left corner-back.

Tipperary’s Paul Kelly is one of the six nominees for midfield, having been previously included as a defender. And with his brother Eoin also included in attack, there’s a good chance of both of them picking up awards.

Galway captain Liam Donoghue, who had an outstanding League campaign, is one of the four players who failed to gain a nomination - the others being defenders Shane Kavanagh and Damien Joyce and wing-forward Richie Murray.

Among their group of 11 are brothers Fergal and Niall Healy, nominated at midfield and in attack respectively.

On the Cork side, Ronan Curran is excluded along with forwards Niall and Timmy McCarthy and Kieran Murphy. Both Curran and Niall McCarthy won awards last year.

Goalkeepers: D. Fitzgerald (Clare); D. Og Cusack (Cork); D. Fitzhenry (Wexford).

Defenders: P. Mulcahy, D. O’Sullivan, B. Murphy, J. Gardiner, S. Óg O hAilpín (Cork); O. Canning, D. Hardiman, D. Collins, T. Og Regan (Galway); R. Mullally, N. Hickey (Kilkenny); B. Lohan, S. McMahon,G. Quinn (Clare); D. Fitzgerald (Tipperary); P. Lawlor (Limerick); T. Browne (Waterford); D. Ryan (Wexford).

Midfielders: J. O’Connor, T. Kenny (Cork); D. Tierney, F. Healy (Galway); P. Kelly (Tipperary); C. Lynch (Clare).

Forwards: B. O’Connor, B. Corcoran, J. Deane (Cork); G. Farragher,D. Hayes, A. Kerins, N. Healy, D. Forde (Galway); T. Walsh, H. Shefflin, E. Larkin (Kilkenny); Eoin Kelly, M. Webster (Tipperary); E. Kelly, S. Prendergast (Waterford); D. Mythen (Wexford); D. McMahon, T. Carmody (Clare).