Cork and Kerry grab most of Munster Allstars

ALL-IRELAND champions Kerry and Cork dominate the selection of the Waterford Crystal Munster GAA Allstars, announced last evening.

Kerry have seven players honoured in football, six of them for the second consecutive year, along with Michael McCarthy, while five Cork hurlers were named. Notably, the hurling team includes Limerick full-back Stephen Lucey, who was chosen on the football side last year.

The scheme was inaugurated by Munster Council chairman Sean Fogarty, with the aim of honouring outstanding players in the provincial championship and those who don’t gain recognition at national level.

Speaking in Waterford at the announcement of the selection, Mr Fogarty said the generous sponsorship of Waterford Crystal was of fundamental importance to the success of the scheme.

Outside of the Kerry and Cork representation on the football team, the other three awards went to Limerick - to John Quane and John Galvin who were both chosen last year and Stephen Lavin.

In the remainder of the hurling Allstars, three each went to Clare and Tipperary and two to Waterford and Limerick.

Eight of the hurlers were chosen last year, the newcomers including Clare goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald and Tipperary defender Diarmaid Fitzgerald.

MUNSTER HURLING ALLSTARS: D Fitzgerald (Clare); D Reale (Limerick), S Lucey (Limerick), D Fitzgerald (Tipperary); J Gardiner (Cork), S McMahon (Clare), S Óg Ó hAilpín (Cork); E Kelly (Waterford), P Kelly (Tipperary); B O’Connor (Cork), N McCarthy (Cork), P Flynn (Waterford); E Kelly (Tipperary), N Gilligan (Clare), J Deane (Cork).

*Selectors: D Nealon (Tipperary), E Cregan (Limerick), P Fanning (Waterford), M Morrissey (RTÉ), J O’Sullivan (Irish Examiner).

MUNSTER FOOTBALL ALLSTARS: D Murphy (Kerry); G Canty (Cork), M McCarthy (Kerry), T O’Sullivan (Kerry); T Ó Sé (Kerry), A. Lynch (Cork), S Lavin (Limerick); J Quane (Limerick), D Ó Sé (Kerry); J Masters (Cork), E Brosnan (Kerry), N Murphy (Cork); C Cooper (Kerry), J Galvin (Limerick), C McCarthy (Cork).

*Selectors: E O’Sullivan (Kerry), E Ryan (Cork), J Landers (Limerick), M Morrissey, J O’Sullivan.