Shefflin up for ninth All-Star

Kilkenny hurling legend Henry Shefflin will this year bid to join an elite band of just two players at the top of the leaderboard for GAA All-Stars after being nominated for his ninth award last night.

The 2009 football nominations will be announced tomorrow.

Shefflin, who will join his fellow countyman DJ Carey and Kerry football great Pat Spillane on nine awards if selected this year, is being nominated for the eighth successive time.

Shefflin’s Kilkenny teammate Tommy Walsh received his seventh successive nomination.

Players from three counties - John Mullane (Waterford), Lar Corbett (Tipperary) and Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny) - have been nominated for Player of the Year, while the Young Player of the Year nominees are Joe Canning (Galway), Padraig Maher (Tipperary) and Noel McGrath (Tipperary).

Kilkenny’s beaten finalists Tipperary will take some consolation from the fact that they have one more player nominated than the champions, with all bar two of the Tipperary side that started the All-Ireland on the nominations list.

Twelve of the Kilkenny squad are nominated – 11 of the All Ireland final starting team plus influential sub and three-time All-Star Martin Comerford.

In all, there are 14 first-time nominees, - Padraic Maher, Paddy Stapleton, James Woodlock, Pat Kerwick, John O'Brien, Noel McGrath (Tipperary), Stephen Hiney, Alan McCrabbe, David Treacy (Dublin), Fergal Moore, Aengus Callinan (Galway); Gavin O'Mahony (Limerick), Noel Connors (Waterford) and Michael Rice (Kilkenny).

Tipperary’s Eoin Kelly has been nominated for his sixth award, while Michael ‘Brick‘ Walsh (Waterford) and Declan Fanning (Tipperary), who were previously selected as All Stars at midfield and full-back respectively, have been nominated for the half-back line this time around.

The GAA All Stars banquet will be held on Friday, October 16 next.

The GAA All Stars, sponsored by Vodafone, Hurling Nominations for 2009 are:

Goalkeepers:

Brendan Cummins (Tipperary)

PJ Ryan (Kilkenny)

Clinton Hennessy (Waterford).

Full Backs:

JJ Delaney (Kilkenny)

Michael Kavanagh (Kilkenny)

Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny)

Padraig Maher (Tipperary)

Paddy Stapleton (Tipperary)

Ollie Canning (Galway)

Fergal Moore (Galway)

Noel Connors (Waterford)

Shane O’Neill (Cork)

Half Backs:

John Tennyson (Kilkenny)

Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny)

Michael Walsh (Waterford)

Tony Browne (Waterford)

Conor O’Mahony (Tipperary)

Declan Fanning (Tipperary)

John Lee (Galway)

Mark Foley (Limerick)

Stephen Hiney (Dublin)

Midfield:

Michael Rice (Kilkenny)

Alan McCrabbe (Dublin)

Shane McGrath (Tipperary)

James Woodlock (Tipperary)

Seamus Hickey (Limerick)

Gavin O’Mahony (Limerick)

Half Forwards:

Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny)

Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny)

Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny)

Seamus Callanan (Tipperary)

Lar Corbett (Tipperary)

Pat Kerwick (Tipperary)

John O’Brien (Tipperary)

Ben O’Connor (Cork)

Aonghus Callinan (Galway)

Full Forwards:

Eoin Kelly (Tipperary)

Noel McGrath (Tipperary)

Joe Canning (Galway)

Damien Hayes (Galway)

Martin Comerford (Kilkenny)

Richie Power (Kilkenny)

David O’Callaghan (Dublin)

David Treacy (Dublin)

John Mullane (Waterford)

Hurler of the Year:

Lar Corbett (Tipperary)

John Mullane (Waterford)

Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny)

Young Hurler of the Year:

Joe Canning (Galway)

Padraig Maher (Tipperary)

Noel McGrath (Tipperary).