Cody and Sheedy to manage All-Star teams

The touring party for the 2009 GAA Hurling All-Stars, sponsored by Vodafone, has been confirmed, with a spread of hurlers from eight counties added as replacements.

Fri, 04 Dec, 2009 - 17:40

The touring party for the 2009 GAA Hurling All-Stars, sponsored by Vodafone, has been confirmed, with a spread of hurlers from eight counties added as replacements.

Four in-a-row All-Ireland-winning Kilkenny manager Brian Cody will manage the 2008 selection, while 2009 All-Ireland final manager Liam Sheedy will oversee the 2009 team.

This year's tour will leave Dublin for Buenos Aires next Wednesday for the week-long trip and the highlight will be provided by the clash of the two travelling teams tomorrow week at the Hurling Club in Hurlingham, Buenos Aires.

A total of 32 players will make up the All-Stars touring party. Of those, 12 players have been added as replacements, with four from Kilkenny, two from Waterford and one each from Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Offaly and Tipperary.

Kilkenny's dominance of the Hurling Championship over the past four years is reflected in the inclusion of 13 of their players. Tipperary and Waterford will each have five players travelling, Galway with three, Dublin and Cork with two each and Offaly and Limerick with one each.

Four players are unable to travel due to family, work and exam commitments. They are Kilkenny's Noel Hickey and Henry Shefflin and Tipperary's Shane McGrath and Conor O'Mahony.

Cork's Diarmuid Kirwan, who took charge of the 2009 All Ireland final, has been confirmed as the match referee. He will be joined on the tour by this year's All Ireland Football final referee Marty Duffy.

Speaking ahead of the tour, GAA President Christy Cooney said: "I am really looking forward to what is my first GAA All-Stars tour as President of the Association.

"The All-Stars tour occupies a special place in the GAA calendar as it allows us to honour the stars of the Championship season for their wonderful displays, while at the same time providing ex-pats with a real slice of home in the run up to Christmas.

"We are going to one of the world's top cities, where there is a strong Irish community and tradition and if the experiences of the touring party of 2002 are anything to go by, it should be a really special trip."

2009 GAA HURLING ALL-STARS TOURING PARTY:

Players Travelling:

Double All-Stars (2008 and 2009) -

Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny)

Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny)

Joe Canning (Galway)

Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny)

2008 All-Stars -

Brendan Cummins (Tipperary)

Michael Kavanagh (Kilkenny)

JJ Delaney (Kilkenny)

James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick (Kilkenny)