Jamie Wall: 'Absolute travesty if Cian Lynch doesn’t get Hurler of the Year'

Jamie Wall claims it would be an “absolute travesty” if Cian Lynch isn’t named Hurler of the Year for a second time.

Wall was in charge of a star-studded Mary Immaculate College team containing Lynch and fellow Limerick stars Aaron Gillane, Darragh O’Donovan, and Richie English when they won the 2017 Fitzgibbon Cup.

Lynch has since collected three All-Ireland medals with Limerick and will join Henry Shefflin, DJ Carey, Brian Corcoran, and Brian Whelahan as a multiple Hurler of the Year recipient if he’s named again as expected.

“It would be an absolute travesty if he doesn’t get it,” said Wall.

“I think he’s not just the Hurler of the Year, he’s the hurler of the last few years, to be quite honest.

“From a hurling point of view, there’s very little he can’t do.”

At just 25, Wall believes Lynch has time on his side to go down in history as one of hurling’s greatest players.

“He’s going to finish up having had a huge impact in the biggest games and that for me is the legacy of Henry Shefflin too.

“You talk to me about Shefflin and I immediately think, 2012, Galway.

“Kilkenny are dead and buried at half-time and Shefflin just decides: ‘No, I’m not having this, I’m going to go and win this game on my own’ or ‘I’m going to draw this game on my own and we’ll win the replay’.

“When I think of Henry Shefflin or if someone asks is Henry Shefflin in your eyes the greatest ever seen, and he is for me, it’s things like that, and the impact Cian is having in the biggest games is the same.

“That’s the real legacy for people that watch the games.”

Jamie Wall was at Ballyboden St Enda’s GAA Club in Dublin yesterday for the launch of Let’s Get Back, a campaign created to encourage the Irish public to return to the sport and physical activity. Picture: Inpho/James Crombie

- Jamie Wall is an ambassador for Let’s Get Back, a campaign created by Sport Ireland in partnership with Healthy Ireland, encouraging the public to return to sport and physical activity. See sportireland.ie for details.