As usual I’m a bit behind the hurling news cycle but in case you missed it, the 2008 GPA hurling team of the year was announced on Monday. Here are the winners:

1 Brendan Cummins Tipperary

2 Michael Kavanagh Kilkenny
3 Noel Hickey Kilkenny
4 Jackie Tyrell Kilkenny

5 Tommy Walsh Kilkenny
6 Conor O’Mahony Tipperary
7 JJ Delaney Kilkenny

8 ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick Kilkenny
9 Shane McGrath Tipperary

10 Ben O’Connor Cork
11 Henry Shefflin Kilkenny
12 Eoin Larkin Kilkenny

13 Eddie Brennan Kilkenny
14 Eoin Kelly Waterford
15 John Mullane Waterford

The county breakdown is:

9 Kilkenny
3 Tipperary
2 Waterford
1 Cork

The team is exactly the same as the 2008 All Star selection except that John Mullane replaces Joe Canning. The GPA team is picked by present and former inter-county players who are GPA members whereas the All Stars are picked by a panel of sports journalists.  Perhaps those journalists who were present in Thurles to  witness Canning’s sensational display against Cork in the All Ireland qualifiers were swayed to choose the Portumna man over Mullane who had an excellent season for na Déise?