Jamesie O'Connor selects his hurling team of the year

Jamesie O'Connor looks back at Kilkenny's latest All-Ireland SHC success and selects his team of the year...

The second-half of Sunday's final was such an anti-climax. The opening 35 minutes had gone so well for Galway. They were three ahead at the break and they should have been further in front, hitting seven wides. They brought an aggression, intensity and work-rate that surpassed Kilkenny, and if they could sustain it you felt the game would go down to the wire.

But Kilkenny took a vice-like grip on proceedings and just didn't let go. Even afterwards with the stadium emptying so quickly, it was like letting the air out of a balloon. All that anticipation and excitement fizzled away.

It was a disappointing final and emblematic of the season as a whole, where it promised much but failed to deliver. It was also disappointing that Kilkenny retained the All-Ireland without really having to overextend themselves.

They beat Wexford without leaving second gear and won the Leinster final by seven points where it was shooting practice for the last 15 minutes.

Once TJ Reid got the goal in the All-Ireland semi-final they were able to keep Waterford at arm's length, and there was an air of inevitability about Sunday's final midway through the second half. They strangled the life out of Galway.

I said on radio during the week that it's up to the chasing pack to close the gap on Kilkenny, but when you reflect on it, how much better are Kilkenny than they were?

Paul Murphy and Cillian Buckley have become top-class players. TJ Reid and Richie Hogan have taken it to another level, while Michael Fennelly has been excellent. But you couldn't make the case that the likes of Shane Prendergast and Joey Holden are better than Jackie Tyrrell and JJ Delaney in their prime.

In 2013 it looked as though the landscape had changed. Now Kilkenny are back looking for the three-in-a-row in 2016.

Jamesie O'Connor's team of the year

1. Colm Callanan (Galway)

I think Callanan will be a unanimous choice when the All Star selectors sit down. He was consistently excellent for Galway. The penalty save against Dublin was crucial but his season will be remembered for the performance he gave in the All-Ireland semi-final, where he made save after save. The one from Lar Corbett was the stop of the year. His handling and distribution is good and he is a worthy recipient.

Eoin Murphy was rock solid but the problem for Kilkenny goalkeepers down through the years is they don't have the same levels of work to do! I've no doubt he is a top-drawer goalkeeper but I think Callanan edges him given the more high-profile saves he made.

2. Paul Murphy (Kilkenny)

There is absolutely no question about who wears the No 2 jersey. Murphy has become a real leader in the Kilkenny defence. He is physically strong, powerful, attacks the ball and reads the game well; corner-forwards don't enjoy being marked by him for 70 minutes.

3. Joey Holden (Kilkenny)

Barry Coughlan was excellent for Waterford in the Munster final and although he made a couple of mistakes against Kilkenny, he did a really good job. James Barry is also another player in the shake-up in what wouldn't be his first-choice position.

However, when you look at the guys he had to mark - Conor McDonald, Maurice Shanahan and Joe Canning twice - it's hard to look beyond Holden. He had massive boots to fill, coupled with the pressure of being captain, but he was honest, forceful and pretty effective in the role.

Kilkenny only conceded two goals in the championship; Brian Cody would have taken that at the start of the summer.

4. Shane Fives (Waterford)

For me, this came down to the two Waterford corner-backs. Noel Connors kept Pat Horgan under wraps on two occasions, but Fives got a couple of massive points in the Munster final. I know he played in Paul Murphy's corner but I'm giving Fives the nod.

5. Daithí Burke (Galway)

Burke really made a difference when he came back into the team for the replay with Dublin. He was on Danny Sutcliffe that day and picked up Richie Hogan in the Leinster final, where he kept him under wraps for 40 minutes until Hogan went out to midfield. He also did a good job on Patrick 'Bonner' Maher in the All-Ireland semi-final.

If I had to choose a guy in the Galway defence that I wouldn't fancy marking, Burke would be pretty high on that list.

6. Tadhg De Búrca (Waterford)

I don't think it was necessarily an outstanding year for centre-backs. Kieran Joyce was solid without being spectacular, Mark Ellis had his moments in the sweeper role against Clare and Wexford, and Padraic Maher also played that role well.

But in a year of sweepers, De Búrca was the best. He reads the game really well for a young player and his distribution was underestimated. He rarely gave possession away and made a lot of good decisions on the ball. He also popped up at time to get big scores. He's a mature head on young shoulders.

7. Cillian Buckley (Kilkenny)

This is another no-brainer. Buckley has been consistently outstanding for Kilkenny. He may not have had his best game in the final but in the second half he gradually started to win his individual battle.

Through honest effort and hard work, Buckley has taken his game to another level. He is probably one of the first names on Brian Cody's teamsheet.

8. Michael Fennelly (Kilkenny)

He was man of the match against Wexford, missed the Leinster final through injury, had a big semi-final against Waterford and was again man of the match in the All-Ireland final. He's that type of Frank Cummins, Ollie Baker figure in the middle of the field - the fear láidir as they say in Kerry - but what a presence and force.

To do what he did this summer with very little training, and to fight through the injuries he had, Fennelly was massive. With some of the players they had lost, Fennelly was one of the guys that assumed a greater role and was just a wrecking ball. He protected his half-back line, drove forward, broke tackles, and was just a real force in that middle third.

9. Jamie Barron (Waterford)

Barron's work-rate, energy and ability to link defence and attack was superb. I thought he had an outstanding year. He gets in ahead of David Burke.

Burke had a poor Leinster final at wing-forward and it was only when he went to midfield that we saw him at his best. He was solid against Cork and was the best midfielder on view against Tipperary. He also played well against Kilkenny but you sometimes look at consistency, and Barron's performance levels didn't deviate as much.

10. TJ Reid (Kilkenny)

What can you say about the hurler of the year? There were times during the second half of Sunday's final where it wasn't glamorous or pretty, but Reid was in thick of it, rolling up his sleeves and fighting for dirty ball in his own half-back line.

Reid was a contender for hurler of the year in 2014 but he didn't have a great game in the All-Ireland semi-final. They made a mistake putting him in against Seamus Hickey in the corner, rather than on the wing where he has been so good. But this year, there won't be anybody questioning his candidacy.

11. Richie Hogan (Kilkenny)

Hogan was brilliant in midfield last year but with Henry Shefflin gone and Richie Power out injured, needs must. Kilkenny needed his ability to get scores further up the field. He just has that ability to influence games, to operate in small pockets of space.

He played through the All-Ireland with what seemed to be a serious quad injury, and I imagine he had to work very hard in terms of physio and deep tissue work. Believe me, when someone is trying to dissipate scar tissue, it's not pleasant. He did whatever it took to get himself in a position to do a job for the team. He is a guy who will definitely get the All Star in the No 11 shirt.

12. Jonathan Glynn (Galway)

Jason Flynn is unlucky to lose out. He was electric against Cork and outstanding against Tipperary. The score he got before half-time, where he took the ball down into his hand and put it over the bar in one movement, was fantastic. He made a massive contribution.

But in terms of getting Galway to the final, Glynn was indispensable. We saw instances in our coverage earlier in the season of how deep he dropped under the opposition puckout. He was an option all year for Colm Callanan, his goal against Cork set the tone, and he does a lot of unseen work, like getting blocks and hooks in and making life difficult for defenders.

Glynn is still only 22 years of age and is a player that I feel Galway aren't fully utilising. He can give them more of an option at full-forward with players running off him.

It came down to him and Flynn, but Glynn just edges it.

13. Ger Aylward (Kilkenny)

Scored 3-5 against Wexford; not a bad way to mark your full championship debut! You got the sense that once Ayward got his hands on that jersey, he wasn't giving it up. He was always busy, covered a lot of ground and got scores. He just looked like a guy who had been on the team longer than he actually way.

Aylward scored three points in the Leinster final and four in the All-Ireland semi-final, and he had more hooks, blocks and tackles than any other player in the latter. That's indicative of the way he plays. Had his finishing been better at times he would have ended with an even bigger tally, but he really had a great first season in the No 13 jersey.

14. Seamus Callanan (Tipperary)

Callanan did the damage against Limerick with two goals and although he had a frustrating afternoon in the Munster final he still worked hard for the team. In the All-Ireland semi-final his performance was out of the top drawer. Almost single-handedly he brought Tipperary to the cusp of an All-Ireland final appearance. He has become a real leader in that full-forward line.

15. Maurice Shanahan (Waterford)

I don't think you can look beyond Shanahan. He really delivered for Waterford this season. Playing what was at times an isolated, lonely role up front, the nature of the Waterford system meant he had a lot of work to do just to hold up the ball. He was outstanding.

Even in the Munster final, it was low-scoring, tight and tense. There were a lot of pressure frees and he nailed every one of them, and did the same against Kilkenny. At times in big matches where the team isn't scoring freely, there is a bit of added pressure on the free-taker.

Shanahan would have gotten the nod just for his efforts from general play. Derek McGrath and his management team can also take a bit of credit because they found a way to get the best out of him. His All Star will be well deserved.

Cathal Mannion was in the shake-up. He was superb in the replay against Dublin, and also against Cork and Tipperary, but he had a disappointing performance in the Leinster and All-Ireland finals. He had one of those days that I've also experienced, where the game almost passes you by. It's desperately frustrating because it wasn't for the want of effort or preparation.