Jamesie O'Connor
GAA Expert & Columnist
Hurling team of the year: Jamesie O'Connor picks his All-Star side for 2020
All-Ireland champions Limerick lead the way with eight inclusions on the side. Beaten finalists Waterford have four, while there are also representatives from Galway, Kilkenny and Clare.
Last Updated: 15/12/20 8:18am
Following the conclusion of the 2020 All-Ireland Hurling Championship, Jamesie O'Connor selects his team of the year.
1. Stephen O'Keeffe (Waterford)
The final performance swung it in O'Keeffe's favour, for me. That's probably very harsh on Nickie Quaid. With the way Limerick play, he doesn't get a whole lot to do, akin to a succession of Kilkenny goalkeepers over the years.
But the Ballygunner shot-stopper has had a brilliant season. His double-save in the first half of the All-Ireland final was remarkable. But that was not a one-off; he brilliantly denied Aaron Cunningham late in the win over Clare.
Overall his puck-outs were fantastic, and he edges it ahead of Quaid and Eoin Murphy.
2. Sean Finn (Limerick)
It was another great year for the best corner-back in the game. He is comfortable on the ball, and is John Kiely's main fire-fighter. He is the one deployed on the opposition's top man.
A consistently excellent defender, he is one of the first names on the Limerick team-sheet. An automatic All-Star.
3. Dan Morrissey (Limerick)
Conor Prunty had a brilliant year. But the two goals Aron Shanagher scored in the All-Ireland quarter-final might come against him, and he had a few problems with Aaron Gillane on Sunday.
Dan Morrissey could not have done much more across the season. There were question-marks about the Limerick full-back line after losing Mike Casey and Richie English, but Morrissey filled that void. They only conceded three goals across five championship games; one of which shouldn't have stood in the Tipperary match.
Morrissey played in what is a specialist position as if he has hurled there all his life. He was outstanding.
4. Daithi Burke (Galway)
The Turloughmore man has come back from injury. Under a lot of pressure against Limerick in the semi-final, he was back to his best.
A valid case could be made for picking the entire Limerick full-back line. Barry Nash can be considered unlucky.
But Burke delivered big performances when Galway needed them. And the Tribesmen would not have been level with the Treaty in injury-time were it not for his performance.
5. Calum Lyons (Waterford)
Lyons did not have a vintage final. But his defiance across the season was something to behold. He led the Déise charge from the off, scoring 1-2 against Cork in the Munster semi-final.
And he was the one who took the fight to Kilkenny, particularly in the first half when nothing was going right.
6. Diarmaid Byrnes (Limerick)
Byrnes and Kyle Hayes had to be on this time, and Lyons edged in too. That means a slight positional switch for Byrnes, and Tadhg de Búrca narrowly misses out.
The Patrickswell player was man of the match in the All-Ireland semi-final, and had a real consistency right across the season.
7. Kyle Hayes (Limerick)
The 2018 Young Hurler of the Year has been a revelation in the backs. He was man of the match in the All-Ireland final two years ago, and I thought he was on-track to scoop that gong once again at half-time on Sunday.
He was utterly dominant on his flank, forcing his markers to think defensively.
Perhaps he will regret not beating Stephen O'Keeffe when the Waterford keeper made a double-save, but the fact that he was up there shooting for goal showed his athleticism, willingness and desire to pour forward.
8. William O'Donoghue (Limerick)
Every team needs an enforcer. O'Donoghue is a physical presence in the middle of the field for the Treaty, that a manager craves.
O'Donoghue is Limerick's answer to Ollie Baker or Michael Fennelly, or even going back to Frank Cummins.
He provides protection for the half-backs, and does so with huge physicality. The Na Piarsaigh man does a lot of the unseen work that makes a team function.
9. Cian Lynch (Limerick)
The second midfield berth was a difficult selection. Michael Breen was impressive for Tipperary, while Jamie Barron put in big displays against Clare and Kilkenny.
But Lynch edges it for me. The Patrickswell man was brilliant the first day against Clare, but upped his levels against Tipperary. It was a genius move by Kiely to move him into centre-forward; a curve-ball which Liam Sheedy never saw coming.
He did not hit his heights of 2018, but that's not to say he didn't enjoy a good year.
10. Gearoid Hegarty (Limerick)
Hegarty is the Hurler of the Year-elect, and there won't be much debate about that. He was favourite for the award going into the final, and scored 0-7 from play against the Déise to seal it.
There's been so much talk about his work-rate, physicality and ball-winning ability. But his stick-manship is something else. The ease at which he operates, strolling around Croke Park as if he has all the time in the world, doesn't happen by accident.
He had a great year. Hats off.
11. TJ Reid (Kilkenny)
The Ballyhale marksman was brilliant in Kilkenny's three matches, scoring 3-34, 3-6 of which came from play.
He turned the Leinster final on its head, and stood up against Waterford and kept the Cats in the match.
If a team gets to an All-Ireland semi-final, someone has delivered the goods along the way. From a Kilkenny perspective, that was TJ Reid.
12. Tom Morrissey (Limerick)
The more I watch of this guy, the more I appreciate his role.
He probably doesn't get credit for the little things he does, small passes that knit everything together. He scored five points from play in the decider, but that was only the top-line stat for his performance. His off-the-ball contributions are up there with the best. He's not afraid to roll his sleeves up and get his hands dirty.
When things weren't going well against Galway in the early stages, he was a player who put his hand up and got the scores at the right time to keep it moving in the right direction.
13. Tony Kelly (Clare)
In the absence of John Conlon, Peter Duggan, Colm Galvin and Podge Collins, Clare were always going to be up against it. They needed someone to step up, and boy did Tony Kelly.
The Wexford performance was perhaps the standout. He got a few scores that day that were beyond outrageous.
The Ballyea man was unmarkable for the first three games. His injury was a massive blow against Waterford, but he soldiered on. He was hobbling around in a boot for a week afterwards. But he still got a few eye-catching scores, and worked hard for the team that day in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
He is a certainty to be included on this team.
14. Stephen Bennett (Waterford)
Another automatic selection. With Pauric Mahony ruled out for the year, we questioned if Waterford had the fire-power to survive in this championship. There were new faces in the Déise forward line with Jack Fagan and Jack Prendergast, but Bennett showed real leadership.
He took the fight to Kilkenny, and was excellent in the Munster final.
Things didn't go as well for him against Limerick on the second time of asking, but he never gave up. He can hold his head up high after a stellar season.
He will probably be nominated for Hurler of the Year, and rightly so.
15. Dessie Hutchinson (Waterford)
He did not have it easy in the final, with low percentage balls being played into him.
He is a guy that is hopefully going to be better for his first championship campaign, and will benefit from the experience. We all knew the potential he had, and I thought we saw flashes of it.
He scored two early goals against the Banner, and set up another, showing his unselfish side.
Watch Inside The Game on Wednesday evening on Sky Sports Mix, as we review the hurling final and look ahead to the football decider.
