THE ALL-IRELAND final man-of-the-match winner from Limerick and a pair of rising Cork stars have all been shortlisted for the Young Hurler of the Year accolade as part of the 2018 GAA-GPA PWC All-Star awards.
Limerick’s Kyle Hayes, Cork’s Mark Coleman and his Rebel team-mate Darragh Fitzgibbon are the trio in contention after the nominations have been decided.
Hayes and Fitzgibbon are both in their second senior season of inter-county hurling while Coleman made his debut in the summer of 2016 when Cork lost out in the championship to Wexford.
All three players impressed last year and then stepped up their level of performances this season. Hayes was central to Limerick’s progress during the summer as he hit 1-13 from play from his centre-forward role.
His point to grab a draw against Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and the 0-4 tally the Kildimo-Pallaskenry club man chalked up in the final against Galway were some of the highlights of his campaign.
Charleville player Fitzgibbon contributed 0-14 during the season as Cork retained their Munster title and only lost out after extra-time in the All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick, while Coleman was also impressive in Cork’s run as he built on the showing that saw him claim an All-Star award last year.
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The shortlist for the Young Hurler of the Year prize is confined to players who are U21. The most recent Limerick hurler to win it was Séamus Hickey in 2007 while Brian Murphy was Cork’s last victor back in 2004.
The nominees were decided by a committee made up of GAA media and chaired by GAA President John Horan. The award will be voted on exclusively by inter-county players.
This year’s All-Star awards take place on Friday 2 November in Dublin’s Convention Centre and will be screened live by RTÉ TV.
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