Patrick Horgan: Breaking down the stats behind Cork's best ever scorer

PATRICK Horgan will become the top-scorer of all-time in the hurling championship this Sunday against Waterford, surpassing Joe Canning and Henry Shefflin.

The Glen Rovers club man only needs a single point on Sunday to overtake Galway talisman Canning as the championship's leading marksman.

Horgan has scored 22-482 or (548 points) for Cork prior to this season's championship and then added 19 points over the two games to date to tie up Canning's record. Horgan had already become the highest point-scorer of all-time, excluding goals, in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat of Dublin.

Patrick Horgan is hurling's highest ever point scorer from play as he scores his 136th point for @OfficialCorkGAA in the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final v @DubGAAOfficial #GAANOW pic.twitter.com/kWlP2FehqO

— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 31, 2021

Canning racked up 567, 27-486 in his career, between his debut in 2008 and his retirement last year. That put him ahead of Kilkenny icon Henry Shefflin, who amassed 27-484 (565) in 71 games, with 10 All-Ireland medals to go with that tally of course.

The breakdown of Horgan's incredible haul of 22-501 across 67 games is 15-150 from play and 7-351 from placed balls, which comes from 5-1 in penalties, 2-293 frees and 12 65s.

Hoggie, who turned 34 last week, was Cork's best forward in the face of intense Clare tackling recently, aside from U20 graduate Alan Connolly who shone off the bench and will start this weekend. Robbie O'Flynn did pretty well too but Horgan showed the most fire in general play, even if his free-taking was uncharacteristically off.

While he's clearly in the latter stages of his career, he's struck for 0-18 from play in his last six matches, including a tasty 0-6 against Kilkenny last summer, an average of three points per game to go with his frees.

Unfortunately, the GAA does have a resource with all the official stats but thanks to the outstanding work of Leo McGough, the brilliance of Horgan, Canning and Shefflin has been kept in focus.

Of course, Horgan doesn't have a prized Celtic Cross but that doesn't take from his status as an absolute legend of the game.

HOGGIE'S HAUL

Total: 22-501 from 67 games

Play: 15-150 

Frees: 2-293

Penalties: 5-1

65s: 0-12