John Horgan on hurling: Cork got an All-Star boost but Tipp lifted only prize that matters

In years gone by in the weeks leading up to the selection of the All-Stars, there would be considerable debate and speculation as to who the chosen 15 hurlers and footballers would be.

How many would such a county receive... will X, Y and Z make the team... and so on.

Rumours would be swirling around the place and the controversy that might follow if a player was left out who many believed should have been an automatic choice.

There would be fury in that county if something like that came to pass as it did in 1994, when Offaly's Brian Whelehan, following on from the Faithful County's All-Ireland victory of that year, wasn't chosen but shortly afterwards he was named as the Hurler of the Year. It was a staggering omission all those years ago, creating national headlines.

There have been many other instances through the years of players perceived to be near certainties for inclusion being omitted.

Around the pubs and clubs, it was the main topic of conversation among the GAA fraternity for quite a while.

That was then and this is now and the spotlight does not seem to shine as brightly as it once did on the selection of the All-Stars.

It seems that the interest in the selection process among the general public has waned although to be selected as an All-Star remains a huge honour for the players and the clubs that framed their career.

One knows for a fact that in my own club in Castlemartyr there was considerable excitement when Ciarán Joyce was, quite rightly, chosen and similarly in Inniscarra at Sean O'Donoghue's selection.

There are numerous instances of players who have gained All-Stars recognition but who have never been on an All-Ireland winning team which therefore makes it all the more special to be recognised by the committee that selects the All-Stars.

It's an accepted fact these days that the bulk of the players chosen will have participated in the All-Ireland final.

However, in the aftermath of Limerick's crushing victory over Cork in the 2021 final, 12 Limerick players were chosen with Cork receiving zero recognition.

Cork created an unwanted piece of history with that statistic. 

It was difficult to understand at the time, after all, it's not an easy path to reach the final.

This time, 11 of those selected were on opposing sides last July when Tipperary and Cork collided.

The criteria for selection has changed too. In the past, if a player scored a couple of goals in both the provincial and All-Ireland finals but had earlier in the season been sent off he was deemed ineligible for selection.

That's no longer the case now, of course. You are never going to get universal approval where the chosen 15 are concerned and one is sure that was the case when the 15 that were chosen last Thursday were revealed.

Five counties received recognition this time as against just three 12 months ago when Clare, Cork and Limerick had the selection all to themselves.

Despite winning out in Leinster again as they usually do these days, Kilkenny had an empty plate at the presentation dinner. It was a different story this time, the Cats, provincial champions again and receiving two nods from the selection committee.

Three Leinster counties, Kilkenny, Dublin and Galway are represented while for the first time since 2017, Limerick are without. But that's the way the cookie crumbles with the All-Stars, on top of the world one year, nothing at all the next one.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

Tipperary were very much on the outside looking in 12 months ago after a disastrous Munster championship campaign and seemingly looked upon by many as a county that might remain in the doldrums for a while.

But, as they say, what a difference a year makes, hammered by Cork in the national league final and by the same county in one of the games during the round-robin stage of the Munster championship.

And yet, on the last day of the intercounty championship season, they stood proudly on the podium of the Hogan Stand as All-Ireland champions after a gargantuan collapse from the county that they lost heavily to twice just a short few months earlier.

Everything changed that July Sunday and a significant number of the Tipp team were suddenly very much in the conversation of those tasked with selecting the All-Stars.

Seven is probably just about right for the Premier County with the number of accolades that they received but, no doubt, Darragh McCarthy figured in the thought process too as did Bryan O'Meara, whose positioning in the final caused big problems for Cork.

Was four selections acceptable from a Cork perspective?

True, they received five last season after finishing second again but the manner of the July defeat this time must have militated against them receiving any more.

They did end up with more trophies on the provincial and national stages than Tipp but in the world of the All-Stars, it's all about that All-Ireland final day of reckoning.

The four Cork lads chosen are fully deserving of recognition and Brian Hayes would now be the Hurler of the Year if the MacCarthy Cup was now a resident on Leeside.

Seán O'Donoghue was ultra-consistent throughout the campaign and Ciarán Joyce continues on his upward trajectory as one of the country's best half-backs. Darragh Fitzgibbon has bagged his third award and rightly so too and will be a central figure in Ben O'Connor's plans in 2026.

Dublin became one of the stories of the season after creating a massive shock in ousting Limerick and the player that stood head and shoulders above all the rest in their journey was Cian O'Sullivan, whose scores were so often a joy to behold.

Cathal Mannion stood far taller than any other Galway player in their desperately disappointing season and his award is also richly deserved.

Rhys Shelly grew into the number one jersey for Tipp after being second choice at the outset of the campaign, while few if any could argue with Hugh Lawlor's aerial ability in the Kilkenny full-back line.

We might have had more fun in our reflections of the chosen 15 if there had been a glaring omission as had happened in past years. Not this time, though, it was the same 15 that was chosen by the Sunday Game panel a few months ago, so no real argument.

It's Tipp's time to celebrate on and off the field and fair play to them. Twelve months ago outside of the county a number of those chosen as All-Stars last week might not have been that well known at all. Cork's capitulation in the final helped considerably to put the county back on top of the tree and and team boss Liam Cahill got the blend so right.

The All-Stars have aligned again in the Premier.