Seamus Callanan (Tipperary)
The most feared forward in the land. For the majority of the championship, he had a spare defender in front of him to contend with, while on Sunday he ruthlessly exposed Joey Holden, scoring nine points from play.
Callanan finished the championship campaign with 2-47 to his name, putting up 1-11 in the Munster final and 0-13 in the All-Ireland final.
For those two performances and his body of work over the last three years, he thoroughly deserves to be named Hurler of the Year.
Austin Gleeson (Waterford)
If Waterford had made the final he’d be the front runner for this award. At just 21 years-old Gleeson has developed into one of the finest young athletes in the country, of any sport.
A Dan Shanahan-Ken McGrath love-child, he controlled the airwaves in both Waterford’s semi-finals against Kilkenny.
Probably deserves the award because of his consistency, but it generally goes to a player from the All-Ireland champions. His day will come.
Paudie Maher (Tipperary)
A colossus on Tipperary’s half-back line. The arrival of younger brother Ronan at 6, freed up Paudie to his natural home at wing-back.
The elder Maher is frighteningly physical, but added some mobility to his game this year.
He scored in every one of Tipperary’s championship matches in 2016, none more spectacular than his point from the left sideline in the biggest game of all on Sunday.
John McGrath (Tipperary)
Noel’s younger brother nailed down his spot in Tipp’s starting lineup this year and never looked back.
His introduction into the team by Michael Ryan proved a masterstroke. John and Noel’s intelligent interplay down the left flank of Tipp’s attack was a huge factor in their All-Ireland victory.
A big game player, McGrath stood up when Tipp needed him most. He scored 1-3 from play in his first senior All-Ireland final. His hat-trick in the Munster final was one of the highlights of the hurling season.
Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher (Tipperary)
Despite all the flash of their inside forwards, the backbone of Tipp’s triumph was their domination in the middle third.
Maher chipped in with two points on Sunday, but he contributed so much more than that over the course of the year.
The 26-year-old led from the front all season with his remarkable appetite for work.
Richie Hogan (Kilkenny)
Kilkenny’s most consistent performer in 2016. Hogan’s impact off the bench won Kilkenny the Leinster final after everything went Galway’s way in the opening 35 minutes.
He showed his versatility this year by contributing five points from full-forward to win the provincial final, before helping Kilkenny past Waterford in the semi-final replay with a four point showing from midfield.
In Sunday’s final, Hogan was Kilkenny’s best player, contributing 1-1 from play, but not even his presence could disguise their frailties.
***
Who deserves the award? Let us know.
Poll Results:
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
Gleeson needs to grow a few more brain cells and quit launching crazy needless long range shots, other than that he has to potential to emulate Ken McGrath, and that’s saying a lot
Put what Gleeson has been doing in context of a Waterford side who half the time had no one in the final third. I don’t think there’s been a more skilful and impressive player than Austin gleeson this year.
James
He needs to mature, there were times against Kilkenny in both matches were he took on way too much, he has the ability to be the best player in the country and if he adjusts this flaw he will be, however he is not quite there yet.
Totally agree he needs to mature. That wasn’t my point. My point is that I think he’s been the most skilful player this year.
Dunno about skill per se, he’s an unbelievable athlete and serious fielder of the ball with a super engine but Callanan’s point yesterday where he took the ball down with the hurley was the skill-laden cherry on top of an all round display
James watch Gleason’s performance against Wexford. I have never seen a player hit so many balls into the middle of nowhere and racking up wides like they were gone out of fashion. To a lesser extent he was like that in every match this year so while exception at times someone who was so wasteful and reckless at times does not deserve player of the year.
It will be callinan or p maher(wing back)
When was the last time a player who didn’t play in the final get player of the year
2007, Dan shanahan,
Remember it now. He scored a heap that year
Can we call a spade a spade here and realise that callanan before the final was very inconsistent. Definitely incredible in the final, definitely man of the match but definitely not player of the year.
Seamie all day. He has consistently been the most dangerous and effective scorer in the country for the last 3 seasons. Given enough service he is essentially unplayable, even on the rare quiet days like the Galway semi he still provides a focal point for the attack and a telling contribution in winning the game. Factor that almost every other team in country ,with the exception of KK, essentially tailor their game plan to stopping him, sometimes putting 2/3 players on him.
Never read such spoof in my life. There’s literally nothing factual in your comment.
Actually most of what he said was right, me thinks it’s you that’s doing the spoofing
Lads there’s an article down a couple scrolls about callanan being inconsistent!
While he was inconsistent in his early career, he was unfairly marginalised during Dec Ryan’s tenure, and in the last 3 seasons as a regular starter he has been the most devastating forward in the country in Championship proper (fact). The scoring statistics back this up, his nearest rivals TJ and Joe Show have been their teams free takers during this period, a role Seamie has only held intermittently. Cork, Limerick, Waterford detailed sweepers to play directly in front of him (fact), and anyone with eyes could see Daiti Burke was stuck to him in a semi (a great performance by Burke) even at the expense of ignoring the general play at times.
Has to be Callahan. Unplayable this year in fairness . We could not handle him in final and maybe no changes were made to halt him was because we had no one to handle on the field or on the bench .
Callanan
Wouldn’t say he was unplayable this year, Daithi Burke did a good job on him in the semi final
He still got the key play in, which was the pass for the goal, that won the day
Incidentally Austin Gleesons temperament is very suspect no one can question his ability but could and should have been sent off in both munster finals against tipp
Padraic Maher… the big hits, the physical fitness, the classy points, the last ditch tackles… made dung of canning with that shoulder, HOTY all day long boys
Wel call a spade a spade james nobody and i mean nobody has the scoring record from play of Seamie Callinan not T.j reid not Richie Hogan hes averaged 5 points from play this season and if you take the Galway match out of it where there was 2 men on him at all times its even more impressive. How in the name of god do you call that inconsistant… even against galway which he was carrying an injury into he still nailed all his frees and set up a peach of a goal
Callinan was not double marked against Galway. Daithi Burke was the only player marking him. Aidan Harte was sweeping across the full back line but was not double marking Callinan.
Seamus Callanan will win it well but Brendan Maher has put in some heroic shifts this year and deserves a lot of credit
154 votes for Hogan? Are you well at all.
Callanan for me.To score 9 points from play in an All Ireland final is special even if KK were poor on the day .
Gleeson will win it soon though.
In 20 years 13 forwards 5 backs and 2 middle of the field. It will be a forward scores win matches simple!
How could Austin get it didn’t touch a ball in munster final