As Hurler of the Year Diarmaid Byrnes is now in exclusive company, but even more so given how rare it is that defenders scoop these awards.
The Limerick wing-back is the first defender to win the prize since Kilkenny’s Tommy Walsh back in 2009 and the list of backs to have achieved it is one of all-time greats, with the likes of Brian Whelahan, Seanie McMahon, Brian Corcoran, JJ Delaney and Sean Og O hAilpin just a few of them.
“They're all people I would have admired growing up,” said Byrnes. “I wouldn't be mad into looking back on stuff, but Tommy Walsh is someone I would have looked at clips of.
