GEAROID HEGARTY, STEPHEN Bennett and Tony Kelly are the three players nominated for the 2020 Hurler of the Year award.
Limerick All-Ireland winner Hegarty is considered the frontrunner for the top individual prize in hurling after a stunning campaign. Man-of-the-match in the All-Ireland final, Hegarty scored 0-7 in a dominant display as John Kiely’s side saw off the Deise.
The 26-year-old is the Treaty’s sole representative on the shortlist, with fellow wing-forward Tom Morrissey unlucky to miss out.
Waterford star Stephen Bennett finished as the championship’s top scorer with 1-54 to his name, which includes 1-10 in the All-Ireland semi-final and a 10-point haul in the decider.
Sharpshooter Kelly, the only former winner (2013) of the award to be nominated, makes the cut despite Clare only reaching the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
The Ballyea native was in sublime scoring form throughout the competition, firing 0-17 against Limerick and 1-15 versus Wexford. He finished just a point behind Bennett in the scoring charts.
Kelly was the sole holder of an All-Star between the trio prior to the 2020 season.
The Young Hurler of the Year award will be contested by a shortlist of Tipperary’s Jake Morris, Kilkenny’s Eoin Cody and Waterford’s Iarlaith Daly.
The nominees were decided by a panel of Gaelic Games media correspondents and the committee was chaired by GAA President John Horan. The award will be voted on exclusively by inter-county players.
