In my relatively short life watching sport (10-13 years) I have been more than fortunate enough to witness some truly extraordinary sporting events. These spectacles could never come to fruition however if it were not for some incredibly tremendous players who continue to raise the bar in their respective sports. So this is my tribute to them....moving onto Hurling.
5. John Mullane
The eccentric corner forward has won four Munster titles and four All Star awards in his time in a Waterford jersey. Indeed if you were to pick any one Waterford player for this list many would have opted for the likes of Ken McGrath, Dan Shanahan or Tony Browne.
However Mullane best epitomised all the good things about the Waterford hurling team of the 2000's. He was fiery, passionate and most of all enthralling. Mullane is without doubt one of the finest forwards of his era in terms of sheer scores from play.
After making his debut in 2001 he made his mark in 2003 when he scored 3-1 against Cork in the Munster final. He was always a player who got fans off his seats but it is more so in the last few years where he has shone. Whilst Waterford remained in transition Mullane continued to blossom.
In the 2009 Munster championship he scored 1-15 whilst the following season he scored 0-10 in three Munster championship games. In last year's championship he scored 2-2 in Waterfords epic encounter against Limerick whilst he scored 0-3 in Waterfords renaissance match against Galway after their humbling by Tipperary in the Munster final.
Some will criticise him for not doing more on the biggest stages but what cannot be held against Mullane is that when he had the ball in open space fans would wait with baited breath to see what would happen next. He was and remains a truly phenomenal forward of the past decade.
4. Eddie BrennanThe assassin of the historic Kilkenny team Eddie Brennan has won eight All Ireland titles and ten Leinster championships. Allied with this he has won four All Star awards and was also the man of the match in the All Ireland final of 2007 after Kilkenny pummelled Limerick.
Indeed Brennan's goalscoring ability was second to none. In 48 games for the Cats Brennan slotted home an amazing 26 goals. He scored a goal in his maiden All Ireland appearance in 2000 and continued this form for the coming years, scoring one particularly sensational goal against Wexford from over 20 yards out.
However his best form clearly coincided in Kilkennys four in a row period. In the 2007 finale against Limerick he amassed 1-5 whilst in the following years decider against Waterford Brennan bagged 2-4. Another All Ireland title would also follow in 2009.
The following two years saw Brennan in and out of the side, but he was picked from the start against Tipperary for the 2011 decider. The move was vindicated as Brennan played a significant part in Kilkennys second and ultimately decisive goal. Ironic that the ultimate poacher in his final game laid the winning goal on a plate for his team-mate. Nevertheless Brennan will certainly go down as one of the greatest goalscorers and marksmen of the modern era.
3.Sean óg Ó' Hailpín
Some may be surprised to see the Cork man so high on this list but there is no greater ambassador for the game of hurling. O'Hailpín has garnered three All Ireland medals and five Munster titles in his time in a Cork jersey whilst he has also amassed three all star awards as well being named player of the year in 2004.O'Hailpín is undoubtedly one of the greatest icons of modern GAA. He won his first All Ireland title in 1999, but for the following number of years O'Hailpín fought different battles off the field. he was involved in a serious car crash which could have cause untold damage to his career whilst the Cork team in general were conflicting with the county board.
Indeed many condemned O'Hailpín and Cork for their constant bickering and complaining. However two more All Ireland success as well as four final appearances in a row from 2003 to 2006 were proof that they were right, they stood up for what they believed in.
Unquestionably O'Hailpín's mentality is remarkable. He was at the heart of an excellent half back line for Cork which were the foundation for all their successes. His spirit and mentality as well as his athleticism and intelligence make O'Hailpín a true great of modern hurling.
An all action hero, Tommy Walsh is perhaps the greatest all round hurler of the modern era. He runs like a gazelle with the power of a rhino. The diminutive half back has already won six All Ireland titles as well as eight Leinster Championships. He has also won an amazing nine all stars along with the player of the year award in 2009.
He truly burst onto the scene in 2003 where he opened the scoring in that year's final where he was a half forward. However the following year he put in a virtuoso performance at corner back against Galway and he has virtually remained an everlasting presence in the half back line for Kilkenny ever since.
In spite of his size Walsh is supreme in the air. Many six foot plus and 15 stone half forwards have fallen by the wayside when confronted by Walsh. Added to that he is more than tenacious on the battlegrounds and knows how to fight his way out of trouble as well as being hugely intelligent with his distribution of the ball. Yet he still possesses the grace of an Olympic gymnast when he engulfs the open spaces of Croke Park.
A truly dynamic player Walsh is perhaps the most complete hurler of the modern era. He could play corner back or corner forward with ease. At 29 years of age there will be more All Stars to come and he will almost certainly add to his staggering list of All Ireland medals.
The king of the hurling hill, Shefflin has been at the forefront of one of the greatest GAA teams of all time. The powerful forward has won a staggering eight All Ireland medals, twelve Leinster titles as well as an enormous ten All Star awards. Added to all of this he has been named player of the year twice.
He is a scoring machine and has inflicted chaos on all opposing defences he has faced. In 56 championship appearances he has amassed a ridiculous 496 points scoring 24 goals in the process.
Many will say that his large points tally has come from frees but that would merely be ignoring his supreme skill. Who could ever forget his sensational volley off his weak side against Wexford. On other occasions he has been simply devastating. In 2004 he scored 2-11 against Galway whilst later that year he scored 2-4 against Waterford in the All Ireland semi final. In two further semi finals he scored 1-13 against Clare in 2006 whilst in 2009 he amassed a mesmerising 1-14 against Waterford.
If his semi final record is impressive his final record is all the more wondrous. He has goaled in the 2000, 2002, 2007, and 2009 finals. Perhaps his greatest moments in a black and amber jersey occurred in the 2009 decider.
With greatness on the horizon for a four in a row, Tipperary had Kilkenny on the rack. When awarded a penalty it was Shefflin who stepped up and smashed home a penalty whilst he also landed a monster free to put Kilkenny back into the driving seat. He showed huge courage and leadership in those moments.
It is those reasons why King Henry is the best of his era. He runs riot on the scoreboard but most importantly of all he has easily and comfortably shown that he is the go to man of perhaps the greatest hurling team of all time.
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