The Six Leading Contenders In The Race To Be Named Hurler Of The Year
With the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship set to come to an end after this weekend's final between Cork and Tipperary, it will be interesting to see if any player can separate themselves from the pack when it comes to the race for Hurler of the Year.
It seems all but certain that the contenders for this year's gong will come from the two All-Ireland finalists, with quite a bit depending on the outcome of this weekend's game.
With that in mind, here are out six leading contenders to be named Hurler of the Year for 2025.
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The Six Leading Contenders To Be Named Hurler Of The Year Brian Hayes (Cork)Viewed by most as the front-runner for this year's award, Brian Hayes has put together a wonderful season up to this point.
He has been the top forward in the country in 2025, with his 2-1 performance against Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final just the latest in a long line of top class displays.
The Barrs man is a certainty to land his first All-Star, having only made his breakthrough for Cork in 2024.
His championship scoring tally of 5-8 does not even begin to tell the story of his contributions in both the Munster and All-Ireland campaigns, with Hayes setting up a huge amount of scores for teammate in both open play and through the winning of frees.
Alan Connolly (Cork)Alan Connolly has not quite hit the consistent heights of teammate Brian Hayes in this year's championship, but another big performance in the All-Ireland final would put him in the frame for this gong.
He is certainly coming to the boil at the right time, having notched a remarkable hat-trick in the semi-final victory over Dublin. The 23-year old also scored a penalty in the Munster final triumph against Limerick, with his scoring tally cureently standing at 4-9 for the championship campaign.
Connolly will need a massive showing against Tipp to overhaul Hayes, but it's not out of the question.
Fresh off a man-of-the-match display against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final, Jason Forde will enter this weekend's decider in a rich vein of form.
The Silvermines man was exceptional against the Leinster champions, scoring 1-6. His scoring tally is the highest of all the main contenders for this award heading into the final having scored 3-44 up this point in the championship.
If he can lead Tipp to a win on Sunday, he has every chance of being named Hurler of the Year.
Jake Morris (Tipperary)Having established himself as one the leaders in the Tipperary dressing room over the last couple of years, Jake Morris has put together arguably the finest season of his inter-county career to date.
The 26-year old has scored 0-22 in this year's championship, including four points in the semi-final win over Kilkenny. He is also more than willing to help out at the other end of the pitch, as evidenced by his dramatic goal line clearance that saved Tipperary from championship elimination in the dying moments of their game against Clare.
Morris has packed on quite a bit of size over the last couple of years, something that has helped elevate his game to the next level. He will be hoping that he can cap off a fine year by helping his county to an All-Ireland final shock on Sunday.
Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork)The third Cork star included on this list, Darragh Fitzgibbon's standout performance in this year's championship came in the Munster final victory over Limerick.
He was immense that day, scoring 0-4 and nailing a last minute 65' to send the game to extra-time. He was also named man-of-the-match in the process.
Fitzgibbon has certainly been among the most consistent performers in the country this year, even if he does not quite have the eye-catching stats of some of his teammates.
Robert Doyle (Tipperary)The outsider on this list, Robert Doyle could vault himself into the Hurler of the Year conversation with a big performance in this weekend's final.
Tipperary will need to keep a couple of key Cork men quiet if they are to have any chance of winning this game, with Doyle likely to be handed the task of man-marking Hayes or Connolly in this game.
The Clonoulty–Rossmore man has had a brilliant year, and while defenders winning this award is a rarity, he could buck that trend if Tipp get their hands on the Liam MacCarthy.
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