Larry Ryan s biggest winners and losers of 2020
Including save of the year, film of the year, worst special effects, and greatest national shame
SLIDING DOORS: Ireland’s Conor Hourihane reacts after his costly miss against Slovakia in the Euro 2020 qualifying play-off semi-final. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Sat, 02 Jan, 2021 - 07:00 GOAL OF THE YEAR
Richie Hogan: Traditionally, the garrison game and its exponents get short shrift during the big championship clashes, but Richie’s magic moment revealed nearly every Hurling Man’s latent appreciation of Dennis Bergkamp. SAVE OF THE YEAR
Connell Waldron had his shot saved
Presumably, Paul Mescal will get some class of All-Star for services to selling togs. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that Lenny Abrahamson eventually had to persuade unheralded keeper Adam O’Connor to let in Mescal’s winner in the Sligo schools final after a couple of worldie saves in the Normal People rough cuts.
RTÉ Sport Journalist
Tis the season: to reflect on the year just passed, provide some holiday reading material and, perhaps most importantly, enrage most of the hurling world with some debatable opinions.
Thus, we present to you, our 2020 hurling pecking order.
For simplicity s sake, we have grouped each county within the same tier of championship they took part it in, though the likes of Kildare, Donegal and Louth might justifiably claim they would beat some of the teams placed higher.
1. Limerick
No debate over this one. John Kiely’s Limerick juggernaut won every game they played this year to claim a second All-Ireland title in three years, matching their best ever record. They also secured back-to-back league and Munster titles. Many of their key men, such as Cian Lynch, Kyle Hayes, Tom Morrissey, Sean Finn and Aaron Gillane, are 24 or under, suggesting a green curtain could fall over the next few years.