1. Nickie Quaid (Limerick)
The Effin club man could not be faulted for either of Tipperary’s goals as his defence was prised apart to leave him exposed. His puckouts were consistently of a high standard and gathering underhit Tipperary shots – of which there were several – he cleverly distributed the ball to act as a launchpad for Limerick attacks.
2. Cathal Barrett (Tipperary)
Hard to fault the Holycross-Ballycahill man on his debut. He was extremely solid at corner-back for Tipperary, building on a fine league campaign and nullified the threat of Limerick attacker Seanie Tobin.
3. Richie McCarthy (Limerick)
Last year’s Allstar full-back showed exactly why he was awarded that honour. He maintained his 2013 form on his first championship day out in 2014 as he bossed the edge of the square. Curbed the influence of Seamus Callanan and made a sizeable contribution to Limerick’s win.
4. Matthew O’Hanlon (Wexford)
The Wexford defender was absent for much of last season as he was studying in Madrid and then spent time travelling in South America. Showed his county what they had missed yesterday with a formidable showing as he anchored their defence.
5. Tom Delaney (Laois)
One of the reasons why Laois established an early grip on their game was the form of Delaney. He helped established a platform in defence and also lashed over two points from distance.
6. Matthew Whelan (Laois)
Once again Whelan was inspirational at the heart of the Laois defence. He’s been one of his county’s most consistent performers in recent years and maintained that level of excellence yesterday.
7. Seamus Hickey (Limerick)
Last August Hickey endured a miserable afternoon as he tore his cruciate on a day when Limerick bowed out of the All-Ireland race against Clare. Yesterday was a remarkable transformation as he shone in defence for Limerick and crowned his display to storm forward and loft over the insurance point at the end.
8. James Ryan (Limerick)
The Sunday Game panellists bestowed Ryan with the man-of-the-match award last night and it was a fitting recognition of his performance. He was full of energy throughout and dictated the game at midfield.
9. Gearoid Ryan (Tipperary)
Ryan switched to midfield for a period during the second-half and is selected here to accommodate the surplus of candidates for the half-forward positions. He’s been battling injuries in recent times but was fit and flying yesterday, striking 1-2 from play from his wing-forward role.
10. Neal McManus (Antrim)
A difficult day for Antrim yesterday as they were damaged by the concession of early goals. McManus did his best to rouse them as he notched five points from play and was Antrim’s leading forward.
11. Conor Cooney (Galway)
Galway were another team to struggle yesterday in O’Moore Park but they did eventually get over the line as victors with Cooney instrumental in their second-half recovery as he fired over some quality points.
12. Shane Dowling (Limerick)
Still eligible for the U21 grade, Dowling showed the value in possessing a reliable freetaker. His marksmanship was flawless and he potted some key points in the opening period for Limerick. His two goals were also of immense value and a total return of 2-9 illustrated his impressive work.
13. Willie Hyland (Laois)
Laois nearly came close to claiming a major scalp and the potency of Hyland’s attacking play was key in almost achieving that. He hit 0-3 and caused Galway’s rearguard plenty problems.
14. Patrick Maher (Tipperary)
The return of Bonner to fitness was vital for Tipperary’s cause as his boundless energy and direct running posed serious difficulties for Limerick’s rearguard. Bagged a goal and did plenty other good things in unlocking the Limerick defence.
15. Conor McDonald (Wexford)
A minor last year, McDonald still lined out for the senior side last summer as well to show evidence of his prodigious talent. He looks a real prospect for Wexford judging on yesterday’s showing as he ransacked the Antrim defence for 2-2.
