The Premier View Podcast Senior Hurling Team of the Championship After Three Rounds
Three rounds.
Twenty-four games.
Enough evidence now to move beyond one brilliant afternoon, one big scoring total or one reputation.
The group stage of the 2026 FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship has given us a proper body of work on which to judge the players who have shaped it.
Some selections jump off the page.
Others are desperately tight.
There are players with huge scoring totals who do not make this team. There are defenders whose influence cannot be measured by a scoreboard. There are players on eliminated teams who have produced excellent individual championships, and there are players on unbeaten teams whose consistency and ability to influence winning hurling has ultimately pushed them over the line.
Our criteria are straightforward.
What did the player actually do across the three county championship rounds?
Not what he might do.
Not what he did last year.
Not reputation.
We have looked at consistency, match-winning contributions, scores from play, defensive performances, puckout influence, performances under pressure, the quality of the opposition and the evidence contained in the three rounds of match reports.
For the scoring figures, there is no estimation.
No approximations.
The totals below are the actual recorded figures after three rounds.
And after going through it position by position, this is the Premier View Podcast Senior Hurling Team of the Championship after Round 3.
1. Rhys Shelly, Moycarkey-Borris
There was serious competition for the goalkeeper’s jersey, but Rhys Shelly has built the strongest three-round case.
Start with the team number.
Moycarkey-Borris have conceded only 60 point-equivalents in three games.
Twenty per game.
That is the best defensive record in the Senior Hurling Championship.
And look at the opposition.
Loughmore-Castleiney.
Clonoulty/Rossmore.
Borris-Ileigh.
Three divisional champions.
Three Moycarkey victories.
Shelly was Player of the Match in the opening-round statement win over Loughmore. His late save from Joey Quinn was crucial, but focusing only on saves understates his influence completely.
His puckout has become a weapon.
Moycarkey are not merely restarting the game when Shelly puts the ball down. His length allows them to bypass lines, place enormous pressure on opposition half-back lines and immediately create attacking situations.
That influence was repeatedly evident through the group.
Against Borris-Ileigh in Round 3 he added another dimension by converting the penalty that gave Moycarkey control of the first half.
Shelly has actually accumulated 1-06 across the three rounds, remarkable production for a goalkeeper.
But that is a bonus.
The selection is built on his command of the position, puckout influence, big saves and his role at the back of the best defensive unit in the championship.
The No.1 jersey goes to Rhys Shelly.
2. Kevin Hayes, Moycarkey-Borris
When one defence is statistically clear of every other defence in the competition, it has to be properly represented.
Kevin Hayes has been one of the foundations of that Moycarkey unit.
They conceded:
0-15 against Loughmore-Castleiney.
2-18 against Clonoulty/Rossmore.
1-18 against Borris-Ileigh.
That is 60 point-equivalents across three games against the Mid, West and North champions.
The Loughmore performance established the standard.
Moycarkey were aggressive, disciplined and extremely difficult to break down. Loughmore never developed their normal attacking rhythm and finished with just fifteen points.
Hayes has carried that consistency through the three rounds.
He has not needed spectacular interventions or headline scoring numbers. His case is the traditional corner-back case: win your battle, protect the central channel, make the forward work for everything and contribute to a defensive structure that functions.
Moycarkey’s rise has been driven by players exactly like that.
David Costigan and the scorers have naturally drawn attention at the other end.
The defensive platform is why everything else has worked.
Kevin Hayes gets the No.2 jersey.
3. Denis Maher, Thurles Sarsfields
One of the most important individual stories in Thurles Sarsfields’ transformation has been Denis Maher’s return to the heart of the full-back line.
Sarsfields have finished the group stage three from three.
They conceded 68 point-equivalents, joint-second best in the championship.
And they have done it without Ronan Maher.
That context is important because it has required other senior players to take greater responsibility defensively.
Denis Maher has done exactly that.
His display against Holycross/Ballycahill was particularly impressive. He relished the return to defence and gave Sars a much stronger central presence as they defeated one of the championship’s most highly rated attacks.
Round 3 reinforced the selection.
Kilruane needed to win.
Their obvious route was direct ball towards Thomas Cleary, Kian O’Kelly and the inside attack.
Maher helped close that route.
Sarsfields controlled the square and Kilruane never generated the sustained inside pressure they required.
The beauty of Maher’s championship has been its simplicity.
Read the danger.
Attack the ball.
Protect the square.
Give the players in front of him confidence to press higher.
It has been an old-school full-back contribution inside a much more modern Sarsfields tactical structure.
At No.3, Denis Maher.
4. Cathal Scully, JK Brackens
Cathal Scully has generally operated centrally in the JK Brackens full-back line, but we are moving him across to No.4 to recognise what has been one of the most impressive defensive campaigns of the group stage.
There is one statistic that defines Brackens defensively.
One goal conceded in three games.
That’s it.
Nenagh Éire Óg failed to score one.
Mullinahone failed to score one.
Only Adam Hall got through for Toomevara.
For a team that has played three Senior Championship games and faced attacking players of serious quality, that is a remarkable return.
Scully has been central to it.
He has brought physical presence, calm defending and consistency to the middle of the defence, and his Round 3 performance against Mullinahone was another strong display as Brackens completed a perfect three-from-three group campaign.
Their attack has understandably attracted huge attention.
Seven goals scored.
Jamie and Andrew Ormond flying.
Eanna McBride making runs.
But Brackens are not sitting on top of their group simply because they can score.
They have been exceptionally difficult to goal.
Scully has been one of the major reasons why.
He takes the final position in our full-back line.
5. Barry Heffernan, Nenagh Éire Óg
Barry Heffernan has played at centre-back, but we are shifting him across the half-back line because his three-round influence is simply too significant to omit.
Nenagh’s championship can almost be divided into two parts.
Before the response.
And after it.
Round 1 was ugly.
JK Brackens scored four goals and repeatedly exposed Nenagh’s structure.
Round 2 required leaders.
Heffernan stepped up.
He was dominant at the heart of the defence against Mullinahone as Nenagh reset their championship with a convincing victory.
Then came Toomevara.
Huge game.
Huge crowd.
Qualification on the line.
A North rivalry.
Heffernan was the Player of the Match.
He controlled the central defensive channel and was one of the primary reasons Toomevara struggled to establish any attacking rhythm.
Nenagh’s work-rate was excellent all over the field, but Heffernan was the man pulling the defensive strings.
Toome were repeatedly forced into traffic.
Possession was turned over.
The space Darragh McCarthy and the Toomevara attack needed simply was not there.
Consider the turnaround.
Nenagh conceded 30 point-equivalents against Brackens in Round 1.
Across the following two rounds combined, they conceded just 40.
Heffernan has been at the centre of that transformation.
His selection is not based on one Player of the Match performance.
It is based on how strongly he responded after the lowest point of Nenagh’s group campaign.
6. Conor Stakelum, Thurles Sarsfields
The No.6 jersey belongs to Conor Stakelum.
And this is one of the strongest selections on the team.
The central question around Thurles Sarsfields before and during this championship was obvious.
How would they cope without Ronan Maher?
The answer after three rounds is extraordinary.
They have won all three games.
Their defence has conceded only 68 point-equivalents.
And Conor Stakelum has made centre-back his own.
He was excellent against Holycross.
That was a major examination.
Holycross had pace, youth, direct runners, Robbie Ryan inside and Darragh Woods punishing mistakes from placed balls.
Stakelum gave Thurles control through the centre.
Then against Kilruane he was again one of the dominant figures as Sarsfields produced their best performance of the group stage.
He has contributed 0-08 overall, with 0-05 coming from play, but his scoring is secondary to what he has provided tactically.
He reads the ball.
He covers ground.
He gives Sars an outlet.
He can carry possession through the middle.
And he has allowed Padraic Maher’s side to play with confidence further up the field despite the absence of one of the county’s most accomplished defenders.
His performances have been strong enough that his potential in the position at a higher level has already become part of the discussion.
That tells you how good his three rounds have been.
Conor Stakelum at centre-back.
7. Cian Stakelum, Thurles Sarsfields
Round 3 sealed this selection.
Cian Stakelum was outstanding against Kilruane MacDonaghs.
Player of the Match.
Three points from play from wing-back.
But even that does not fully explain his influence.
Kilruane struggled badly with his ability to stretch the field from Sarsfields’ puckouts.
Stakelum could win possession deep and suddenly appear much further up the pitch.
That movement repeatedly asked questions Kilruane could not answer.
He offered Sarsfields width.
Running power.
A scoring threat.
And another player capable of turning a defensive possession into an attack in seconds.
His 0-03 against Kilruane was all from play, and those are his three championship points.
But again, the scoring figure only captures part of it.
This Sarsfields team has been rejuvenated by younger legs and greater athleticism.
Cian Stakelum embodies that change.
His Round 3 display was one of the best individual half-back performances of the group stage.
Stephen Walsh of Moycarkey-Borris is desperately unfortunate here after an excellent campaign in the best defence in the championship.
But Cian Stakelum’s final-round performance pushes him into the XV.
8. Euan Murray, Thurles Sarsfields
Some midfielders dominate a statistics sheet.
Others dominate the flow of a game.
Euan Murray has increasingly done the latter.
He has scored 0-04, all four points from play, across the three championship rounds.
But his selection is built on far more than four points.
Murray was excellent against Holycross, helping Sarsfields remain composed when the game repeatedly threatened to swing away from them.
Then came Kilruane.
His Round 3 display contained one passage that summed him up perfectly.
Murray broke through the middle.
The obvious option was to continue.
Instead, he saw Darragh Stakelum’s movement.
The pass was released.
Stakelum finished the goal.
It was a piece of vision and execution that completely opened the Kilruane defence.
The quality of Murray’s vision through midfield has been one of the notable features of Sarsfields’ campaign.
He gives them intelligence as well as athleticism.
He does not need to dominate possession for long spells.
He moves it.
He sees the next option.
He keeps the attack connected.
Three wins from three and a major part of the engine room.
Euan Murray gets No.8.
9. Eanna McBride, JK Brackens
Eanna McBride’s numbers are superb for a player operating through the middle.
2-05 overall.
2-05 from play.
Every score.
No frees.
No 65s.
No inflated dead-ball total.
Eleven point-equivalents generated from open play.
He scored a goal and a point against Nenagh in the opening round as Brackens produced one of the statement performances of the championship.
He followed with three points against Toomevara.
Then came another 1-01 against Mullinahone in Round 3.
The goal against Mullinahone was particularly significant because the South side had refused to disappear.
They had dragged themselves back into the contest.
McBride’s major was another brutal momentum swing in Brackens’ favour.
But his value is not merely his scoring.
He carries the ball.
He arrives into attacking positions.
He gives Brackens running power through the centre.
And he contributes heavily to the work-rate that has made them such a difficult side to play against.
A midfielder scoring 2-05 from play through three rounds is impossible to ignore.
Eanna McBride partners Euan Murray.
10. David Costigan, Moycarkey-Borris
One of the easiest selections.
David Costigan has been one of the breakout players of this Senior Championship.
The exact number is:
3-04 overall.
3-04 from play.
Thirteen point-equivalents.
Every one created from open play.
His influence began immediately.
Round 1 against Loughmore-Castleiney.
Goal.
Moycarkey shocked the defending champions.
Round 2 against Clonoulty/Rossmore was the game that really announced him.
Two goals.
Player of the Match.
Both arrived at moments when Moycarkey needed a player capable of turning pressure into something decisive.
His opportunism around goal was one of the defining features of the victory.
Then in Round 3 the goals disappeared.
The influence did not.
Costigan hit 0-03 from play against Borris-Ileigh as Moycarkey completed a perfect group campaign.
That matters.
The best championship forwards cannot depend entirely on one type of contribution.
Costigan has shown he can finish goals when they appear and take points when the opposition protects the square.
Three games against three divisional champions.
Three victories.
Costigan directly impacting the scoreboard in all three.
At No.10, there is no debate.
11. Eddie Ryan, Borris-Ileigh
The championship’s leading scorer has to be here.
1-39.
Forty-two point-equivalents in three games.
It is a staggering total.
And because we are being exact about the scoring breakdown, 0-07 of that total has come from play.
The remainder has come from the huge volume of placed-ball work Ryan has handled, including his penalty against Loughmore.
That does not weaken his case.
It strengthens a different part of it.
Borris-Ileigh have had a player who has punished almost every significant act of indiscipline committed against them.
At senior championship level, that is an enormous weapon.
Round 2 against Loughmore was his defining performance.
1-16.
Player of the Match.
The penalty was buried.
The frees were converted.
The 65s were converted.
And Borris-Ileigh beat the defending champions in a game they had to win.
He followed it with another 0-13 against Moycarkey-Borris, twelve of those from frees.
Again, every foul became a scoreboard problem.
And those scores mattered beyond the result.
Group 2 was eventually decided on the narrowest possible scoring-difference margins.
Borris-Ileigh finished second.
Every point mattered.
Eddie Ryan has scored more of them than anybody.
He takes the No.11 jersey.
12. Jamie Ormond, JK Brackens
If we were naming a Player of the Championship after the group stage, Jamie Ormond would be right at the front of the conversation.
His exact championship return is:
2-19 overall.
2-10 from play.
Sixteen point-equivalents from open play.
That is elite production.
And the deeper you go into the three games, the stronger the case becomes.
He scored 0-04 from play against Nenagh in the Round 1 demolition and was central to Brackens’ attacking performance.
Then Lyndon Fairbrother was unavailable against Toomevara.
Somebody had to assume the extra scoring responsibility.
Ormond did.
0-09.
Six frees.
Three points from play.
Brackens won again.
Then came Round 3.
Mullinahone were throwing everything at them.
Brackens were being tested.
Ormond scored 2-06 and was Player of the Match.
The exact open-play contribution that day was 2-03, with three further points coming from frees.
His two goals were enormous.
The second in particular arrived at a time when Mullinahone had built real momentum approaching the break.
Instead of carrying a major advantage into half-time, the South side suddenly saw it slashed.
That is championship influence.
Jamie Ormond has scored.
He has created.
He has taken over free-taking duties when required.
And he has delivered in pressure moments.
Two goals, nineteen points overall.
Two goals, ten points from play.
Three wins.
No hesitation at No.12.
13. Robbie Ryan, Holycross/Ballycahill
This was one of the most difficult positions to fill.
Darragh Stakelum has a huge case.
Ger Browne has a huge case.
But Robbie Ryan’s open-play threat has been central to Holycross’s championship.
His exact return is:
2-09 overall.
2-07 from play.
Thirteen point-equivalents from play.
His most important performance arguably came in defeat.
Holycross were below their best against Thurles Sarsfields.
Their attack struggled for long periods.
Ryan did not.
He scored both Holycross goals.
He was clearly their greatest threat.
Whenever Holycross managed to isolate him inside, something looked possible.
That performance matters because it showed his ability to produce even when the collective attacking structure was not functioning properly.
Round 3 presented a different challenge.
Upperchurch worked extremely hard to restrict him early.
For long periods he was shackled.
Then Holycross began to take over.
Ryan hit a brilliant brace during the second-half surge and eventually finished with three points.
That is what dangerous inside forwards do.
You can keep them quiet.
You cannot switch off.
Ryan’s acceleration, goal instinct and ability to hurt a defence without requiring placed-ball opportunities give Holycross something not easily replicated elsewhere.
He takes the No.13 jersey.
14. Andrew Ormond, JK Brackens
Another selection driven by pure open-play production.
Andrew Ormond has scored:
1-11 overall.
1-11 from play.
Every single score from open play.
Fourteen point-equivalents.
No frees.
That is outstanding.
He started the championship with 1-01 against Nenagh as Brackens ripped apart last year’s county finalists.
He followed with 0-03 against Toomevara.
Then his best points return came in Round 3.
0-07 against Mullinahone.
And those were not meaningless scores accumulated after the game had finished.
Mullinahone repeatedly threatened Brackens.
With fewer than ten minutes remaining they had reduced the gap to a point.
The game was alive.
Then Brackens turned on the after-burners.
Andrew Ormond was central to it.
Three of the closing points came from him as Brackens finally broke Mullinahone’s resistance.
His movement has been excellent throughout the group stage.
He can play close to goal.
He can come into the game from further out.
He can finish.
And unlike so many leading championship scorers, his number contains absolutely no placed-ball padding.
1-11. All from play.
That gets him the No.14 jersey.
15. Billy Seymour, Kiladangan
Billy Seymour completes the team.
And again, the exact numbers are exceptional.
1-25 overall.
1-10 from play.
Twenty-eight point-equivalents in total.
Thirteen from open play.
He began with 0-09 against Roscrea, including five from play, in a performance that helped Kiladangan build the huge first-half lead which ultimately decided the game.
Round 2 was even better individually.
Cashel King Cormacs eventually won one of the games of the championship.
Billy Seymour was still the Player of the Match.
1-09.
Kiladangan looked in control for most of that contest and Seymour was the most dangerous attacker on the field.
He converted the penalty.
He scored from play.
He punished Cashel from placed balls.
He was central to almost everything good Kiladangan did.
Round 3 required something different.
Drom & Inch placed huge pressure on Kiladangan and Dara O’Dwyer’s two goals eventually changed the game.
Seymour still contributed 0-07.
All seven came from placed balls in that match, six frees and one 65.
That distinction matters because we are not going to artificially inflate his open-play number.
His exact three-round total remains 1-10 from play.
That is enough.
He carries goal threat.
He is a top-class free-taker.
He can score heavily from play.
And he has been consistently dangerous across all three rounds.
Billy Seymour takes No.15.
The Premier View Podcast Senior Hurling Team of the Championship
| No. | Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goalkeeper | Rhys Shelly | Moycarkey-Borris |
| 2 | Corner-back | Kevin Hayes | Moycarkey-Borris |
| 3 | Full-back | Denis Maher | Thurles Sarsfields |
| 4 | Corner-back | Cathal Scully | JK Brackens |
| 5 | Wing-back | Barry Heffernan | Nenagh Éire Óg |
| 6 | Centre-back | Conor Stakelum | Thurles Sarsfields |
| 7 | Wing-back | Cian Stakelum | Thurles Sarsfields |
| 8 | Midfield | Euan Murray | Thurles Sarsfields |
| 9 | Midfield | Eanna McBride | JK Brackens |
| 10 | Wing-forward | David Costigan | Moycarkey-Borris |
| 11 | Centre-forward | Eddie Ryan | Borris-Ileigh |
| 12 | Wing-forward | Jamie Ormond | JK Brackens |
| 13 | Corner-forward | Robbie Ryan | Holycross/Ballycahill |
| 14 | Full-forward | Andrew Ormond | JK Brackens |
| 15 | Corner-forward | Billy Seymour | Kiladangan |
Club breakdown
Thurles Sarsfields: 4
Conor Stakelum
Cian Stakelum
Denis Maher
Euan Murray
JK Brackens: 4
Cathal Scully
Eanna McBride
Jamie Ormond
Andrew Ormond
Moycarkey-Borris: 3
Rhys Shelly
Kevin Hayes
David Costigan
Nenagh Éire Óg: 1
Barry Heffernan
Borris-Ileigh: 1
Eddie Ryan
Holycross/Ballycahill: 1
Robbie Ryan
Kiladangan: 1
Billy Seymour
The men who just miss out
There are some savage omissions.
Darragh Stakelum, Thurles Sarsfields
Probably the hardest.
His exact total is 1-13 overall, with 1-10 from play.
His Round 3 performance against Kilruane was outstanding, 1-06 from play, including the decisive goal from Euan Murray’s pass.
In plenty of other years, that three-round return gets him straight onto the team.
The problem is the competition in the inside and half-forward lines.
Ger Browne, Cashel King Cormacs
Another desperately difficult omission.
Browne has scored 1-10, and the full 1-10 has come from play.
That is an exceptional return from one of the main attacking forces in a Cashel team that scored a championship-leading 97 point-equivalents.
His second-half performance against Kiladangan was a major part of Cashel’s extraordinary comeback.
He could easily be in the XV.
Paul Flynn, Kiladangan
Flynn missed Round 1 and still finishes the group stage with 1-11 overall, including 1-10 from play.
That is a phenomenal return from two appearances.
His 1-05 against Cashel transformed Kiladangan’s attack, and he followed it with six points against Drom.
The only thing keeping him out is the smaller body of work.
Paddy Cadell, JK Brackens
One of the defensive leaders of the only team to concede just one goal in three championship matches.
His Round 2 performance against Toomevara was outstanding, combining defensive command with two superb long-range points.
Stephen Walsh, Moycarkey-Borris
It is difficult leaving a player from the championship’s best defence out of the half-back line.
Walsh has also scored 0-04, all from play, including three points against Clonoulty/Rossmore.
He has been a huge part of Moycarkey’s ability to defend aggressively and still get their half-backs onto the front foot.
Jake Morris, Nenagh Éire Óg
Morris missed Round 2 through injury, which ultimately costs him here.
But his Round 3 return changed Nenagh’s attacking ceiling immediately.
2-04 against Toomevara.
Two goals.
Clinical finishing.
And a reminder that if he stays fit through the knockout championship, this team could look very different again after another round.
Player of the Championship so far: Jamie Ormond
After three rounds, Jamie Ormond gets our narrow vote.
Not because he has the biggest overall score.
He doesn’t.
Eddie Ryan does.
But Ormond’s balance is exceptional.
2-19 overall.
2-10 from play.
He has scored in all three rounds.
He has delivered when Brackens were without Lyndon Fairbrother.
He has taken on the frees when required.
He has produced two goals in a pressure game.
And he has been a central attacking figure in a team that finished the group stage with:
Three wins from three.
90 point-equivalents scored.
A +20 scoring differential.
Seven goals scored.
Only one goal conceded.
That makes him our Player of the Championship at the end of the group stage.
But the key words are so far.
The preliminary quarter-finals and county quarter-finals are where reputations can change very quickly.
This is the Premier View Podcast Team of the Championship after three rounds.
It is not the final team.
There is a lot of hurling left yet.