Niall Deasy
It was a notable weekend on both the inter-county and club hurling front as Kilkenny defeated Galway in the Walsh Cup Final and Ballyea triumphed over St. Thomas’ in the AIB All-Ireland Club Semi-Final.
The Cats had to battle all the way to get the better of Galway on a score-line of 0-20 to 0-18, and in the end it was the stellar performance of their captain Richie Hogan that got them over the line first.
Ballyea resisted a late fight-back from St. Thomas’ to also hold on for a two-point win, and had the two best players on the pitch in Tony Kelly and Niall Deasy.
The voting process is simple: retweet the image of your chosen player on the GAA's official Twitter account (@officialgaa) or like their image on the GAA's official Facebook and Instagram pages. Voting will close at 4pm on Tuesday, February 7 and the winner will be announced on GAA.ie.
Hurler of the Week nominations
Niall Deasy - Ballyea
Deasy has been an absolute star for Ballyea all season and produced the goods yet again in Saturday's All-Ireland club semi-final against St. Thomas'.
He scored 1-11 of his team’s 1-19 total, 1-2 of which was from play, and seemed to win ever ball that came down his channel..
Powerfully built, fast, skilful, and a clinical finisher, it would be no surprise were he to be a very important player for county as well as club before the year is out.
Clare star Tony Kelly impressed for Ballyea.
Tony Kelly - Ballyea
Tony Kelly producing heroics for Ballyea has become a very familiar sight over the course of a campaign that has now brought them all the way to the AIB All-Ireland Club Senior Hurling Final.
He was at it again on Saturday in Semple Stadium as he hoovered up a huge amount of ball in the middle of the pitch and struck three typically classy points.
The last of them was the insurance score that Ballyea so badly needed to hold off a spectacular late charge from St. Thomas’ that nearly earned the Galway side a draw.
Kilkenny star Richie Hogan.
Richie Hogan - Kilkenny
Richie Hogan was Kilkenny’s captain for Sunday’s Walsh Cup Final against Galway and certainly led by example.
He finished the game with a personal tally of 0-11, nine points of which came from placed balls as he struck seven frees and two ‘65s.
In a match of tight margins, his clinical finishing proved decisive.
Players of the Week are decided based on votes cast by followers of @officialgaa on Twitter, on the Official GAA Facebook Page and on the Official GAA Instagram page.
