Top 5 Forwards in Hurling
The game has been blessed with so many great forwards down through the generations but the 5 men listed below would grace any time of the sport.
TJ Reid (Kilkenny)
One of the best hurlers of his generation, Reid is undoubtedly the leader of Kilkenny hurling these days.
Deadly accurate from placed balls and open play, Reid is also a ferocious winner of ball anywhere in the forward line. This enables him to pick off scores himself or lay on assists for his teammates, which he does better than anyone else.
The Ballyhale man is maintaining a level of excellence that only a select few even on this list can compete with, and Kilkenny are going to need him to hold onto it, if they are to be competitive in the 2020 All Ireland Championship.
What a goal for Kilkenny's TJ Reid!! pic.twitter.com/cRBPUUbHJR
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 11, 2019
Joe Canning (Galway)
For so long the Portumna man looked like he was going to go through his Galway career without landing the Liam McCarthy.
His talent and personal performances built an unfair dependency from his county that was never going to be enough to bring his team to All Ireland glory.
As Galway began to evolve towards the back end of the 2010’s though, and better forwards began to emerge to help out their talisman, Canning saw his performances get even better.
Playing some of the best hurling of his career, Canning finally won the All Ireland in 2017 and was named Hurler of the Year, an accolade that could easily have gone to him again in 2018 when he lifted his personal form to an even higher level.
This Joe Canning point won @Galway_GAA an All-Ireland Hurling Final spot! Tell us what magic moments you think we'll see tomorrow! #GALvWAT pic.twitter.com/ZRcyWjBEJv
— The GAA (@officialgaa) September 2, 2017
Seamus Callanan (Tipperary)
The most devastating forward in hurling today.
Callanan fittingly won the Hurler of the Year award for his exploits with Tipperary in 2019, when he catapulted his already stellar career to even greater heights.
He scored eight goals in the 2019 Championship one in every game as he led his county to his third All Ireland medal, and fourth All-Star.
He also overtook Henry Shefflin as the highest ever Championship scorer from open play.
Patrick Horgan (Cork)
The only man on this list that doesn’t have an All Ireland title to his name, don’t let that underestimate just how great a player Patrick Horgan really is.
The third highest scorer in Championship history, Horgan has been the highest scoring free taker of the last decade.
His scoring record from play stacks up against the best as well however, with only Seamus Callanan scoring more from play over the last decade than the Glen Rovers man.
Few can dispute the 32 year old’s greatness as he gets set to start another Championship with Cork, hoping this is the one when he can finally claim that coveted Celtic Cross.
Patrick Horgan scores Cork's second goal against Kilkenny at Croke Park – See the highlights tonight @rte2 and the RTÉ Player from 9.30pm #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/PTLHlb8VVr
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 14, 2019
Aaron Gillane (Limerick)
The 2018 All Ireland winner is the heir to the men listed above as the next attacking superstar in the game.
The Patrickswell man already feared, is still developing into an elite level full forward but he has all the attributes needed to take over as the most devastating inside forward in hurling.
He possesses that bit of magic top quality inside forwards need.
He has great hands to either allow him to catch a high ball that’s put into him, or be able to create a scoring opportunity, and he is beginning to develop that ruthless streak that the best attackers must have.
