NOEL SKEHAN (Kilkenny) He spent several years as No 2 to Ollie Walsh but when his chance finally came he was more than ready to step in. He became arguably the greatest ’keeper of all time, underlined by an All-Star haul which yielded seven awards between 1972 and 1983. The secret of his success? I trained harder every year. Not by slogging around fields, but on squash courts, handball alleys and anywhere else I thought would make me sharp. 2. Brendan Cummins (Tipperary) 3. Ger Cunningham (Cork) 4. Davy Fitzgerald (Clare) 5. Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford) RIGHT-FULL BACK ‘FAN’ LARKIN (Kilkenny) Perseverance paid off. An All-Ireland winner in 1963, he was off the scene for a few years later in the decade before returning for what turned out to be a great run. All-Ireland titles rolled in and so too did All-Star awards – four between 1973 and 1978. Small in stature, his innate hurling instinct empowered him to deal with much taller opponents. He even had a spell at full-back.