With the hurling leagues down to the last four, we pick the players who have caught our eye so far this year.

1. Colm Callanan (Galway)

The Galway netminder shades a close call over Clare's Donal Tuohy for the number one jersey. A reliable last line of defence for the Connacht outfit, he will have to be on his toes against Kilkenny in the semi-final at Semple Stadium.

2. Fergal Moore (Galway)

The experienced corner-back has been consistency personified for Anthony Cunningham's side so far this campaign but the 2012 All Star and his defensive colleagues will face their sternest test yet in the last four against Kilkenny.

3. Conor O'Mahony (Tipperary)

With Paul Curran ruled out of the league, O'Mahony answered an SOS call from manager Eamon O'Shea to man the full-back position and the the Newport clubman hasn't let the side down as they recorded wins over Dublin and Cork to reach the last four.

4. Tom Condon (Limerick)

The 2014 league campaign will go down as one to forget for the Munster champions with the notable exception of Condon's displays. Now the challenge for the Shannonsiders is to get their house in order ahead of the defence of their hard-earned Munster crown.

5. Joey Holden (Kilkenny)

Brian Cody has chopped and changed his team selections throughout the league and used it to blood new players. Impressive newcomer Holden from Ballyhale Shamrocks has grabbed his opportunity with both hands.

6. Conor Ryan (Clare)

Davy Fitzgerald says his Clare team have surpassed his expectations for this year's league but, to outsiders looking in, it hasn't come as a surprise as the likes of Conor Ryan have continued this year where they left off in 2013. The Cratloe player has been outstanding for the Banner.

7. Paul Shiels (Antrim)

When Antrim's back was against the wall, Shiels came to their rescue with an inspirational display in the HL 1B relegation play-off victory over Offaly. The Dunloy star sent over nine points, including four from play, against the Faithful County.

8. Padraig Brehony (Galway)

A star of the 2011 All-Ireland minor hurling side, Brehony has made a seamless transition to senior level and has been one of the driving forces behind the Tribesmen's march to a last four clash against Kilkenny.

9. Richie Hogan (Kilkenny)

There have been many pluses for Kilkenny in the HL1A campaign so far and the displays of midfielder Richie Hogan ranks high up there. The Danesfort player's form has rarely dipped below 'very good' on the barometer.

10. Walter Walsh (Kilkenny))

Walsh announced his arrival on the inter-county scene in dramatic fashion in the 2012 All-Ireland replay but the Tullogher-Rosbercon player has brought a consistency to his performances this year which suggests that he will have a big role to play in their quest for the Liam McCarthy Cup in the summer.

11. Colin Ryan (Clare)

The Clare centre-forward lay down an early marker when hitting 1-9 in the defeat of Kilkenny on the opening day of the league in Ennis and he has continued in that rich vein form ever since. He will be looking to add to his personal tally of 1-38 in the semi-final against Tipperary.

12. TJ Reid (Kilkenny)

There has been no shortage of eye-catching individual scoring feats in this year's Allianz HLs and Reid's 3-10 against Wexford in the quarter-final tops is right up there. 1-7 came from placed balls as he underlined his worth to the Cats' cause.

13. Pauric Mahony (Waterford)

New Waterford manager Derek McGrath has a big job on his hands trying to get relegation out of his side's system before their Munster SHC campaign gets underway. He will look to Mahony - who hit 1-53 during the course of the league - to lead by example.

14. Seamus Callanan (Tipperary)

Callanan has been wreaking havoc in opposition defences throughout the league. His hat-trick of goals against Kilkenny failed to yield the desired result for his team but he is Premier County's go-to-man and is currently third in the top scorers chart with 5-40.

15. Pat Horgan (Cork)

Although there was bitter disappointment for Cork following their quarter-final exit at the hands of arch rivals Tipperary, the Rebel County can console themselves achieved their primary aim of securing promotion to Division 1A and Horgan currently tops the league scorers chart with 3-51 to his name. Tweet

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