All-Ireland champions Kilkenny have just four representatives on the GPA's Opel Gaelic Team of the Year for Hurling while beaten finalists Cork top the selection with six.
Four counties in total - Waterford and Tipperary being the other two - are represented on the team voted for by fellow players.
Tommy Walsh, James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick, Henry Shefflin and Martin Comerford are the Kilkenny representatives on the team. All four are also in line for All Star awards next month.
Cork representatives Donal Óg Cusack, Brian Murphy, Ronan Curran, Jerry O'Connor, Ben O'Connor and Joe Deane are also all among the All Star nominations.
Waterford trio Eoin Murphy, Tony Browne and Dan Shanahan join
Tipperary pair Paul Curran and
Eoin Kelly in making up the remainder of the Opel
selection.
Chairman of the Hurling Selection Committee, Donal O'Grady, said the awards were special for players because they had been voted for by their peers.
"I know there will be some who may find it strange that this year's runners-up received more awards," he said, "but regardless of the reaction of people, each position was carefully teased out by the selection committee before being put to the playing body to vote."
The 2006 Opel Gaelic team of the Year for
Hurling: 1. Donal Óg Cusack (Cork), 2. Eoin
Murphy (Waterford), 3. Paul Curran (Tipperary), 4. Brian Murphy
(Cork), 5. Tony Browne (Waterford)
6. Ronan Curran (Cork), 7. Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny) 8 & 9
Jerry O'Connor (Cork) & James "Cha" Fitzpatrick (Kilkenny), 10.
Dan Shanahan (Waterford) , 11. Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny), 12.
Martin Comerford (Kilkenny), 13. Ben O'Connor (Cork), 14. Eoin
Kelly (Tipperary), 15. Joe Deane (Cork)