Under 21 Hurling Championship - The Ambassadors

Joe Canning

At the tender age of 20, Joe Canning is already being viewed as a hurling legend in GAA circles and was named Young Hurler of the Year in 2008.

6'2" in height, the Galway forward is a towering presence on the pitch even before his breathtaking natural ability is taken into account.

A dead ball specialist and expert play maker, Joe made his debut on Galway's U21 hurling team in 2006, when the Tribesmen lost to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final, despite Joe notching up a score of 2-4 and finishing the game as the top scorer.

He went on to play a key role in Galway's U21 All-Ireland final triumph against Dublin in 2007, when Croke Park was the venue for their 5-11 to 0-12 victory.

The Portumna club has three All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling medals to his name, having played a pivotal role in all three victories. Added to his list of achievements are two Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championships, three Galway Senior Hurling Championships and two All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championships.

Ritchie Hogan

In the short time since Richie Hogan burst on to the scene, he has already won more than many do throughout their GAA careers.

Richie made his debut for Kilkenny in against Offaly in last year's Leinster SHC semi final and went on to be the two goal hero in the All-Ireland semi final victory over Galway, helping Kilkenny to book a spot in their fifth final in six years.

Despite his already notable senior career, Richie cites Kilkenny's victory in the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U21 All Ireland Championship Final last year as his greatest hurling moment. The win brought his All-Ireland tally at U21 level to two and he can add to that a Senior All-Ireland Championship, Leinster SHC medal, a National League medal, a Leinster U21 medal, two Leinster minor medals and, indeed, an U-15 World Handball Championship.

The Danesfort player is already being compared to his hero, DJ Carey and there isn't too many who would disagree with that assessment.

Liam Rushe

Liam's profile is on the rise in 2009 as the 19 year old forward has played a notable role in the resurgence of the Dublin senior hurlers under Anthony Daly.

The St. Pat's Palmerstown club man captained the Dublin minor hurling team in 2008 and formed part of the Dublin team that won the Minor Leinster Championship in 2007.

Liam went on to make his debut for Dublin against Cork in the League earlier this year and he will no doubt be looking to better Dublin's 2007 performance in the U21 hurling championship, when they were defeated by Galway.

Patrick Horgan

Having only recently turned 21, Patrick Horgan is already an established player in the Cork senior hurling panel. His rapid rise through the underage ranks was rewarded last year with his first senior start for Cork against Clare in the Quarter Final of the Senior Hurling Championship and he hasn't looked back since.

The Glen Rovers corner forward made a name for himself with commanding displays for his club side which has seen him earn two minor county titles and an U21 county title so far. Indeed, despite the fact that he also has two Munster Minor Championship medals and an U21 Munster Championship medal with Cork to his name, he still rates his U21 County Final win over Dulhallow in 2008 as his fondest hurling memory.

The bitter taste of defeat to Clare last year in the first round of the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U21 All Ireland Championship still rankles with Horgan but will surely only act as an extra motivating factor for the Championship run this year.

Already being mentioned in the same breadth as Seany McGrath, Horgan promises to put his stamp on the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U21 All Ireland Championship this year.

Seamus Callinan

Seamus Callanan has already made a firm mark on the hurling scene having secured both All Star and Young Hurler of the Year nominations last year.

The Drom and Inch player made his county debut against the Rebels of Cork last year and went on to score a goal to help secure the Munster crown for Tipperary. He notched a total of 1-3 from play on that occasion confirming his superb talent as a centre-forward and shortly afterwards he scored the pivotal goal in the U21 Munster final, captaining his county to a second provincial victory.

As well as his Munster Senior and U21 decorations, Seamus also has minor club and U-16 county final medals as well as an All-Ireland minor medal in his collection.

Arron Graffin

Antrim's Arron Graffin plays his club hurling with Cushendall Ruairi Ogs and the centre half back is widely regarded as one of the up and coming stars of Ulster hurling.

He was on the team that narrowly lost out to De La Salle in the All-Ireland Club semi final this year, the club's ninth defeat at that stage in their Championship history, and the Glensman understandably cites that defeat as his worst hurling moment to date.

At 21, Arron already has three senior county championships, two minor county championships and two senior provincial championships to his name, and that's just with his club. With Antrim he's won the Walsh Cup, notched up three senior Ulster championships, two minor championships and two minor league titles.

Arron made his county debut against Clare in 2007.