2021 National Hurling League


The 2021 National Hurling League was the 90th season of the National Hurling League for county teams. The English county teams did not compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
In February 2021 it was announced that the league would be delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games and that cancelling it would be a last resort. The league began on 8 May 2021.
Eir Sport and RTÉ provided live TV coverage of the league on Saturday nights. TG4 broadcast Sunday afternoon games. The highlights programmes were RTÉ2's League Sunday on Sunday evenings, and TG4's GAA 2021 on Monday evenings.
and were the joint winners.

Format

League structure
Thirty-two teams competed in the 2021 National Hurling League –
All thirty-two county teams from Ireland took part.
London, Lancashire and Warwickshire did not take part; they retained their division placings for the 2022 National Hurling League.
Each team plays all the other teams in their division once, either home or away. Two points are awarded for a win, and one for a draw.
Tie-breaker
  • If only two teams are level on league points, the team that won the head-to-head match is ranked ahead. If this game was a draw, score difference is used to rank the teams.
  • If three or more teams are level on league points, score difference is used to rank the teams.
Final, promotions and relegations
Division 1
  • There is no final; there will either be joint winners, or if the teams that win Divisions 1A and 1B meet in the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, this will double as the NHL final.
  • The bottom team in each group meet in a relegation play-off, with the losers being relegated to Division 2A
Divisions 2A, 2B and 3A
  • The first-placed team is the division champion and is promoted
  • The bottom team is relegated
Division 3B
  • The first-placed team is the Division 3B champion and is promoted to Division 3A

Division 1

Division 1 Format

The top twelve teams compete in Division 1 in two six-team groups of approximately equal strength. This group structure was introduced in 2020.
Each team play all the other teams in their group once. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a draw. The top team in each group will be deemed "Co-champion", unless they are drawn together in the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, in which case the match will double up as the league final.

Division 1 Final

If the two teams that won Divisions 1A and 1B had met in the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, this would have doubled as the league final. This did not happen so both teams were declared as joint winners.

Division 1 relegation play-off

The bottom teams in the two Division 1 groups met in a play-off with the losers relegated to Division 2A.

Division 1 scoring statistics

;Top scorers overall
RankPlayerTeamTallyTotalMatchesAverage
1Donal BurkeDublin1-5558511.60
2P. J. ScullyLaois1-535669.33
3Jason FordeTipperary4-4153510.60
4Patrick HorganCork3-4251510.20
5Stephen BennettWaterford1-4346411.50
6Tony KellyClare2-3945411.25
7Lee ChinWexford1-404358.60
8Evan NilandGalway0-424258.40
9T. J. ReidKilkenny1-3437312.33
10Aaron GillaneLimerick0-343448.50

;Top scorers in a single game
RankPlayerTeamTallyTotalOpposition
1T. J. ReidKilkenny1-1821Wexford
2Tony KellyClare0-2020Dublin
3Donal BurkeDublin0-1818Laois
4P. J. ScullyLaois0-1717Westmeath
5Stephen BennettWaterford0-1515Tipperary
5Stephen BennettWaterford1-1215Cork
7Ciarán ClarkeAntrim1-1114Clare
7Jason FordeTipperary0-1414Limerick
7Evan NilandGalway0-1414Limerick
10Jason FordeTipperary2-0713Westmeath
10Donal BurkeDublin1-1013Wexford
10Evan NilandGalway0-1313Westmeath
10Lee ChinWexford0-1313Kilkenny
10Aidan McCarthyClare0-1313Laois
10Alan MurphyKilkenny0-1313Antrim
10Donal BurkeDublin0-1313Clare

Division 2A

Division 2A scoring statistics

;Top scorers overall
RankPlayerClubTallyTotalMatchesAverage
1Marty KavanaghCarlow4-6072514.40
2Eoghan CahillOffaly2-4349412.25
3Paul SheehanDown2-3642410.50
4Shane ConwayKerry1-2831310.33
5Christy MoorehouseWicklow0-303056.00
6Liam LangtonOffaly3-182746.75
7John Michael NolanCarlow5-102555.00
8Jack ReganMeath0-242446.00
9Chris NolanCarlow3-122154.25
9Shane NolanKerry2-152154.20

;Top scorers in a single game
RankPlayerTeamTallyTotalOpposition
1Marty KavanaghCarlow1-1417Kerry
1Shane DooleyOffaly0-1717Wicklow
2Shane ConwayKerry1-1316Wicklow
3Marty KavanaghCarlow2-0915Wicklow
3Eoghan CahillOffaly1-1215Carlow
3Marty KavanaghCarlow1-1215Meath
4Eoghan CahillOffaly1-1114Down
5Marty KavanaghCarlow0-1313Offaly
5Christy MoorehouseWicklow0-1313Kerry
6Paul SheehanDown1-0912Carlow
6Marty KavanaghCarlow0-1212Down
6Jack ReganMeath0-1212Kerry
6Eoghan CahillOffaly0-1212Meath

Division 2B

Division 2B scoring statistics

;Top scorers overall
RankPlayerClubTallyTotalMatchesAverage
1Declan CoulterDonegal2-3440410.00
2Cormac O'DohertyDerry0-353548.75
3Cathal DolanRoscommon1-252847.00
4Johnny ByrneKildare4-102245.50
4Jack SheridanKildare2-162237.33
5Keith HigginsMayo1-161936.33
6James BurkeKildare3-091844.50
7Brian ByrneKildare0-171744.25
7Shane BolandMayo0-171744.25
8Brian CassidyDerry2-101635.33

;Top scorers in a single game
RankPlayerTeamTallyTotalOpposition
1Declan CoulterDonegal2-0814Mayo
2Johnny ByrneKildare3-0413Derry
2Cormac O'DohertyDerry0-1313Donegal
3Jack SheridanKildare2-0511Roscommon
3Cormac O'DohertyDerry0-1111Mayo
3Brian ByrneKildare0-1111Donegal
4Brian CassidyDerry1-0710Kildare
4Declan CoulterDonegal0-1010Derry
4Cathal DolanRoscommon0-108Derry
5Declan CoulterDonegal0-099Roscommon
5Jack SheridanKildare0-099Mayo